Robert L. Rieke

Robert "Bob" Rieke, age 91, of Clark, died Saturday evening, July 22, 2023 at Avantara of Clark.

A visitation will be held Wednesday, July 26, 2023 at Furness Funeral Home from 5-7 pm and 1 hour prior to the funeral services.  Funeral services will be held at the Clark Methodist Church at 10 am on Thursday, July 27, 2023 with Pastor Rob Salmonson officiating.  Burial will follow at Rose Hill Cemetery with full military honors. Lunch and fellowship will be held in the church fellowship room.

Robert Lee Rieke, was born in a leap year on March 1, 1932 to parents Lloyd and Elva (Kruthoff) Rieke.  He claims to have actually been born on February 29 but the doctor arrived late!  Bob was the middle child of five and the only son.  He attended country school in the area and helped on the family farm in Fordham Township, near Carpenter. In 1952, he joined the US Army where he served amid the Korean War until his honorable discharge in 1954.

On December 17, 1955, he was united in marriage to Rose Kohl at the Methodist parsonage in Clark.  The couple lived and farmed near Carpenter for the next 14 years. They raised three children, Roberta "Bobbie", Eddy and Brenda. In the fall of 1969, they moved into Clark. Bob worked for a time in road construction, at Olson's Motors, for Peckham Well Drilling and then began at Midwest Foods.  He continued working at the potato plant through various owners and was the Head of Receiving for the plant.

Bob loved fishing and camping, hunting deer, West River antelope, and pheasants.  His philosophy was you only needed to have three shells along for pheasant hunting as that was the limit of birds anyway!  He was a proud member of the Clark VFW and the Raymond Baker Post #209 Legion.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Rose, two sisters, Guida Leiviska and Agnes Lamp and several sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law.

Grateful for having shared his life are his children, Bobbie (Dean) Palmer of Clark, Eddy Rieke of Vienna, and Brenda (Rocky) Beynon of Clark, eight grandchildren, eighteen great-grandchildren, two sisters, Mary Jane Snavely and Carole Roussel, several sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

Services are being arranged by Furness Funeral Home where there is an online guestbook at www.furnessfuneralhome.com.