Robert L. Witcraft of Friendship, WI passed away Sunday, March 10th, 2013 while in Florida.
Funeral Services will be 12:00 Noon on Saturday, March 16th, 2013 at the Arkdale Trinity Lutheran Church. Friends may call at Roseberry’s Funeral Home on Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. and again on Saturday from 11 a.m. until the time of service at the Arkdale Trinity Lutheran Church.
Interment will follow at the South Arkdale Cemetery.
Bob was born April 10, 1931 in Adams, Wisconsin to Theodore and Lillian (Bartman) Witcraft. He graduated from AF High School in 1951. He married Delores Kleven on August 17, 1957 in Dellwood, Wisconsin. Bob worked at Nepco Paper Company, managed the Y-Club and the Evergreen Bowling Lane in Nekoosa. He retired from Moundview Memorial Hospital.
Bob enjoyed bowling, golfing, fishing, hunting, reading and playing cards. He enjoyed every day to the fullest, especially visiting his friends at the hospital and nursing home.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Theodore & Lillian Witcraft; brother, Fred Witcraft; step-mother, Helen Witcraft and two brothers in law Don and Ken Kleven.
Survivors:
Wife: Delores Witcraft of Arkdale, Wisconsin
Daughter: Carrie Jean (Andrew) Hankes of Omro, Wisconsin
Son: Christopher Robert Witcraft of Sarasota, Florida
Daughter: Camilla Marie (Tom) Jaekel of LaCrosse, Wisconsin
Grandchild: Alycia Hankes
Grandchild: Kayla Witcraft
Grandchild: Colten Jaekel
Grandchild: Dylan Jaekel
Sister: Lillian (Dale) Anderson of Warrens, Wisconsin
Sister: Donna (Stewart) Thomas of Iowa
Sister: Martha (Bruce) Marti of Friendship, Wisconsin
Sister-in-law: Mary Ann Witcraft of Mauston, Wisconsin
Further survived by over 40 foster children, many nieces and nephews, many dear friends and his dog, Piddles.
I am so sorry to hear of your loss, he was a wonderful man and joked all the time with me when I worked at the hospital many years ago, (Adams County Memorial hospital when it was called that). I am sorry I am late with this. I am praying for your family, and God Bless all of you at this hard time.
We extend our deepest sympathy to Dee and family. Always cherish the memories.
Carrie, Chris, Dee and Cami: I am sorry for your loss. Bob was a truly remarkable man. I haven’t seen him in years, but I will always treasure the times we spent at your home. He always had a smile and a kind word for everyone. The world needs more people like him. Our sincerest regards to all of you.
Dee,
Im so sorry for your loss! My prayers go out to you and your family!
Our sympathies to Dee and family on the loss of Bob. I remember Bob bartending and Dee hostessting at my aunt & uncle’s Hide-a-Way Supper Club on Lake Petenwell when I was a little kid. You were great friends of my parents. Fond memories.
Chris and Family- Sorry to hear about the loss of your Dad. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Dee, Carrie,Chris & Cammie~ So sorry to hear of Bob’s passing. I so remember my overnights at your place, and how he would always make you laugh. I don’t recall every seeing him without smile. He knew how to cheer up everyone with a laugh. Treasure the fond memories he has left behind for you all. Life has changed but life goes on. God Bless you all. Our sincere sympathy goes out to you all at this most difficult time. Please know that our thoughts & prayers are with you.
Dee, Carrie, Chris and Cammie – I am sorry for the loss of someone who was not only a wonderful husband to your mother, but an amazing father for all of his own kids and all the foster kids your family has taken care of over time. He truly led a full life, never stopping and always willing to help anyone in need. He has now gone home to be with the Lord, but in your hearts – he is still with you every day. When I think of your father, I see a man who always had a smile on his face, a cigar in his mouth and a kind word for everyone – he truly made you feel like you meant the world to him when he talked to you and I will never forget how he made us laugh all the time when I would spend the night at your house. Dee, you and Bob raised a wonderful family and did a remarkable job with all of your kids – I know you are very proud. I am unable to be there with you all during this loss, but know I am with you in thoughts and prayers – God bless you all, hugs and kisses : )
Donna, It has been many years since college in Eau Claire, but when I saw the news of your brother’s passing in the paper, I wanted to take a minute to express my sympathy.
Dee and family, so sorry for your loss. Always remeber the happy times. Bob was a great person. I am glad that I had the opportunity to have known him. All will be in my prayers.
Dee and Family; I feel Blessed to have known your family for years as being a foster family ourselves and from when you had the store in Grand Marsh. Bob was always a kind and gentle soul who loved everyone. He will be missed. I keep you all in my prayers and ask the Lord to hold you close during your time of sorrow. God Bless. Wendy
I am so sorry to hear of Bobs passing,i worked with him at the hospital for many yrs he will be missed by everyone, he always had something cute to say when ever i met him in the store or at the postoffice.
Delores/family..
Our prayers are with you/yours..Keep the memories in your hearts..
Dee and Family- We have lost a happy friendly gentle man -may God grant you peace. He shall be greatly missed by many.
Dee, Carrie, Chris, Cami,
We are not only sorry for “your” loss, but also for “our” loss. With Bob’s passing, it is a loss for all of us whose lives he has touched.
I have many memories from my childhood through current day, of time at “Kleven Kamp” and the many visits at your house.
Treasure your memories, he will not be forgotten. We’re here for you if you need us.
Kelly, Craig, Colin and Kaley Liska
I am so sorry for your loss, Carrie. My prayers for you, your mother and all the family. I am united with you in thoughts and love.
I thanked God today for letting Bob stay for so long with us all, here on earth. I know he usually likes to take the great people sooner than now . God knew we needed Bob alittle longer to help us get ourselves together. Richard & Barb loved spending time upnorth with the Witcrafts. They brought their kids up and they’d be so excited to hear the stories & jokes from Bob. Then Brian (Janet),Mark (Debi), Debbie (Scott) had the pleasure of introducing their children to the Witcrafts. And it was no surprise to them that their children would get excited to see if the Witcrafts were home to stop & say Hi! Even cousins(Dave(Pat), Steve(Nancy),Cory & friends to numerous to mention would talk of the wonderful Witcrafts.Im so Thankful that Kristin(Rob2003), Chelsea(Aaron2013), Joshua(Amy2013) are all old enough now to not only drive the golf cart, but they can push it back up by themselves now. God is going to keep Bob pretty busy and I know Bob has that twinkle in his eye thinking about a couple of his own projects to take care of himself. NOW he has a better way to take care of his family & friends so we better behave, lend a helping hand, have fun, and make someone laugh each day and smile at those stars above us or some cigar ash may fall into our eyes, we’ve got big shoes(a great example) to pass on to the next generation. Thank you God for letting one of your Angels walk among us for awhile longer! The Stack Family & Friends
Dee and family….. Condolences on Bob’s passing. We have many happy memories of Boober, especially at bowling. He was always with a smile on his face and everyone who knew him will miss him. Mary Lee and Gordon Klaus
Cami and Family,
My sincere sympathy to you and your family. I always remember times we gathered at your house. Your dad always had a smile and was always happy to help entertain us. Stay focused on the many memories he will be missed. Thoughts and Prayers to everone. Denise Schmidt
We are so sorry for your loss. May God send you some comfort.
As one who grew up on Pine St we all knew Boober, always there to help one out. I remember him playing basketball for A-F, and he was good too. Great man, glad to have known him. My sincere condolences Dee.
Aunt Dee, Carrie, Cammie and Chris:
All I can say is I am so sad…. I am truly going to miss Uncle Bob, as I have gotten older I haven’t seen him as much but I remember my younger years and my times spent with everyone while Mom, Dad, Aunt Dee and Uncle Bob would play euchre until late at night. I recall one night my mother(Aunt Lil) said let’s switch partners everone get up and move one chair to the left. She had every rolling in laughter. As they still would of had the same partner. My memories of My Uncle Bob would have to be him with a small nub of a cigar in his mouth. Him just snawing on it not sure if he smoked cigars or not. But I loved my Uncle Bob and his jokes and chuckles well me fond memories in my heart… My mother Lillian loved her Brother, as I did my Uncle. He surely will be missed by my our family as I am sure everyone else who met him or knew him. My prayers are with you all.
Love you all and God Bless,
Carol
(When did you know me to be short winded on anything. Memories of Uncle Bob—I could go on forever!!! 🙂
Dee,
I’m so sorry to hear of your loss. Bob was always a great, happy guy to be around. I never knew him to have an unkind word about anyone. He will be missed .
Dee, Carrie, Chris, & Cammie,
I have so many great memories growing up with all of you. When ever I think of your dad/husband I picture him with that nub of a cigar in his mouth.The funny thing is I can’t ever remember him smoking it…he just always had the same sized nub. At deer season time he would stop by the shop to see how many deer we had in and tell me the joke of the day. Boober always had a smile on his face and as I recall was a heck of a cook also. My prayers are with you all.
Dee, Camie, Carrie and Chris,
Ron and I send our deepest sympathy to you all. Ron has good memories of him and Bob on the Fire Department and at the bowling alley. Bob always had a smile and a comment. You all take care of each other and know that he is in heaven helping out all he can. We are going to be out of town so we will not be able to attend the visitation or funeral however please know you all are in our prayers. If you need anything we are just a telephone call away. God Bless you all
Ron and Carol Johnson
Dee, so sorry my prayers go out to you, Boober will be truly missed. Growing up with the kids, I spent a great deal of time at your house and he always treated me just like I was one of his own children.
My sincere condolences Dee. Grew up on the same street as Boober, good old Pine St. Remember going to basketball games and watching Boober play, he was so good. Always helpful to those of us that were younger growing up.
Dee and Family, My thoughts and prayers are with you during this time.
Dee and family
I was so sorry to hear of Bob’s passing. What a delightful man……always had a nice smile for you. My thoughts and prayers are with you during this sad time.
Dee, Carrie, Cammie, Chris, so sorry on your loss. Hold each other close and share your memories. Bob was a great man. May God. Family and friends comfort you during this difficult time,
Dear Dee, Carrie, Cammie and Chris,
My heart goes out to you for the sudden loss of a beloved man who had touched the lives of all who knew him, you are all in my heart, prayers and thoughts during this difficult time, I have known Mr. W all my life and not once had I heard him say a harsh word to anyone or about anyone, 4-H was always fun when he was around. He was such a great man, it’s going to be hard to imagine of him being gone from our lives. God Bless You All !!!
Dee and family,
I am so sorry – I was so shocked and sad when mom told me what had happened. Bob was indeed a great friend to my mom and dad. My little brother will certainly feel the loss as well.
There are no words that can be placed on what a great friendship my family had with Bob, ( and the rest of your family, as well as yourself Dee). You both have always been so kind to me & my family as well. Please know my thoughts and prayers are with you and your entire family.
God Bless.
Tammy
Dee, prayers for you and your family during this very sad time.
Thinking of you at your time of sorrow. May your memories of all the good times bring comfort to the family. I have many great memories of Bob especially at the bowling alley,where he made a lot of people laugh and have fun. Love to your family.
Dee and family, my thoughts and prayers are with all of you.
To the family, sincere condolences and prayers to you for God’s strength and grace from the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother and Associates in Oshkosh. We all love Carrie very much and feel such sadness at this great loss. Robert’s entrance into Heaven is unquestioned and we pray that you can find comfort in knowing that. God is very close.
To the Witcraft Family and my classmates, I extend my condolences on your loss.
Carrie, Chris & Cammie~ You are all like brother & sister’s to us “Marti Girls” ! We grew up together from little on and your dad would pick us up from Roche-A-Cri & take us into town for band or wherever we told him to take us. I never called him “Boober” it was usually Bob or Mr. Witcraft. He would always ask if we were good and if we couldn’t be good, have fun!! I will never forget when we had a car load and Bob was driving us to the Lion’s tubing hill and the car he had at the time didn’t have shocks. We all laughed so hard on the way to the hill we were crying!! Remember the good times and memories. We Love you All
The Mary Marti Girls!
Dee and Family
I bowled with Boober for many years, he was a great guy and a good friend. He will be missed by all who knew him.
Dee and family,
I was very fortunate to see Bob on a regular basis, and was touched by his gentleness and great sense of humor. I will miss him dearly.
Dee and Family Sincere condolences Everyone that knew Bob will carry a little more thoughtfulness and kindliness in there hearts forever !
Dee & family, so sorry to hear of Bob’s passing. You have our sincere condolences.
Dee and family, I was shocked and saddened to hear of Bobs passing. He always had a smile and a kind word when I saw him. You are in my thoughts and prayers at this hard time. Hold each other close at this difficult time and always remember that Bob loved you all very much. My sincerest condolences to you all.
Dee and children, we are very sorry to hear about Bob passing away. He was a great guy, and a honor to know. If you need anything let me know.
I’m sorry to hear of Bob’s passing Your in my thoughts and prayers. May God grant you peace.
Dee and family,
Boober was one of the good guys. His kind doesn’t come around very often. May God bless his memory.
so sorry to hear of Bob’s passing. I remember when he ran the grocery store in grand marsh. Bob you will be missed.
Sorry to hear about Bober. Had a lot of times with growing up. Take care and will pray for you
So sorry for your loss. I will surely miss Bob’s smile and wonderful conversation when he came to the park.
So very sorry for your loss. He will be missed.
Aunt Dee, sorry to hear about Uncle Bob. My Prayers and thoughts are with you and the rest of the family.
Dee and family, Sorry to hear about Bob. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this time. God Bless
We are sorry to hear of the loss of Uncle Bob. Prayers are with the family.
Dee and Family, We are so sorry for your loss. May the Lord send comfort to all.
Dee and children, I was sadened when I seen that Bob had passed away. No more pain. He was a great guy, always had a smile on his face and would say a friendly hello. He had to laugh, seems that one day eveywhere I went Bob was there from one store to another and moundview, he asked me if I was following him and I said yes and we have to stop meeting here, we both laughed.Bob will be missed by all who knew him. dee if there is aything I can do, please let me know. Blessings to everyone.Darlene Chase.