Obituaries : Robert Arthur \'Bob\' LaGrange

Vinton--Robert Arthur “Bob” LaGrange, 85, died peacefully Thursday, July 28, 2016, at the Vinton Lutheran Home.

A memorial visitation will be 2 to 5 pm Sunday, July 31, 2016, at Van Steenhuyse-Russell Funeral Home in Vinton. A Celebration of Bob’s Life will be held at 6:30 pm Thursday, August 4th at the Vinton Fire Station. All are welcome.

Bob was born November 10, 1930 in Vinton to Robert Arthur (Art) and Katherine Black LaGrange. He graduated from Vinton High School in 1948, and from the College of Pharmacy, University of Iowa, in 1952.

On June 22, 1952 he married Jane Vauthrin in Melbourne, Iowa. They lived briefly in Vinton before Bob was inducted into the Army where he served as a pharmacist at the U.S. Army Hospital in Camp Chaffee, Arkansas, from 1952 to 1954.

Bob and Jane then returned to Vinton where Bob joined his father and became a partner at LaGrange Pharmacy where he worked until shortly after son, Mike, joined him as a pharmacist. Bob was proud of the fact that he was one in a long line of pharmacists, following his grandfather, Theodore, his father, Art, and being followed by his son, Mike, and now his grandson, Dan. Bob retired from the pharmacy in 1994.

He was active in a number of organizations and causes, including long time member and past president of Kiwanis, past president of Vinton Library Board, founding member of Benton County Flyways Ducks Unlimited, past president of Old Creamery Nature Trail, which he helped develop and where he continued to serve, member of the ACT 1 where he took part in a number of community theater plays, past board member of Izaak Walton League, past board member of the Old Creamery Theater Company and most recently a committee member of the Red Cedar River Project.

But his biggest love was the Vinton Fire Department, where he served as a volunteer fire fighter from 1956 to 1992, and as secretary from 1957 to 1989. Bob developed his love for fire fighting from the time he was a little boy and never lost interest, which continued throughout his life.

Bob is survived by wife, Jane, children Connie (Dave) Schuelka, Rochester, Minnesota, Mike (Diane), Vinton and Ted (Mary) Lincoln, Nebraska. Six grandchildren – Sarah (Jake) Austin, Cedar Falls, Iowa, Matt (Emily) Schuelka, Birmingham, England, Dan (Ali) LaGrange, Vinton, Iowa, Jill (Omaid) Zabih, Omaha, Nebraska, Ben LaGrange, Lincoln, Nebraska and Amanda Schuelka, Tybee Island, Georgia and six great grandchildren – Zoey, Charlotte, Weston, Cobie, Arthur and William.

He was preceded in death by his parents, an infant brother, and a granddaughter, Laura Katherine Schuelka.

A memorial fund has been established.

Van Steenhuyse-Russell Funeral Home is caring for Bob and his family. Condolences may be left at www.vsrfh.com.