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Robert TIPLER Obituary

Age 77, of North Oaks, MN Passed away July 30, 2019 Bob led an inspiring life as the quintessential self-made man. Born September 27, 1941, he grew up in St. Paul's Como Park neighborhood and graduated from Murray High School in 1959. In 1964, Bob graduated from the Electrical Technology program at St. Paul TVI (now St. Paul College). Bob went on to own and grow multiple successful businesses including Hunt Electric, and NSI Mechanical, earning numerous industry achievement awards, both locally and nationally. He also enjoyed a lifelong love of golf. Bob is survived by his beloved wife of 57 years, Kathleen, his three children, Merrily Karel (John), Susan Hitchcock (Edward), and Steven Tipler, and seven grandchildren, Edward Jr. (Sydney), Robert, Samuel, Clare, Joseph, Zachary, and Benjamin. He is preceded in death by his parents, Earl and Lucille Tipler, and his brother Richard. Memorial contributions may be made in the Tipler Family Endowed Scholarship name, or generally to the scholarship fund, at The Friends of St. Paul College Foundation. https://www. saintpaul.edu/alumni/give, 235 Marsh- all Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55102. In keeping with Bob's wishes, a Celebration of Life will be held on August 16 from 5:00-9:00 pm at North Oaks Golf Club, 54 E Oaks Rd, North Oaks, MN 55127.

Published by Pioneer Press from Aug. 7 to Aug. 11, 2019.
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4 Entries

Most Everything I am as a Man:
Who I am as a Man as a Human Being is what I learned from Robert F. Tipler, aka Uncle Bob to me, and the Tipler Men, Roberts Dad and my Grandfather, Earl Tipler, and his Brother and my Dad, Richard E. Tipler, and the Tipler Women, my Grandmother - Lucille Tipler, my Mom JoAnne Rohr (Formally Tipler & Doole), and Robert's Wife and my Aunt - Kathy Tipler.

We are all blessed to have had Robert Tipler my Uncle Bob in our lives! My hope is that Roberts Legacy lives on through everyone who had the extreme privilege of having Robert in their lives.

I always looked forward to being around my Uncle Bob. I learned from him every moment I was around him, as I also did from my Grandfather, Earl Tipler and my Dad, Richard E. Tiplerthe Tipler Men! I learned from Uncle Bob by his example. I learned from him through the many conversations we had and the conversations I heard him have with others. As a young boy, I watched and learned from the adults in my life, especially my Uncle Bob and the Tipler Men. The Man my Uncle was and the Man he helped me to be - the man I am, I learned through his actions, his words, and the natural role model he was for me and everyone. Uncle Bob and the Tipler Men taught me to be a Man of integrity, ethics, and moralsto have and be a man of good character. To be a Man that shows everyone and anyone respect and kindness. Uncle Bob and the Tipler Men taught me and showed me through their own lives how important it is to be a Good Man and just how much that Does Matter! They taught me to always do what is right no matter what! And that "Good things happen to Good Men" to Good People!!! (How people treat each other in todays world, I wonder if this is true anymore, which is very sad!)

Most everything I am as a Man and everything I am now doing with my life is to be the kind of Man I saw in the role models my Uncle Bob and the Tipler Men were. By watching my Uncle, my Dad and Grandfather treat everyone with respect and kindness, even those people who for no reason were disrespectful and unkind. Because of their example, I also learned to always treat people with respect and kindness. I of course also saw the incredible respect and kindness the Tipler Men received in return. Witnessing this made me feel good inside in my heart. So I learned how Good - how Great it felt inside myself to be good to others, no matter how someone treated me and/or others. The smiles, happiness, respect, kindness, and gratefulness I have received in return, has made me feel very good about the man I am. So through my Uncle Bob and Tipler Men, I realized that by helping others that I was also helping myself. I still continue to learn from the memories of my Uncle Bob, my Grandfather, and my Dad. What I witnessed and learned from Uncle Bob and the Tipler Men helps me to strive to be the same kind of a role model and a mentor they were to me, to the many, many youth and families, and everyone I have worked with over the last 23+ years as an outdoor educator and mentor, and in the last 10 years through the Tips Outdoors Foundation.

Over the last many years I often thought of and wanted to and I should have reached out to my Uncle Bob because I knew there was So Much More I could have learned from himI have very few regrets in my life. Not making and having much more time to be around and to learn more from my Uncle Bob, is one of those few regrets I have in my life.

My Greatest Memories:
Many of my most favorite memories are of the extended family vacations we all had together. For many years our families would get cabins at the same resort. Our family had a cabin, Uncle Bobs family had a cabin, and our Grandparents had a cabin. We spent extended family vacations together, fishing, swimming, and just having fun together in the outdoors. I also have incredibly happy memories from All the holidays, birthdays and So Many weekends we spent with my Uncle Bob, Aunt Kathy, and my cousins Merrily, Sue and Steve, along with our Grandparents, Earl and Lucille. All the time we spent together has brought me incredible happiness and I felt So Much Love!

Everyone knows the love of golf Uncle Bob and my Dad Richard Tipler had. The many hours I spent on golf courses caddying for my Dad and Uncle Bobs foursomes. Dad was the Director of the Minnesota Golf Association and the President of the Minnesota Public Golf Association. So, I again was blessed with a lot of very valuable time on golf courses with my Uncle and my Dadand as always, it was a fun and positive learning experience for me.

I have great memories of the building of Uncle Bob and their familys home in Little Canada. Uncle Bob knew I was very interested in construction, architecture and structural engineering that he was nice enough to allow me to learn from him and the other men that were building their Little Canada home. I felt great pride that Uncle Bob allowed me to help by allowing me to hammer many nails into his familys new home. Their home had property access and a dock on Gervais Lake. I have very fun memories of the many, many times my brother Doug and I rode our bikes over their dock on Gervais and the Many hours we spent fishing there. I have cherished and loving memories of All the family holidays and gatherings at the Little Canada Home. One memory that is a little bit foggy, is after many months of being in the Burn Center at Ramsey Hospital (now Regions Hospital) during my long recovery from being burned, is of the first time I was able to go anywhere outside of the Burn Center to go to our Grandparents, Earl & Lucilles 50th wedding anniversary at the Little Canada home. I have only very fond and loving memories of all the time our families spent together.

Another cherished memory for me is the couple of times I went with Uncle Bob and Grandpa, just the three of us to Lake Osakis. The first time I went to Osakis with Uncle Bob and Grandpa, we went out to dinner our first night there. On the menu at the restaurant was frog legs. I was curious about what frog legs might taste likeso Uncle Bob and Grandpa encouraged me to order them, so I did. I was very surprised by how big they were. Much bigger than all the frogs I had ever played with as a kid. The frog legs were also very good! Since then I have not had frog legs, but only because all the many restaurants I have been to since have not had frog legs on the menu. I have not been back to that restaurant and I do not know if it still exists as the restaurant it was back in the 70s, or as a different restaurant today.

I also worked at Hunt Electric for a short time in high school. Very early in the morning before the football practices, we had before school, and also after those early morning practices stopped, before school, I would help fill the electrician's trucks and vans with all the electrical products and items they would need for that day's jobs. My brother Doug and I were also given the opportunity to have our own business in high school making lighting fixture tails for Hunt and for the many buildings Hunt had jobs on.

His Legacy Lives On:
Everything I was taught and the role model and mentor I had in my Uncle Bob the Tipler Men and Women - because of all the love I was given and felt during my childhood - all the incredibly happy memories of the time and experiences we all had together as a family in the outdoors, IS why I am now mentoring and helping to provide the same type of outdoors experiences and opportunities to the many, many youth, families, and everyone we do through Tips Outdoors. I now witness many, many families grow closer and spend quality time together in the great outdoors in God's great creation, by participating together in traditional outdoor activities like fishing. This Is My Purpose in Life! That fire was lit in my heart to help youth and families to have the same opportunities, and quality time together outdoors with their families, because of the experiences I had with my family. The fact that today there are so many fewer families spending time together in the great outdoors and participating in traditional outdoor activities like fishing, has had a negative effect on our society. There are many positive benefits that I experienced as a youth because of my family spending quality time together outdoors. I know how positive it is for any family to have the same opportunities to create the same type of memories and closeness with their families that I experienced with my Uncle Bob and family. Being able to work with all the youth and families has also given me the opportunity to pass on and to emulate be a role model the mentor that my Uncle Bob and the Tipler Men and Women were to me and to all the Tipler kids. The Many, Many positive outcomes I have witnessed in the last 23+ years, and in the last decade, through Tips Outdoors providing outdoor experiences and education to youth and families, has been Extremely rewarding.

I know just how fortunate I was to have my Uncle Bob as a role model and mentor in my life!!! Everything I learned from being in his presence of what it is to be a Very Good Man!!! I am Extremely Grateful for!!! I Love You and I Will Always Miss You Uncle Bob.

Mark Tipler

Family

August 14, 2019

The years have past but memories of coming to your house with my parents (Bob and Betty Pelava), never understood until many years later that you were my cousin in law..lol you were a very kind man i remember. I am sorry for your familys loss

Teressa(Terri) Pierce (Pelava)

August 8, 2019

Sorry to here about Bob. Always enjoyed his company at St. John's. H Buck Huot

Henry Huot jr

August 7, 2019

Tipler family-
We are thinking of you all and sending prayers your way.
We were so blessed knowing Bob, a super great man.
Love, Loretta, Jeff, Mary and Anna Carlson

Loretta Carlson

August 7, 2019

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Celebration of Life

5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

North Oaks Golf Club

54 E Oaks Rd, North Oaks, MN

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