Robert "Bob" Wolter

Robert (Bob) M. Wolter

January 15, 1926 – November 6, 2022

Bob, age 96, passed away peacefully at Green Prairie Rehabilitation Center in Plainview, Minnesota on November 6, 2022.

Bob was a life-long resident of St. Charles, Minnesota. He went to St. Charles Public Schools and graduated from high school in 1943. After high school he went into the army and was a paratrooper in the 82^nd Airborne.  Upon leaving the service he attended Rochester Junior College in 1946 where he met his future wife, Mary Kepler Wolter. The couple went on to the University of Minnesota where he earned a B.A. in Business Administration and then took graduate classes in forestry.

Bob and Mary married in 1949 and settled in St. Charles in 1952. Bob joined the third-generation family business, Wolter Lumber Company. Besides retail the company did construction and contracting. Bob was very proud of all his family had contributed to building the town. Drives around the city always included a running dialog about which buildings and houses the family had built. Bob loved St. Charles and was very civic minded serving on the Olmsted County Fair Board, St. Charles School Board, St. Charles City Council, and Dover-Eyota-St. Charles Area Sanitary District Board.

After retirement Bob and Mary spent many beautiful days at their lake cabin on Big Island Lake and their cabin near Whitewater. He continued his love for building by adding on to the lake cabin and building the cabin in Whitewater, as well as many woodworking projects. He loved gardening and had a large plot in the St. Charles community garden for many years. He loved helping Mary preserve their bountiful harvest. Bob stayed a child at heart and will be remembered for his playful sense of humor. And let’s not forget how much he enjoyed chocolate and a sip of brandy (Korbel never E.J.). Bob was very devoted and incredibly proud of his growing family. He felt they were his greatest accomplishment.

Bob is preceded in death by his wife and the love of his life for 74 years: Mary Kepler Wolter; his parents: Hazel and Julius Wolter; his sister: Jean Wolter; his brother: John U. Wolter. He is survived by his children: Marcia Wolter Blackburn, John and Pam (Grow) Wolter; his grandchildren: Charlie and Sarah (Stock) Blackburn, Greg Wolter, Henry Blackburn, Chris and Jesse (Buckwalter) Wolter, James Wolter and husband, Joseph Long; his great-grandchildren: Ben and Norah Blackburn and Leo John Wolter due to arrive in early December.

Services will be held on Saturday, November 12, 2022, at Hoff Funeral & Cremation Services in St. Charles, Minnesota. The visitation is from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. with the service at 12:00 followed by lunch. A private interment will be held at St. Charles Hillside Cemetery. A live stream of Bob’s funeral will be available at  https://view.oneroomstreaming.com/index.php?data=MTY2Nzk0MzEzNTIxNzk3NCZvbmVyb29tLWFkbWluJmNvcHlfbGluaw==

In lieu of flowers, memorials will be given to Disabled American Veterans.