Robert F. Schonert

Robert F. Schonert, 80, Bismarck, died Sept. 19, 1998, in a Bismarck hospital. Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Corpus Christ Catholic Church, Bismarck, with the Revs. Steve Zastoupil and Al Leary officiating. Burial will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday at St. Mary's Cemetery, Bismarck.

Visitation will be from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. today at Bismarck Funeral Home, and will continue at the church one hour before services. A rosary and vigil services will be held at 7 tonight at the funeral home.

Robert F. Schonert was born June 2, 1918, at Bismarck, the son of Paul and Agnes (Murray) Schonert. He was raised on the family farm north of Bismarck. On Feb. 3, 1943, he was married to Lucille Morris in Bismarck. He purchased the farm in 1947 and became the third generation to operate the family farm where he raised cattle and grain for many years.

He was one of the leaders in the rebuilding of the Sather Stone Telephone Line in rural areas north of Bismarck. Bob had a special talent for designing, building and repairing equipment. He loved working out of his machine shop and enjoyed helping friends and neighbors with their machinery problems.

He built some of the first stack movers in the area. He built and owned the first truck mounted stack mover in North Dakota, operating a custom hay moving business for over 20 years. Bob held patents on two of his inventions. The first, a portable stack frame and the second, a tree row weeder for cleaning and weeding new plantings of trees. Bob spent two years working for the Gold Seal Company building corrals and fences for a buffalo and elk ranch in the area.

He had a special interest in photography and carried his camera with him everywhere. He enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren, playing cards and telling stories. Bob was a member of Corpus Christi Catholic Church, Elks, Eagles, Moose and the Farm Bureau. He had been a 4-H leader, a member of the Burnt Creek School Board, served on the board of directors for FHA and was past president of the Burleigh County Pioneers.

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Lucille; four sons and four daughters-in-law, Douglas and Pat, Baldwin, Donald and Peggy, Bismarck, Mervin and Jan, Beulah, and Marvin and Pam, Bismarck; one daughter and son-in-law, Linda and Al Kuntz, Bismarck; one brother and two sisters-in-law, Roy and Beverly, Baldwin, and Leona Schonert, Baldwin; two sisters and one brother-in-law, Grace Andahl, Bismarck, and Rosemary and Roy Andahl, Bismarck; 13 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents; one brother, Joe; and one brother-in-law, Helmer Andahl.