Obituaries Robert (Bob) Tannreuther
Robert (Bob) Tannreuther
Service Information
| Services | noon Thursday at South Waterloo Church of the Brethren, 6227 Kimball Ave. in Waterloo. |
| Visitation | A reception in Bob's honor will be 5‑7 p.m. at the church on Wednesday. |
| Cemetery | Preceded by burial in Orange Township Cemetery, Waterloo |
| Memorials | to the church |
Biography Information
Robert "Bob" Tannreuther, 87, of Waterloo, died at Rosewood Estate of Friendship Village, Sunday, January 22, 2012, of renal failure.
Robert Dale Tannreuther was born June 25, 1924, on his parents' farm in Orange Township of Waterloo, the son of Orville and Reba Kough Tannreuther. Bob graduated from Orange High School in 1942, and attended McPherson College where he played football and met his sister’s roommate Charlotte. Bob and Charlotte L. Carter were married September 16, 1949 in Waukee, Iowa.
Bob farmed his family's Heritage Farm his entire life. On soil first settled by his ancestors, Bob followed in the footsteps of his father, grandfather and great-grandfather, in the center of Orange Township.
There he devoted his life to dairy farming, milking cows in the family's huge red barn which reportedly 'took a ton of nails' to build. Following World War II's destruction of dairy cattle in Germany, Bob helped Heifer International Project ship Holstein heifers overseas to repopulate herds. For years the Tannreuther farm served as host site that received CROP donations of corn.
A lifetime member of the South Waterloo Church of the Brethren, Bob also served on Orange Cemetery Association, keeping the records as passed to him by his father and passing them to his son, served as a member of Black Hawk County 4-H Fairboard and as a 4-H leader for many years, and was considered a local historian for the vast amount of knowledge he shared about the township, also sharing by serving on the Historical committee at the church.
In 2007 Bob attended the Iowa State Fair where the Tannreuther Farm was recognized as recipient of the Heritage Farm Award for being in the family for 150 years. In his final days, he was content knowing the farm would continue that way, by family.
Bob is survived by his wife Charlotte; daughter Ann Tannreuther of Waterloo; brother-in-law Dick Klingaman of Waterloo; brother-in-law Bernie Carter of Brainerd, Minnesota; cousins Bill Tanruther and Ralph and Max Kough; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, daughter Lynn Tannreuther, son Bill Tannreuther, daughter‑in‑law Liz Tannreuther, sister Jean Klingaman, and brothers-in-law Willard and Herb Carter.
