Robert "Bob" Markgraf

Robert “Bob” Markgraf, age 81 of Watkins, passed away October 6, 2024 in his Memory Care apartment at the Country Manor Campus in Sartell, MN. For several years, Bob has lived Alzheimer's disease; in July, he was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer. Since 2022, his caregivers at Country Manor have provided loving care to Bob and support for his family. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday October 11, 2024 at the Church of St. Philip in Litchfield, MN. A visitation will be held from 4:00 - 8:00 PM on Thursday October 10, 2024 at the Church of St. Philip with a 6:00 PM Prayer Service. Visitation will continue one hour before the service at the church on Friday. Interment will be held at the Forest City Cemetery.

Bob was born on May 29,1943 to Carl and Rose (Suppes) Markgraf, the second of nine children. He attended St Boniface Catholic School in Stewart until 1955 and graduated from Buffalo Lake High School in 1961. In 1963, he enlisted in the United States Navy, serving aboard the USS Willis A Lee and the USS Kretchmar during the war in Vietnam. While stationed in the Philippines, he stood witness to the marriage of his sister, Karen Markgraf to her sweetheart Jerry Swenson. He was honorably discharged on December 31,1966. Upon returning stateside, he worked construction in Colorado with brothers Ed and Bruce, returning to Minnesota in August 1968 for Ed’s wedding to Patricia Troska.

In the winter of 1969, while dancing at Lake Marion Ballroom, he asked Miss Judith Schultz to dance, and then in 1971, asked her to dance with him forever. Bob and Judy, daughter of Dudley and Virgie (Warren) Schultz, were married at St Matthews Church in Forest City, MN. They first made their home at Henry's Corner near Silver Lake and were soon blessed with the first two of their seven children. In 1975, they moved to Forest Prairie township south of Watkins, MN; Bob worked as a carpenter in the Twin Cities area and Judy worked as a homemaker. Bob was an active member of St Gertrude's Catholic Church in Forest City, serving as communion minister, council member, and at many church festivals and pancake dinners.

Every Friday night, he could be found at the Hutch Bowl with bowling partner Glenn Meyer. Bob played softball with the Forest City River Rats “over 30” league well into his 60s. As a professional armchair quarterback and coach for the Minnesota Vikings and UofM  Gophers, he rarely missed a televised game or a Monday morning KQRS-gripe session with Tom “Barnyard.” As a dad and grandpa, he attended hundreds of sporting events, band & choir concerts, dance recitals, plays and musicals, his pride evident in his beaming smile.

Bob’s interests and hobbies were diverse and impossible to numerate without filling a book, so let the following begin to describe the external and internal landscapes of a quiet, gentle, stubborn and funny man: traveler, mechanic, baker, trusted friend, eternal farm boy, helper, generous with time, hometown pride, quiet faith, family provider, strong work ethic, Do-It-Yourself guru, photographer, auction-goer, frugal, reader, history, country music, fan of the Dukes of Hazzard, WWE, Friends, Benny Hill, Chuck Norris, the Muppets, Clueless & Legally Blond, Clint Eastwood westerns, and Johnny Cash & Dolly Parton. He was a tracker of weather and a watcher of the stars. In summary, Bob Markgraf was a working class renaissance man.

He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Judy; his children Jody Markgraf of Monticello, David (Jessica) Markgraf of Sauk Rapids, Robert (Jenny) Markgraf of Augusta, WI, Jillhanna (Jeremy) DuMonceaux of Sauk Rapids, Joshua (Cassandra) Markgraf of St Stephen, Erin Markgraf of Sauk Rapids and Kristi Markgraf (Justin Hutton) of Richmond; grandchildren Camen Miles; Jacob, Hannah, & Levi Markgraf, Patience & Jazlyn Meier; Isaac, Emma, Dominic, Violet & Ashley Markgraf; Trace Markgraf and Lillian & Cora DuMonceaux; Taylor & Carl Markgraf; Triston Miller; and Gavin Markgraf, brothers Edward (Patricia) Markgraf of Hutchinson, Karen Swenson of Hutchinson, Carl Markgraf of Colorado, Lynette Rosenau of Lester Prairie, & Steven (Peggy) Markgraf of Watertown, brothers-in-law Richard Schultz & Charles (Kayleen) Schultz, and sisters-in-law Darlyn Markgraf, Vicky Martin, Ann Schultz & Alice Hamann, dozens of cousins, nieces, and nephews, and close friends.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Carl & Rose Markgraf, parents-in-law, Dudley & Virgie Schultz, and brothers Gene Markgraf, Bruce Markgraf, and Jim Markgraf, brothers-in-law Jerry Swenson and David Rosenau, and sister-in-law Trisha Markgraf, nephew Brent Markgraf, aunts, uncles, cousins, and close friends. 

His legacy carries on in his best known sayings, in the legendary Bob Markgraf side-eye, in his pride in a job well done and his sense of reckless fun passed to his kids and grandkids, in his love of football and country music, and in a life lived honorably and with integrity. As soft as was his presence in our lives, more loudly will his absence ring.