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- Familysearch.org:
ID: G94Z-H3X
Findagrave.com:
findagrave.com/memorial/86792052/robert-samuel-whitehead
Bob Whitehead was born in the "tenant house" on the family farm near New Paris, Indiana in 1919, the first child of Merl and Edna Whitehead. His grandfather, Samuel Whitehead, was in ill health and in January baby Bob was taken up to the main house so that Samuel could see his first grandson before his passing. Bob experienced a typical farm-boy childhood in 1920's and ‘30's Indiana, going to school and working on his grandmother's farm, as well as those of various uncles in Elkhart County. He accepted Christ as his savior and was baptized as a youngster. His family attended Rock Run Church of the Brethren, which was founded by his great-great grandfather Jacob Berkey and later pastored by his great grandfather Isaac Berkey. Bob shared many interesting stories of an idyllic boyhood with his family in later years.
He graduated from New Paris High School in 1937 and attended business classes at Ball State University and Elkhart Business School between 1938 and 1940. He met Eva Lois Zimpelmann at church and was soon asking her to "go for a drive" with him. Eva Lois, a schoolteacher at that time, and Bob were married on May 31, 1941.
During the latter part of WWII Bob worked at U.S. Rubber Co. in the Ball Band Division that made Red Ball rubber footwear and self-sealing airplane fuel tanks for the armed forces. He lived with his family in Mishawaka, Indiana at that time. In the fall of 1943 they welcomed their first child, Dennis, into the family. In 1945, when automobile manufacturing was beginning to ramp up to meet post-war demand, Bob went to work selling cars at a friend's Chrysler-Plymouth dealership, where he stayed until 1947. Daughter Regina came along in early 1946, the year Bob moved his family to New Paris, Indiana.
In 1948 Bob entered a partnership, Maple City Motors, that opened a Kaiser-Frazer car dealership. Bob became renowned for taking anything in trade including bicycles, motorcycles, boats, tractors, a farm wagon, furniture, jewelry, watches, ponies, goats, rabbits, frozen meat, fifty laying hens and a crock of apple butter! Bob's efforts were rewarded with a handsome watch from Kaiser-Frazer inscribed, "For Outstanding Sales Achievement, June 1951, Edgar F. Kaiser." The car company was unable to sustain production and was merged with Willys-Overland in 1954. Maple City Motors continued to sell used cars for a while, but Bob sold out his interest in 1955.
For a time Bob and Eva Lois owned and operated a pet and hobby shop, selling fish, birds, small animals, and various hobby materials. Son Thomas was born in 1949. In about 1951 the Whiteheads left New Paris to move to Goshen, Indiana where Bob continued to operate a used car lot in the late ‘50's. In 1956 son John joined the family.
In about 1959 Bob took a sales position with Town and Country Frozen Foods, excelling as top salesman, selling frozen food plans and freezers. This job took the family from Goshen to Owosso, Michigan from where Bob worked in T&C's Lansing Branch. Bob's youngest child, Martin, was born there in early 1961.
In late 1961 Bob and Eva Lois relocated to Brooklyn, Michigan where Bob began selling lake lots for Lake Columbia Realty before the lake was even created. He sold the first lot at Lake Columbia. Bob and Eva Lois soon joined the First Baptist Church of Brooklyn where he remained a member for over fifty years.
In about 1963 Bob took a job with Mid-Continent Refrigeration Company out of Denver, Colorado, selling commercial refrigeration to restaurants, groceries, deli markets and gas stations. He spent most of twelve years traveling in New England for that company and was their top salesman.
In 1964 Bob purchased 28 acres east of Brooklyn, on Horning Road, dubbed it Timberlane and spent his long weekends every other week building a house, putting in a lake, building a covered bridge and landscaping the property with the help of his wife and kids. The land and barns were occupied by many exotic birds including pheasants, ducks, swans, geese, peafowl, guinea hens, turkeys, chickens and huge rheas. It was also home to horses, ponies, donkeys, a goat, rabbits, a milieu of cats and dogs and even a skunk. Bob also enjoyed picking up old tools and other antiques on his many sales trips.
Bob "retired" from Mid-Continent in 1975 and went to work for friend Richard Ehnis at Kitchen Supply Company, selling kitchen remodels. He worked with Richard until 1980 when he sold the Horning Road property and moved to Storer Camps in Napoleon to become Property Manager. At the YMCA camp Bob supervised a maintenance staff and was in charge of all lands, buildings, agriculture and machinery. He introduced many innovative ideas and practices to that operation.
In the early ‘80's Bob and Eva Lois purchased and refurbished a home on King St. in Brooklyn and later purchased a house in Port Charlotte, Florida where many pleasant winters were spent away from the Michigan cold. During most of his adult life, for over sixty years, Bob and Eva Lois owned and managed rental units and houses in Goshen, Indiana and in Jackson, Michigan.
In June, 1985 Eva Lois passed away from cancer. Bob was remarried to Barbara Stutesman on Valentine's Day, 1986. For the past 26 years Bob and Barbara have enjoyed retirement, including many winters in Florida and the rest of the time near most of their family members in Michigan. Bob and Barbara continued with the rental units for many years, selling them off slowly.
Throughout his life Bob had an interest in his family history, the Civil War and was an avid reader of American history. He enjoyed many business and personal travels, including to places of historical interest. Bob enjoyed the outdoors and spent time camping, fishing, canoeing and mushroom hunting. He was renowned for his ability to tell a tall tale, stringing it out in wild feats of exaggeration until the listener finally tumbled onto the fact that he was being "had." To Bob, a stranger was merely a friend he hadn't met yet.
Bob is survived by his wife Barbara, children Dennis (and wife Marcia), Regina, Thomas (and wife Suzie), John (and wife Bertha) and Martin (and wife Shannon), step-children David and Steven Stutesman, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, three sisters and their families and more friends than any man could dream.
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1919 - 2012 (92 Jahre)
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: Adresse
: Ortsteil
: Ort
: Region
: (Bundes-)Staat/-Land
: Land
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