Robert J. Schenk, age 86, a resident of Long Prairie, passed away on Wednesday, September 27, at Long Prairie Nursing Home.
A funeral service was held at 11 am, Saturday, September 30, at St. Mary’s of Mount Caramel Church in Long Prairie.
Bob was born in Browerville, Minnesota, to Peter and Josephine (Ostrowski) Schenk on May 27, 1931. He moved to a farm near Long Prairie when he married Betty Maerz in 1953. While farming, Bob decided to study to become an electrician and successfully passed the four exams required to become a Master Electrician. Bob worked at Main Street Electric in Sauk Centre from Sept. 20, 1969 until May 30, 1971. He started Schenk Electric on June 1, 1971 and retired Feb. 28 of 2006.
Bob was active at St. Mary’s as an usher and helped with several wiring projects in the church. Bob also volunteered at Camp Hill Village for many years.
Bob and Betty have been known for enjoying life and creating opportunities for fun. They danced on weekends at dance halls in the area for many, many years and were members of several card and dance clubs. Spontaneous neighborhood hay rides, holiday gatherings and pig roasts with silly games were part of their reputation for fun.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents Peter and Josephine Schenk, brothers Jim and Gary Schenk and sister Mary (Schenk) Trossen. Survivors include wife Betty, daughter Brenda and son-in-law Bill Holden, granddaughters Jessica (Christian) Braunlich and Adrienna (Dan) Korsman, and great-grandchildren Ryann and McKenna Korsman, and Christian Braunlich. Bob is also survived by brother Don (Dolores) Schenk, sister Virgie Stadther and sisters-in-law Loretta (Jim) Schenk and Sue (Schenk) Hansen.