Robert Serns' Obituary
On July 11, 1919, Robert Willard Serns, who was always known as “Bob”, was born in Milton Junction, Wisconsin to Allen and Violet Serns. Except for a few short years where they lived in town while his father worked as a painter for his grandfather Frank Shadel, Bob grew up on a farm about 2 miles from town on what would later be named “Serns” road. Bob had a lifelong, deep-seated affection for farm life, and he later owned three different farms on that road. In November of 1923, the family grew with the addition of his sister, Peggy, and four and a half years later, in May of 1928, his youngest sister, Ginny, completed the family. Bob always loved his younger sisters, and Ginny, who was nine years his junior and shared his love for animals, often could be found following her big brother around as he did his chores. The three were all musically inclined and enjoyed singing together. Bob’s musical hero was Red Foley and he would often recount the time that he got to meet him at a county fair in nearby Waterloo. Another fond memory from his youth was when a group of three friends joined him, following their graduation from high school in 1937, on a road trip to Washington, D. C. Bob’s best friend, Don Kidder, was on that trip and died in a plane crash during WW II a few years later. Bob would later name his oldest son, Don, in honor of his friend. Because of a childhood injury to his foot when a horse fell on him, and because he owned his own farm, which was part of the war effort on the home front, Bob did not serve in active duty during WWII, although he was deeply patriotic and raised his family to love and honor country. Abraham Lincoln was one of his heros, because of his common roots and his commitment to integrity in the face of great personal and professional difficulties. Near the end of the war, Bob began visiting a young teacher by the name of Genevieve Vitrano, who was teaching church school in the Oakland area, about eight miles north of Milton. The Serns family had settled in this area when they moved from Norway in the 1850s. Bob always cherished his church and the fact that his linage on both his father’s and mother’s side were early leaders in the Adventist church. A cousin of the family that settled in the Oakland area, Ole Olson, later became the church’s General Conference president, and Frank Shadel, Bob’s maternal grandfather was one of the founders of the Milton Junction SDA church in 1887. On August 19, 1945, Bob and Gen were married and she joined him on the farm near Milton Junction where they raised two children, Don, born February 22, 1947, and Rick, then called “Richie”, on August 1st, 1951. In 1965, after Don graduated from high school, Bob moved his family to Riverside, CA, where he worked on the farm at La Sierra College and Gen taught in the elementary school by the college. In 1978, after their children were married and graduated from college, they moved back to Michigan, mainly to escape city life and the smog. Bob worked as a painter for Andrews University until his retirement in 1984. In Michigan, they were able to again purchase a few acres, which Bob thoroughly enjoyed as he developed a large garden and again expanded his menagerie of “pets.” From their move in 1978, to last summer when he had to go into a nursing home, he always had a variety of birds, including pigeons, doves, turkeys, ducks, geese, and pheasants; an assortment of dogs and cats, (he would never turn away a stray); and goats and donkeys. Even in California he always had some birds and one or two dogs. In 1981, at the age of 62, Bob became a grandfather for the first time with the birth of Don and his wife Margie’s daughter Alison. In the next 6 ½ years, four more grandchildren were added to the family. In 1982, Rick and his wife Valerie had a daughter, Amber. And in 1984, Alison was joined by sister Jaclyn, and Amber was joined by brother Justin, Bob’s first grandson. In 1988, Amber and Justin were joined by another brother, Shane, to complete the list of grandchildren. In the fall of 1988, Bob and Gen moved back to the west coast, to Ashland, Oregon, to be nearer their children and grandchildren. However, the following spring, Gen began experiencing kidney failure, and she died in September of 1989. A few months later, Bob sold their place in Oregon and moved back to Columbus, Wisconsin, to where Rick had become the principal of Wisconsin Academy. After living alone for a couple of years, Bob began looking in earnest for another partner to share his remaining years. After contemplating several alternatives, none of which seemed a good fit, he directed his attention to Pearl Harrington, a woman he had known and respected much of his life and who, and who he knew to be single. While both Bob and Pearl had high standards and were determined to only marry again if it was God’s will, they were mutually attracted to one another and on October 4, 1992, they were married. They loved and respected each other deeply and shared a wonderful marriage for the next 16 years. With his marriage to Pearl, Bob’s family immediately grew to include eight step-children, and numerous step-grandchildren and great grandchildren. And in the last three years, Rick’s son Shane and his wife Catlin gave them two more great grandchildren with the birth of Chloe in 2006 and Leia in 2007. At the time of his marriage to Pearl, Bob had moved to Missouri, mainly so that he could once again purchase more land, have more “pets”, and live in a milder climate. Pearl has been the perfect companion for Bob in his twilight years and his children, Don and Rick, wish to express their undying love to her and their heartfelt gratitude for her love and care for him. She has become a wonderful second mother and will always be a cherished part of our family. Services will be held at 11:00 am at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Lebanon, Missouri. Burial will be in Milton Wisconsin. Friends may call at the funeral home at their convenience under the direction of the Holman-Howe Funeral Home Lebanon, Missouri. Return to top
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