Robert "Bob" L. Sowles

Robert “Bob” Louis Sowles, 78, died of cancer complications on August 29, 2012 at the Iowa Veterans’ Home in Marshalltown. He was born April 4, 1934, in Waterloo, Iowa to Dale and Dagmar Sowles at St Francis Hospital.

Bob was an only child who lost both of his parents within 24 hours of each other from pneumonia when he was only two years old. His mother’s sister Helena and her husband Maxwell Slaughter raised Bob as their own child. He cherished his Aunt Anne Christensen.

Bob’s childhood was spent in Waterloo, IA and in the San Francisco, CA area during WWII. The family then returned to IA, living in Waterloo, Sumner and Pella. He attended the last two years of high school in Pella and graduated in May 1952. He entered the U.S. Air Force in June 1952 and served his country.
Bob married Shirley Van Den Baard May 1955 and to this union were born four children: Kim, Scott, Brian and Montgomery.

Bob returned to school and had graduated from AIB in 1958, giving him a career in accounting at Cummins Diesel, Ruan Transportation and White and White Audit Services until 1972. He then started work at MidAmerican Energy and retired in 1995. Bob was active in his union IBEW 444.

Bob met and married Shirley Stevenson in September 1970. They enjoyed many activities together - especially camping, traveling to Branson, MO and the Iowa State Fair where Bob worked as a gate guard for many years. After retirement, Bob found that he missed working and went back to work part-time with Des Moines Auto Auction where he delivered cars for the company. Later he did deliveries for Southridge Hy-Vee and enjoyed meeting people on his routes. Bob finally retired in 2008 when the diagnosis of cancer began to slow him down. Bob lived in Des Moines, IA for the majority of his life and has spent the last year and a half living in Marshalltown at the Iowa Veterans Home.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents; his son, Brian “Monk” Sowles and a stepdaughter.

Bob is survived by his wife Shirley; his children: Kim Crawford of Spokane, WA, Scott (Kay) Sowles of Chino, CA, Monte (Beth) Sowles of West Covina, CA, and a daughter-in-law Laura Sowles; his stepchildren and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 4, 2012 at Hamilton’s Southtown Funeral Home 5400 SW 9th Street, Des Moines, IA 50315. Internment will be at Sunset Memorial Gardens, 7601 Fleur Drive, Des Moines, IA 50321. Family will greet friends on Monday, September 3, 2012 at the funeral home from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Memorials will be designated to the Hospice Department at Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown, IA.

On-line condolences may be directed to
www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com

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