Robert J. Waltman, Sr., passed away peacefully at Howard County Medical Center in St. Paul, on March 4, 2024 after a brief illness.

Internment and a private family celebration of life will be held at a later time at the Czechoslovakian Cemetery in Farwell. Jacobsen-Greenway-Dietz Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Bob was born March 18, 1941, at St. Paul, to Edward and Helen (Czapala) Waltman. He attended a one-room country school near Paplin, and graduated from Elba High School at the age of sixteen after grades and top test scores allowed for his advancement in the form of skipping two grades.

After high school, Bob worked the family farm near Farwell. He married Dolores Landavazo in Nogales, Arizona in 1967. After the couple moved to Farwell, Bob began working with renowned local beekeeper Kenny Hamilton.

An innate understanding of automotive theory and a natural knack for repairing anything mechanical led to Bob working as a mechanic at Jacobs Ford in St. Paul, Union 76 in Alda, and then as a diesel mechanic at Rollins Trucking in Grand Island. After achieving certification as an ASE Master Mechanic, Bob returned to Union 76, where he specialized in refrigerated systems repair until retiring in 1993.

Bob was community– minded and a tireless public servant. For several years he served on the Farwell Volunteer Fire Department, was president of the Farwell School Board, and was the Mayor of Farwell— all at the same time. He was an integral member of the Farwell Volunteer Fire Department for decades, including his time as chief of the department. His mayorship lasted thirty years. Even after leaving office, area residents would often call Bob when water lines broke or other emergencies came up.

Gardening was a hobby he inherited from his mother, and Bob approached it with the same devoted dedication that he applied to every task. Watering, weeding, and checking on his fertile plots several times daily. Bob’s neighbors, family, and friends were regular beneficiaries of his big heart and generosity in the form of plump peppers, crisp cucumbers, tasty tomatoes, and other lovingly-tended garden goodies.

Bob was also known for his skill in the kitchen. He enjoyed making soups from scratch, and often shared his baked goods with the gathering of area men he regularly joined for morning coffee at the fire hall in Farwell.

When Bob would fire up his grill, the pleasant aroma of sizzling steak would soon waft through the neighborhood. Neighbors and family members will surely miss the warm loaves of foilwrapped banana bread, and zucchini bread that he delivered from time to time.

Other hobbies included attending auctions, and collecting antiques —especially Depression and Carnival glass, and other collectible glassware. Over his lifetime, Bob’s canine and feline companions were dear to him.

Survivors include Dolores, his wife of fifty-six years, and two children: a son, Robert Waltman, Jr., of Farwell, and daughter, Maribel Bartels (Alan), also of Farwell; and a granddaughter, Rebecca Coon (Dakota) of Wayne, who was the absolute joy of Bob’s later years.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Irene Lewandowski, formerly of Grand Island; and a brother, Larry Waltman, formerly of Omaha.

Memorials are suggested to the family or to the American Cancer Society.

The Phonograph-Herald | March 20, 2024