Robert William Gerber Bob seemed to befriend everyone he met when he returned to the northland after retiring from JCPenney headquarters in Dallas, TX, 1996.

He was born to Laila Olsen Gerber and Herbert Gerber, of Neenah, WI on May 20, 1939. Bob was a storyteller and he loved sharing his adventures, stories and jokes with anyone who would listen. At ten years of age, he worked driving horses and continued working at farms straight through his college years. He spent a summer working in the kitchen at Glacier Park; he worked construction; he also worked at Lakeside Packing Company—sometimes checked in for up to 20 hours a day. All the above, except for his summer at Glacier, were jobs near the Glenwood City/Emerald area of Wisconsin. Lucky for Bob, his long-term memory allowed him to recall every story and joke he heard during those formative years, and he loved sharing them with anyone willing to listen. Bob was a scholar, a star athlete, and without a doubt, always a leader among his peers. Luther College played a large role in his life; he was a 1961, third generation graduate of Luther. His grandfather, Engel Olsen, was pastor of the Norwegian Church in Sand Creek, WI and became a leading force in his religious beliefs as an ELCA Lutheran. While at Luther he majored in English and history. Post graduation, he did a brief stint teaching, and then enrolled in graduate school in Missouri. At age twenty-seven, Bob went to work for IBM in New Jersey and then moved to Shell Oil in Syracuse, New York. Shell placed him in real estate setting up new sites and managing their active and excess properties. He left Shell to join JCP Realty for 27 years managing 16 and 20 million square feet of real estate in New York/Dallas/CA much to his delight. His friends from those years were plentiful and stayed in touch his entire life. When Bob retired in Dallas, he became a real estate consultant, and worked at Staples “doing the books” for five years. He was proud to be a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and the Urban Land Institute. Bob was a great skier and an excellent sailor, but first and foremost, he was an avid historian. He read between 150 to 200 books per year and seemed to remember every detail of each piece of literature he touched. He is survived by son, Chris Gerber (Shelley) and Chris’s children: Kelsii Dilley (Craig), Kaari and Kalene Gerber (all from Texas), and his daughter, Stacy Delacruz (Ernesto) and her children Zachary and Kaeli Long of Frisco, Texas. He wasenormously proud to call Ollie and Henry Dilley his favorite great grandsons. Step grandchildren and step great-grandchildren also survive Bob: Brittany Aguilar (Anthony) and Nicole Dinscore (DJ) and their children: Emery, Kynsley, and Bexley as well as Trinity Delacruz. His sister, Kathy Endersbee (Paul) of Florida, was one of his all-time favorite people on the earth. Bob leaves behind many cousins with Paul and Jeanne Olsen of Iowa located at the top of the cousin list. The last twenty-four years, Bob lived what he called: “Best Years of my Life.” He returned to Wisconsin at the turn of the century and met a widow named Roxie Olsen. It was love at first sight. Her children (Chris/Mary, Suzy/Andy, Patrick/Dannica) embraced Bob with all their hearts, and he became the only grandfather (Mac/TJ, Tom/Lexi, Brindley/Briggs) have ever known. His English Cream golden retriever, Murphy, was Bob’s best friend during the last ten years of his life. Bob and Roxie lived the last twenty-four years between homes in Rice Lake, Dallas, TX, and in their little cabin on Lac Courte Oreilles. They ballroom danced as they traveled, fished, and kayaked at the lake. Bob carried a spirit of kindness and laughter wherever they were and continued to tell stories and make friends daily. The last item he had on his to-do list was to stay overnight at the cabin 2024. He was there thirty-six hours and he asked to go home. Forty-eight hours later, on June 5th, 2024, he closed his eyes and made his final journey to heaven. Bob was grateful to Dr. Michael Husak and the wonderful oncology team at Marshfield Clinic in Rice Lake who provided him with TLC for three years. More recently he watched in awe as Marshfield’s Hospice team, under the leadership of Dr. David Schifeling, provided him with Tammy, his witty match and RN beyond par excellence. Christine was Bob’s excellent hospice social worker who could send a retort back faster than he could think. He adored the Hospice staff. Bob’s entire family thanks the medical community near and far for loving, understanding, and caring for this wonderful child of God the last years of his life.

A memorial service/visitation will be held later this summer at Bethany Lutheran Church in Rice Lake, WI, with Appleyard’s Home for Funerals in Rice Lake, WI is assisting and serving the family with the arrangements. Post script: We are quite sure Bob is already president of the Luther Alum group in heaven and organizing a fundraiser to help those in need upon his arrival.

Last Update: Jun 13, 2024 1:04 pm CDT