Robert Arens

Robert (Bob) Joseph Arens age 77, of Cedar Rapids, formerly of Lawler died Thursday, February 27, 2014 after a long illness at the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House. Memorial services will be 2:00 p.m., Monday at St. Jude Catholic Church by the Rev. Mark Reasoner. Friends may visit with the family Monday at St. Jude Church after 1 p.m. Inurnment will be held 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, March 4, 2014, at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Lawler. Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Home, New Hampton is handling local arrangements. Bob is survived by his wife Kathy; three daughters Annette (Patrick) Verdun of Johnston, Bernadette (Rick) Shearer of Woodbury, MN, and Collette (Troy) Bates of Cedar Rapids; five sons John (Jill) of Shawano, WI, Mark (Missi) of Farmington, MN, Paul (Kristine) of Coralville, Greg (Rita) of Lee’s Summit, MO, and Leon (Lynn) of Cedar Rapids; and seven grandsons and nine granddaughters. Bob was born August 12, 1936 in New Hampton the son of Norbert and Winifred Sattler Arens. He graduated from Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Grade School, Lawler High School, and the Dunwoody Institute where after graduation he taught for two years. He married Kathleen Ruemmele on August 18, 1962 in Hudson, WI. He owned and operated the Lawler Oil Company until he sold his business in 1986. He then worked for the Sieg Company for 10 years and Mt. Carmel Catholic Church in Lawler for ten years. He was a member of St. Jude Catholic Church and a former member of Mt. Carmel Church. Bob was a 50 year member of the Catholic Order of Foresters at Lawler and was an assistant Boy Scout Leader for two years. He was involved in the Lawler community by being a member of the Lawler Businessmen Club and had served as firefighter for the Lawler Volunteer Fire Department. He was an usher and Eucharistic Minister at Mt. Carmel Church where he assisted Rev. Delay in establishing the CCD program after the catholic school closed. He taught CCD classes for high school students for many years both in homes and at the CCD center in Lawler. Bob enjoyed visiting with neighbors and as an avid cook and baker loved new recipes especially for breads and caramels at Christmas. Though he always found time to watch sports on television, particularly auto racing, he liked listening to the radio. He was always a big fan of watching his children and grandchildren as they participated in their activities. During his years as a janitor and maintenance man for Mt. Carmel he would take the time to mentor kids that needed service hours. Memorials may be directed to the family.