Robert Francis Page, age 100 of Sac City, IA, passed away on Thursday, October 1, 2020 at Loring Hospital in Sac City, IA. Bob was born on September 12, 1920 to parents Robert and Georgia (Pattee) Page on the north edge of Sac City where they lived until he was two and the family moved to a farm a mile and a half north of Nemaha. He was baptized and confirmed in the Nemaha Methodist Church and graduated from Nemaha High School in 1938.
His first airplane ride was in a biplane over Storm Lake and it began his lifelong passion for flying. He enlisted to serve his country with the United States Army Air Corps during World War II on January 27, 1943. Health issues prevented him from attaining his dream of piloting bombers, so he learned to keep them flying, working on B-25s and later B-29s. He was stationed in Texas, Washington and Georgia. After being discharged, Bob returned to the farm in Nemaha to help his dad farm. He was out of the service but his love for airplanes never diminished and when the GI Bill came out, he took advantage and got his pilot’s license. The family spent many hours flying for fun and attending flight breakfasts across the state.
On April 15, 1951, Bob married Luanne Gustafson at the Methodist Church in Sac City and they moved to Luanne’s family farm which Bob farmed, along with the Page family century farm, until his retirement. Their family was completed with the births of their two children, Teresa and Jon. Besides farming, Bob also sold and trucked Dekalb seed corn, mowed roads for the Sac County Secondary Roads, and he and Luanne owned the Indian Lanes bowling center for 18 years.
In the 1960s and 70s, Bob sat on the Sac County ASCS board and was a member of the board at the Early Co-op. He forged many friendships during those years and could still tell you who lived on what farmstead “back in the day” while taking rides throughout the county. He was currently a member of the American Legion.
Bob was also an avid motorcycle rider and his love for Harley Davidsons was second only to flying. Together with the family, he and Luanne spent a week at the Black Hills Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, SD for 27 years in a row riding the Black Hills, which he always said was the only other place he’d live besides Iowa.
As life slowed down, Bob enjoyed fishing, gardening, reading, and building large scale model airplanes. He rarely missed a morning with his beloved coffee group at the Rec Center. He always looked forward to the conversation and seeing all of his buddies.
Bob was a man who loved his family dearly. Any time spent with them was cherished. They brought him so much joy and he was so proud of each and every one of them. He was a one-of-a-kind man who was full of so many great qualities that will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved him.
Those left to cherish his memory include his children: Teresa Mahler of Sac City, IA, and Jon (Denise) Page of Sac City, IA; grandchildren: Brian (Jackie) Mahler, Nicole Page (Tyler Bettin), Natalie Rosenboom, and Jacob Page (Deann Mizell); great-grandchildren: Cora and Caroline Mahler, and Ainsley and Connor Rosenboom; brother Russell Page of Lake View, IA; and many extended family members and friends.
Bob was preceded in death by his wife Luanne, his parents, Luanne’s parents John Gustafson and Ruth Gustafson, his sister JoAnn Richards, brother-in-law Ben Richards, and sister-in-law Joyce Page.