Robert "Bob" W. Zastrow

May the good Lord bless and keep him til we meet again. 

Robert Zastrow, a.k.a. Uncle Bob, took his last breath on November 15, 2021.  It’s hard to believe that a man who could seemingly fix everything had not found a way to fix the human body.

There was always a new “Uncle Bob story” to hear.  Now, his loved ones will have to rely on re-telling the old stories to keep his memory alive.  He never thought of himself as special in any way.  He was just a man.  He saw every life experience as a tool to learn and grow.  It was him living these experiences that provided the “Uncle Bob stories.”  The houses he designed and built.  The tractor he built.  The car he designed and built.  The kayak he built when he took up water sports.  The dark room he built in his house when he took up photography.  When he took up archery, he and his brother-in-law organized the Rib Mountain Archery Club, known today as Rib Mountain Bowmen.  These stories made him special to us.

Born and raised in Wausau, WI, the only son of six children: Marian (David Bye), Maxine, Amy (Colby Bentz), Florence (Wesley Muelver), Robert, and Eleanor “Ellie” (David Hase), born to Max and Elsie (Schmidt) Zastrow.  Ellie is the only surviving member.  Bob had his first job at the age of ten.  He was a debt collector for a local retailer.  He would pedal his bike around the area to collect payments.  It was important to keep his bike in running order; so important he didn’t notice the neighbor girl riding her bike back and forth in front of the family home while he worked on his.  It wasn’t until he was in his 90’s that Bob realized that maybe the neighbor girl was trying to get his attention.

Bob attended elementary school through the eighth grade.  He then enrolled in the trade school (technical institute), which related more to his areas of interest.  He worked for Marathon Electric until he enlisted in the Army in 1941.  At some point he was stationed in the Southwest United States.  He grew to love that area and owned property there for decades until he was unable to make the trip safely alone.  When Bob was sent overseas during World War II, he was a member of the Army bridge builders stationed in Western Europe.  He helped keep the U.S. military moving.  After returning home, he took a job with the Iron Works until he was hired at Silbernagels and Sons (SNE).  He had found his niche.  Designing, creating and earning a wage was perfect.  He worked there until his retirement.

He was a member of Rib Mountain Lutheran Church.  He was active in the church choir and used his draftsman and carpentry skills in the construction of the altar and fellowship hall.  Robert Zastrow wore many hats.  He was a son, a brother and an uncle to family.  He was a carpenter.  An electrician.  A draftsman.  A mechanic.  A plumber.  A photographer.  An engineer.  And, he had the creative mind to apply them all to help himself, his friends and family of 13 nieces and nephews through life.  He was a man of few words with unmeasurable love for family, friends and nature.

Bob’s life was one of learning.  Always curious, he took every opportunity to learn.  What he couldn’t learn one way, he would research and find another way.  May be Uncle Bob is now wondering how heaven works.

Don’t mourn for me; miss me a little, but let me go.

Funeral services will be 11:00 a.m. Friday, November 19, 2021 at Rib Mountain Lutheran Church.  Burial will be in Pine Grove Cemetery, Wausau.  Visitation will be Friday from 10:00 a.m. until the time of services all at the church.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.petersonkraemer.com

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