Robert Morseth, of Montevideo, died Thursday, February 18, 2016 at the Clara City Nursing Home at the age of 85.
Memorial services will be held on Thursday, February 25, 2016 at 2:00 PM at United Methodist Church in Montevideo with Rev. Gwen Bohlke officiating. Visitation will be held one hour prior to services at the church on Thursday.
Robert “Bob” Morseth was born on October 11, 1930 to Theodore and Agnes (Miller) Morseth in Milan, MN. Bob was the youngest of three siblings. He attended Milan School from elementary to high school. While a senior in high school he joined the Appleton National Guard, which was mobilized in 1951 during the Korean War. He was sent to Camp Rucker, Alabama for further training. While at Camp Rucker he became a tank commander and was then sent to Fort Knox for leadership training. He was told while at Fort Knox that his name had been drawn to ship out to Korea in a few days. However, the Peace Treaty was signed just days before he was to leave. He was discharged from the Army in September 1952 and returned to the family farm in Milan to help his father.
On September 12, 1953 he married Barbara Cairns at the Appleton Congregational Church. At that time his parents purchased the farm they were living on and so Bob and his father farmed together for several years. To this union were born two children, Daniel Morseth in 1954 and Timothy Morseth in 1962. Death took two boys, in 1957 Noel Robert Morseth and a still born boy in 1959. Bob took a part time job fixing washers and dryers and soon purchased the business calling it Fiesta Sales and Service in Montevideo. Another job opportunity came up in Florida working in an appliance service so Bob sold the business and moved his family there and remained in Florida for 3 years. He received a call from Molde’s Electric in Montevideo offering him a position in service for them. He moved his family back to Montevideo and worked there for 13 years before starting his own service business, which he called Bob’s Appliance Service in 1976. This is the 40th year business has been consecutively running, with his son Timothy, now the owner. Bob was known as the “Maytag Repairman, the loneliest man in town” . Bob loved people and the people of the community quickly found him kind, thoughtful and trustworthy, so Bob serviced Montevideo, Granite Falls, Madison, Dawson and Appleton areas.
Bob loved fishing, hunting, but woodworking was always his passion. He built and remodeled the farm home Bob and Barb have lived on for 59 years, overlooking the Chippewa River Valley. He also loved gardening, always planning a big garden every spring and enjoyed harvesting, freezing and canning vegetables. He always had a natural ability to make mechanical things work. He took advantage of many appliance service schools, when not too far away to keep up with the changing trend in repair.
Bob was a quiet nature and loved his family and times at the lake in their trailer at Lobster Lake. He liked to keep up on speaking Norwegian, because his parents spoke that language was he was growing up. He even taught the home health aide who attended him these past 3 years, how to count in Norwegian as she helped him with his exercises each day. Even with years of illness and many hospital visits, he never gave up hope and strongly believed in healing and prayer. He truly is healed now and enjoying his children, who were waiting for him. Even in death, he remained strong with his faith in Christ.
Bob is survived by his wife of 62 years, Barb; two sons, Daniel Morseth of Maple Plain, MN and Timothy Morseth of Montevideo; and one and only favorite grandson, Joshua Mickels of Golden Valley, MN.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Theodore and Agnes Morseth; two sons; sisters Delores Morseth Rudolf and Orpha Morseth Bissell; nieces and nephews; and many long time friends.
Robert “Bob” Morseth, 85, died of a massive stroke on February 18, 2016 at the Clara City Nursing Home, after 5 days in North Memorial Hospital in Minneapolis.