Harvey Dale and Emma Ellen (Rathbun) Flowers became proud parents of Robert Joseph Flowers at the hospital in Salida, Colorado, October 15, 1928. Bob was the last of their six children. He attended the Buena Vista School system through the beginning of his sophomore year (he got his GED later and graduated), when he decided to join his brother, Jack, in the Merchant Marines during WWII on the USS Northcoast (an army transport ship taking troops to Alaska). He went to Hawaii on the Graceline Hallelujah Victory Ship, and ended his duties on the Graceline San Isabel ship going to South America through the Panama Canal, and finishing in Norfolk, Virginia, where he returned home at the age of 18 to help his father with the Eveready Freight Service and wheat harvest in Kansas and on their property in Potter, Nebraska.
During that summer of 1947, he met Eva Pippin who stole his heart with real cream chocolate malts. They were married December 2, 1947, at the Methodist Church in Urbana, Missouri. They returned to continue the Eveready Freight Service truck line. He sold his shares in the truck line to Shirley Avery in 1949, and went to work at the fish hatchery. In 1951 he decided to move to Climax and hired on in the transportation department. During the next 7 years he would add four children to his family, serve as the vice president of the surface level for Climax Molybdenum Union, design an ice scraper for the dozer that would rip the ice on roads which would then allow him to doze the ice off to ground level, and win 2nd place in a contest shoveling iron pyrite. During the 1958 strike at Climax, he moved his family back to Buena Vista. He began a Bible study with Bud Carpenter and Dale Kaiser. While working on a house he was building west of town, he realized that he needed a Savior and Bud led him to the Lord. He considered becoming a member of the family of God the greatest organization one could join!
Young Life hired him to work with horses on Rancho Caballo filling his life long dream. His brother, Jack's son, joined the family in 1965. During the 60's, Bob served two terms on the Buena Vista School Board. He enjoyed driving the school bus during this time as well. He continued with Young Life doing various jobs where needed until January, 1978.
During 1978, four of his children graduated from college, he and Eva built their home, and he began work on the state highway department. He served on the Buena Vista town council for one and a half terms. In 1989, he took a medical retirement after being told that he had 5 years left to live. Needless to say, God had other plans and he continued living at his home on 112 Hill Street sharing the history of the area, encouraging those who needed an ear, and watching his grandchildren, and great grandchildren grow up. On November 4, he experienced a heart attack due to anemia caused from acute myelogenous leukemia. He returned from Penrose Hospital to his home in Buena Vista until his departure from this life on November 29, 2005 at 4:05 a.m. at the age of 77.
Memorial service were held Friday, December 2, 2005 (the 58th anniversary of marriage) at 10:00 a.m. at the First Baptist Church, in Buena Vista, Colorado.
During that summer of 1947, he met Eva Pippin who stole his heart with real cream chocolate malts. They were married December 2, 1947, at the Methodist Church in Urbana, Missouri. They returned to continue the Eveready Freight Service truck line. He sold his shares in the truck line to Shirley Avery in 1949, and went to work at the fish hatchery. In 1951 he decided to move to Climax and hired on in the transportation department. During the next 7 years he would add four children to his family, serve as the vice president of the surface level for Climax Molybdenum Union, design an ice scraper for the dozer that would rip the ice on roads which would then allow him to doze the ice off to ground level, and win 2nd place in a contest shoveling iron pyrite. During the 1958 strike at Climax, he moved his family back to Buena Vista. He began a Bible study with Bud Carpenter and Dale Kaiser. While working on a house he was building west of town, he realized that he needed a Savior and Bud led him to the Lord. He considered becoming a member of the family of God the greatest organization one could join!
Young Life hired him to work with horses on Rancho Caballo filling his life long dream. His brother, Jack's son, joined the family in 1965. During the 60's, Bob served two terms on the Buena Vista School Board. He enjoyed driving the school bus during this time as well. He continued with Young Life doing various jobs where needed until January, 1978.
During 1978, four of his children graduated from college, he and Eva built their home, and he began work on the state highway department. He served on the Buena Vista town council for one and a half terms. In 1989, he took a medical retirement after being told that he had 5 years left to live. Needless to say, God had other plans and he continued living at his home on 112 Hill Street sharing the history of the area, encouraging those who needed an ear, and watching his grandchildren, and great grandchildren grow up. On November 4, he experienced a heart attack due to anemia caused from acute myelogenous leukemia. He returned from Penrose Hospital to his home in Buena Vista until his departure from this life on November 29, 2005 at 4:05 a.m. at the age of 77.
Memorial service were held Friday, December 2, 2005 (the 58th anniversary of marriage) at 10:00 a.m. at the First Baptist Church, in Buena Vista, Colorado.
Harvey Dale and Emma Ellen (Rathbun) Flowers became proud parents of Robert Joseph Flowers at the hospital in Salida, Colorado, October 15, 1928. Bob was the last of their six children. He attended the Buena Vista School system through the beginning of his sophomore year (he got his GED later and graduated), when he decided to join his brother, Jack, in the Merchant Marines during WWII on the USS Northcoast (an army transport ship taking troops to Alaska). He went to Hawaii on the Graceline Hallelujah Victory Ship, and ended his duties on the Graceline San Isabel ship going to South America through the Panama Canal, and finishing in Norfolk, Virginia, where he returned home at the age of 18 to help his father with the Eveready Freight Service and wheat harvest in Kansas and on their property in Potter, Nebraska.
During that summer of 1947, he met Eva Pippin who stole his heart with real cream chocolate malts. They were married December 2, 1947, at the Methodist Church in Urbana, Missouri. They returned to continue the Eveready Freight Service truck line. He sold his shares in the truck line to Shirley Avery in 1949, and went to work at the fish hatchery. In 1951 he decided to move to Climax and hired on in the transportation department. During the next 7 years he would add four children to his family, serve as the vice president of the surface level for Climax Molybdenum Union, design an ice scraper for the dozer that would rip the ice on roads which would then allow him to doze the ice off to ground level, and win 2nd place in a contest shoveling iron pyrite. During the 1958 strike at Climax, he moved his family back to Buena Vista. He began a Bible study with Bud Carpenter and Dale Kaiser. While working on a house he was building west of town, he realized that he needed a Savior and Bud led him to the Lord. He considered becoming a member of the family of God the greatest organization one could join!
Young Life hired him to work with horses on Rancho Caballo filling his life long dream. His brother, Jack's son, joined the family in 1965. During the 60's, Bob served two terms on the Buena Vista School Board. He enjoyed driving the school bus during this time as well. He continued with Young Life doing various jobs where needed until January, 1978.
During 1978, four of his children graduated from college, he and Eva built their home, and he began work on the state highway department. He served on the Buena Vista town council for one and a half terms. In 1989, he took a medical retirement after being told that he had 5 years left to live. Needless to say, God had other plans and he continued living at his home on 112 Hill Street sharing the history of the area, encouraging those who needed an ear, and watching his grandchildren, and great grandchildren grow up. On November 4, he experienced a heart attack due to anemia caused from acute myelogenous leukemia. He returned from Penrose Hospital to his home in Buena Vista until his departure from this life on November 29, 2005 at 4:05 a.m. at the age of 77.
Memorial service were held Friday, December 2, 2005 (the 58th anniversary of marriage) at 10:00 a.m. at the First Baptist Church, in Buena Vista, Colorado.
During that summer of 1947, he met Eva Pippin who stole his heart with real cream chocolate malts. They were married December 2, 1947, at the Methodist Church in Urbana, Missouri. They returned to continue the Eveready Freight Service truck line. He sold his shares in the truck line to Shirley Avery in 1949, and went to work at the fish hatchery. In 1951 he decided to move to Climax and hired on in the transportation department. During the next 7 years he would add four children to his family, serve as the vice president of the surface level for Climax Molybdenum Union, design an ice scraper for the dozer that would rip the ice on roads which would then allow him to doze the ice off to ground level, and win 2nd place in a contest shoveling iron pyrite. During the 1958 strike at Climax, he moved his family back to Buena Vista. He began a Bible study with Bud Carpenter and Dale Kaiser. While working on a house he was building west of town, he realized that he needed a Savior and Bud led him to the Lord. He considered becoming a member of the family of God the greatest organization one could join!
Young Life hired him to work with horses on Rancho Caballo filling his life long dream. His brother, Jack's son, joined the family in 1965. During the 60's, Bob served two terms on the Buena Vista School Board. He enjoyed driving the school bus during this time as well. He continued with Young Life doing various jobs where needed until January, 1978.
During 1978, four of his children graduated from college, he and Eva built their home, and he began work on the state highway department. He served on the Buena Vista town council for one and a half terms. In 1989, he took a medical retirement after being told that he had 5 years left to live. Needless to say, God had other plans and he continued living at his home on 112 Hill Street sharing the history of the area, encouraging those who needed an ear, and watching his grandchildren, and great grandchildren grow up. On November 4, he experienced a heart attack due to anemia caused from acute myelogenous leukemia. He returned from Penrose Hospital to his home in Buena Vista until his departure from this life on November 29, 2005 at 4:05 a.m. at the age of 77.
Memorial service were held Friday, December 2, 2005 (the 58th anniversary of marriage) at 10:00 a.m. at the First Baptist Church, in Buena Vista, Colorado.
Inscription
ROBERT JOSEPH FLOWERS AND EVA LAVAUGHN PIPPIN FLOWERS. MARRIED DECEMBER 2, 1947 in Urbana, Missouri.
