Robert Joseph Mishica Sr.

1922 - 2015

ROBERT JOSEPH MISHICA, SR. 12/4/1922 5/23/2015 We are sorry to report that our Dad, Robert Joseph Mishica, did not leave this world as he wished. His plan was to ride a bus to Alaska and walk peacefully into the tundra when his time was up. We are glad to announce, though, that he lived to be 92 ½ years young and died in his sleep. Several days before passing away, he joined us in singing his favorite Slovenian and Notre Dame Fight songs while he played the xylophone. He was in no pain and still remembered all his old friends and family. We should be so lucky! The following narrative provides only a taste of the depth and breadth of his life: Robert, also known as, Big 'Ting, Bishop Bob, Bubby, Dad, Bob, Bubba, Uncle, Godfather, Grandpa, Great Grandpa and Great Uncle, was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan near the shores of Lake Superior in Calumet. After graduating from Calumet High School in 1940, he joined the Army/Air Force, and then went on to earn his AA degree from Fullerton Junior College. He met his wife, Dorothy, while stationed in California, and they were blessed with 8 children and 64 years of marriage. He was employed by 3M in Corona, California, for 32 years, and worked his way up to become Environmental Safety Supervisor. They pinched pennies to provide for their clan; love and patience were seldom wanting. They traversed thousands of miles back and forth across the country, motoring happily along in a station wagon. They camped in a two-room tent, and teamwork was always the rule. His passions in life were his faith, Big Band music, playing the drums and bongos, bowling, singing in his church choir, summers on Lake Superior, cooking, Pabst Blue Ribbon, woodworking, and his family and friends. Along with Dorothy, he opened his home to everyone, and never passed by strangers without a greeting and a grin. In writing his own legacy, he instructed his children to have a party on him: "Celebrate the life of a very lucky man. I've had great grandparents, parents, in-laws, aunts, uncles, the whole smear. My marriage truly was made in Heaven, my gal was the greatest, the pal I really needed. Talk about being blessed, I give you my children, 8 of the most thoughtful, considerate offspring a guy could ever want. And my grandkids, what a joy, all of them, adopted, foster, the whole kit and caboodle.Thank you for a great trip. I love you all very much. DAMN, I MISSED THE BUS!"