Robert John "Bob" Schuster

Robert "Bob" John Schuster

March 9, 1934 - May 18, 2023

WISCONSIN DELLS - Robert "Bob" John Schuster, 89, of Wisconsin Dells, passed away on May 18, 2023 in his home.

A brief Service and Celebration of Life for family and friends are planned, but not finalized yet. Please refer to pichafuneralhome.com for updates.

Bob was born in Rockville, WI, on March 9, 1934. He spent much of his Depression-era youth outside fishing, hunting or (as he claimed) getting "pounded on" by his two older brothers.

He was fascinated by nature and loved learning about anything that ran or flew or grew out of the soil. When he was 16 and attending high school in Lancaster, WI, he met Jolene Caryl Stout.

They became friends and she started attending his school basketball games. Bob claimed that he wasn't really in love with basketball but he sure liked her so they started dating that year.

They continued dating while Bob was attending college in Platteville, WI. He couldn't afford a car so he would ride with friends or hitchhike between Platteville and Fenimore, WI to see Jolene and return to school.

In 1956 Bob graduated from Platteville with a degree in Biology and Botany. He and Jolene were married on April 4, 1956, and they began a grand adventure when Bob accepted an offer to work for Jackson Laboratories in Bar Harbor, ME. Bob and Jo loved Maine and the Schuster family returned many times over the years to see friends and camp on Mt. Desert Island.

In 1958 Bob took a job at The Battelle Institute in Columbus, OH to work in a Cancer Research Lab. His philosophy was that "education helps realize potential" and he obtained his Master's degree in Biology with other degrees in Botany, Entomology and Education.

In 1962 he left the research world to take a job teaching at the Kettle Moraine Boy's School in Waukesha, WI. In 1974 the school (now located near Plymouth, WI) converted to a medium security men's prison and Bob continued to teach science and social studies in a challenging and often frustrating classroom.

Outside of his work life Bob was a treasure trove of information. He could name almost every tree, bird call, animal track and insect found in the woods. He once spent a summer researching which local mushrooms were safe to eat until Jo put a stop to his lining her kitchen counters with samples. He loved playing and watching sports and was attracted to high school and college championships but rarely the pros because "they get paid too much to play a kid's game". He participated in pool and several bowling leagues and played men's softball until just prior to his retirement in 1988. He also coached little league baseball at the Mitchell Athletic Club that he supported and helped to maintain.

Bob hunted and fished religiously and was a staunch conservationist. No one was happier sitting on an upended bucket in the middle of a lake fishing on a 5-degree day than Bob Schuster. He was a gardening fanatic, a lover of dogs, and a fierce protector of his family. He was a respected member of the neighborhood and all four of his kids were endlessly annoyed that their friends thought he was so cool.

When Bob was 54, he accepted an early retirement offer from the State of Wisconsin. His family would joke that 26 years in a state prison seemed to agree with him. Bob began a new life after retiring. The four children were grown so he and Jo sold the homestead and bought 80 acres of woodland north of Wisconsin Dells. There they built a house with the living room facing the woods and Bob's favorite chair facing the window so he could keep an eye on the rural landscape that he cherished.

He and Jo began to travel, taking lengthy trips across the US with a truck-bed camper, visiting every national park they could find. They drove to Florida to see their daughter and to California to see their son. They drove three times from Wisconsin to Alaska and back! Bob never wanted to stop learning . . . and he never did.

Robert Schuster is preceded in death by his parents, Helen and Delbert and by his brother, Merlin. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Jolene; his brother, Delbert II; his children: Vicki, Kim, Bonnie and David, their spouses; and many nieces, nephews; and grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers please consider a gift to the SSM Hospice Team of Baraboo who were true angels before Bob passed into God's embrace. If the gift idea is complicated, Jo has always loved flowers.

The Picha Funeral Home and Crematory of Wisconsin Dells, WI assisted the family with arrangements. For online condolences and information, go to www.pichafuneralhome.com.