Robert T. (Bob) Soder

on Thursday, January 27, 2011, at 10:10 a.m., the angels came and escorted

Robert T. (Bob) Soder of Clearfield, PA to Heaven. After a long illness, Bob died

peacefully at the Clearfield Hospital with a smile of joy on his face.

Born September 26, 1932 in Holsopple, PA, Bob was the son of Oscar T. and Esther

(Josephson) Soder. As a boy, Bob delivered the True Grit and worked as a sheep catcher

and timberjack. He graduated in 1950 from Cooper Township High School where he was

a quarterback, baseball pitcher and class historian. After high school, he worked

on the assembly line for Packard Motors in Michigan and then enlisted in the Army

where he served as a Morris Code Radio Operator in the Korean War. After returning

home, he met and wed Margaret M. (Turnbull) Soder of Houtzdale on November 8, 1957.

He graduated from the Altoona School of Commerce in 1958 with a degree in Accounting

and Business Administration. In the fifties, Bob was smooth on his feet and

danced to all the Big Bands--Jimmy Dorsey, Louie Prema, Johnny Long and Tex Benakee--

at the Sunset Ballroom. He taught himself to dance on roller skates, and at one

point, he even thought he'd become a choreographer.

Bob held many jobs after graduation, beginning as a salesman for G.M.A.C. Harpster

Chevrolet. He went on to work in sales for Penelec, and later, for R.D. Goss, where

he also served as advertising manager and public relations director. He also worked

for WCPA as a sales accountant; later, Bob served as a branch manager and vice president

of Keystone National Bank of Clearfield. In 1999, Bob retired as credit manager for D.C.

Guelich Explosives where he had worked for more than twenty years. After retirement,

he became a people greeter at Wal-Mart in Clearfield where he worked for over eleven years.

As a long-time resident of Clearfield, Bob's community service was rich: he served

as president of the YMCA and chairmen of the membership committee; he was a Sunday

school teacher at St. John's Lutheran Church, a Boy Scout Leader and a Little

League umpire. He was a founding member of the Clearfield Area High School Band

Boosters and an active member of the West Side Methodist Church. He also

served with the Yokefellows Prison Ministry.

Bob was a beloved husband and father, father-in-law, "grampy" and good friend to many.

He was also an avid storyteller, trapper, hunter, fly fisherman and golfer. He

loved the woods, music, jokes, cartoons, especially the Roadrunner, and songbirds

and knew many of their calls. As a young man, he felt called to the ministry but

did not follow the call; instead, he became a deeply spiritual Christian who knew

the Bible well.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents and two sisters. He is survived

by: his wife, Margaret; his two daughters, Pamela Jean Turley of Prospect, PA

and Peggy Ann Sinclair of Contoocook, New Hampshire; two son-in-laws, Michael R. Turley

and David R. Sinclair; three grandchildren, Emily Sinclair, Ian Sinclair and

Nathan Turley, and by numerous nieces and nephews.

Friends will be received at the Bennett and Houser Funeral Home in Clearfield on

Monday, January 31, 2011 from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Services will be held on Tuesday,

February 1, 2011 at 11 a.m. at the West Side Methodist Church in Clearfield with

the Reverend Kenneth Leonard officiating. Interment will be in the I.O.O.F.

Cemetery in Brisbin, PA. Military honors will be accorded at the cemetery by the Clearfield

American Legion Post #6 and the VFW Post #1785 Honor Guard.

To send an on-line tribute go to www.bennettandhouser.com