Robert E Rouse

My sweetheart, Dr. Robert (Bob) Rouse, was born on January 23, 1947 in Green Bay Wisconsin into a large blended family. He helped support their finances as a youngster by delivering the local Press Gazette newspaper and doing odd jobs. Even though his family struggled to make ends meet, Bob loved to have fun. He and his good buddy, Jeff Frey, would go fishing at Bay Beach lagoon, swimming at Lily Lake, and bowling at the Bay Bowl. Bob grew up riding bikes with his brothers Darrel, Paul and Danny with cards strapped to the tires, going to the outdoor movies, and hooking rugs with his mother. In high school, he was the star of the play, “Tom Jones,” marched Lambeau Field in the band, and was a singer/guitarist member of the rock band, “The Dynamics.” Enlisting in the United States Coast Guard out of high school, Bob continued to serve others and challenge the status quo. Bob then graduated from the University of Wisconsin Green Bay with a teaching degree. In the following years, he traveled in his Triumph TR-3 and earned a master's degree from University of Colorado Boulder and a doctorate degree from the University of Wisconsin Madison in education. Dr Rouse’s favorite job as an educator was teaching first graders how to read.

What was Dr. Bob Rouse like? He wrestled a bear, graduated from truck driving school, dabbled in real estate, started a co-ed fraternity, embarked on many road trips, owned a scuba shop, pondered “St. Peppers” and the meanings of life, learned to love golfing as the sun rose, held parties with mystery soup, challenged folks to crazy eights, and ate lots of cho cho bars. Bob always went with the flow, not letting difficult circumstances deter him from accomplishing what he wanted to do. He was also the luckiest man you could ever meet.

Bob married Wendy Stika, had a son, Mackenzie, and divorced. Mackenzie was his pride and joy. Bob and Mackenzie enjoyed Alaska, river trips, Pine Cay, and other explorations. As Mackenzie grew into a man, Bob was Mackenzie’s guide to becoming a carpenter and a jack-of-all-trades. Bob was Mackenzie’s biggest fan in all things. For the last 14 years, Tyler, Mackenzie’s son and Bob’s grandson was the apple of Bob’s eye.

In 1990, Bob met the love of his life and embarked on a 35-year romantic odyssey. He and Virginia traveled to 6 continents, climbing Kilimanjaro, snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef & Fiji, wandering Australia, riding horses along the Ireland coast, hiking the Wave many times in Utah, camping the beaches of Hawaii, toured Europe, birding in Central and South America, and searching for kiwi in New Zealand to name a few of their exciting experiences.

Bob appreciated cold Snickers, Seinfeld, double stuff Oreos, turkey pie, strawberry malts, skinny french fries, True Moo chocolate milk, Santiago’s breakfast burritos and and especially peanut butter cookies Virginia made from his mother’s, Lucy, traditional recipe. Bobby (what Virginia called him) Rouse’s smile lit up the sky and his heart was wider than the Pacific. His cuteness was only eclipsed by his compassionate heart and selflessness. A humble sage, Dr. Rouse lived to help others reach their potential - a modern-day “Superman.” He wrote and performed songs on his Gibson six-string for all, especially Virginia. I can wholeheartedly say, it was a joy to wake up in the arms of such a man.

A severe stroke with complications took Bob from us too soon and too suddenly on Valentine’s Day 2024. Our hearts are broken in millions of pieces all over the world. We wish he were still among us, but as his mother, Lucy, would say, “If wishes were fishes, the seas would be full.”

Education and reading were dear to Bob’s heart. Please consider donating to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, https://donate.imaginationlibrary.com/, or Impact on Education, https://www.impactoneducation.org/give/. If you would like to share a story or wish, please visit www.ahlbergfuneralchapel.com