Robert Denis Fromme

He was born June 24, 1931, in Kansas City, Missouri. Bob was adopted as an infant by R.H. “Ted” and Erma Fromme of Sabetha, Kansas. Ted owned a bank in Sabetha, and Bob lived there until age nine, starting his life-long love of Kansas, both rural and urban.

The elder Frommes divorced in 1941, so Bob moved to Pratt, KS, to live with his mother, sister Loudell, age seven at the time, and brother Jim, age four.

For several years as a youth, Bob moved between Pratt, and Plains, KS—eventually landing in Trousdale, KS, where he lived on the family farm. During his junior and senior years of high school Bob drove the school bus—for $5.00 a day. He also soloed a propeller aircraft at age 16. He graduated in 1949 in a class of 17 students.

Following high school Bob enrolled in Kansas State College (now University) and graduated in 1953 with a degree in Radio Speech and was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the USAF Reserve from the ROTC.

Bob’s radio career started in August of 1953, as he was hired to write commercials for WREN in Topeka, KS, for $50.00 a week. This job, however, was just a stepping stone as Bob was called to active duty in the Air Force December 1, 1953.

He was trained as an aircraft controller and in early 1954 was assigned to a base on the edge of the Sahara Desert, 100 miles south of Ouja, Morocco, near the Algerian border. His assignment was for one year. Bob’s Morocco stories were legendary among some, and he often remarked that Morocco was, “the hottest and coldest place you could be—all in the same day!”

In 1955, Bob returned to the US and served another year of active duty at Benton AF Station in northeast Pennsylvania. Before leaving that post, he was named Information Service Officer.

Following honorable discharge in 1956, he returned to WREN as an advertising sales person and worked his way up to General Manager of the station—his boss was former Kansas Governor Alf M. Landon.

In 1973, Landon asked Bob to move to Ft. Collins to manage KIIX AM/FM radio stations. Very soon he was promoted to Vice President of the Landon Stations and added the responsibility for properties in Topeka, Dodge City, and Liberal, KS.

Finding himself recently divorced in 1975, Bob’s next moves came in rapid succession. First, he grabbed a new job with Stauffer Communications in Topeka. The assignment was to manage the Kansas City Royals Radio Baseball Network—thus he moved to Kansas City, MO, in late summer of that year.

Then, he met another divorcee and a rapid romance led Bob to wed Pat Misel on New Year’s Eve of 1975. The couple settled in KC in 1976, along with Pat’s son, Steve.

This started an 18-year association with Bob, his family, Stauffer Communications and the Royals.

In the late 1980s, Bob was promoted to Vice President-Radio for Stauffer and supervised radio properties in Topeka, Des Moines, Amarillo, TX, Shawnee, OK, and Phoenix, in addition to managing the Royals Radio Network.

Bob and Pat retired on December 31, 1993, and moved back to Ft Collins to enjoy life. They were both active, but Bob in particular was generous with his time and spirit, serving the Kiwanis organization and doing part-time jobs he enjoyed.

Pat succumbed to Parkinson’s in 2016.

Bob is survived by step-daughter Angela Buchanan of Marysville, WA; step-son Steve Misel (Ann) of Lafayette, CO; sister Loudell Snow of E. Lansing, MI; and multiple step-grandchildren and step-great grandchildren, all of whom he considered to be his family.

Visitation will be held at Allnutt Funeral Service Drake Chapel on August 8, 2023 at 9:00 AM with a service at 10:00 AM and a reception to follow. Interment will take place at Grandview Cemetery on August 8, 2023 at 2:00 PM.