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Robert Doyscher obituary

    Robert (Bob) Doyscher, 70, of Lake City and formerly of Pepin, Wis. died unexpectedly but peacefully on Friday, June 17, 2022.
    Left to cherish his memory are his wife Lia; his stepchildren Lilli, Beth, and Ana; his brothers Tom (Cindy), Mark (Becky), Dan (Rhonda), and Pat (Charon); his sisters Ann Doyscher-Domres (Wade) and Mary; his cat Elsie; and many nieces, nephews, and friends the world over.
    Bobby probably told the same stories a thousand times, but the story of his life remains the most interesting.
    Robert Matthew Doyscher was born in the Halloran Hospital in Jackson, Minn. on Nov. 10, 1951, the first child of seven born to Richard and Margaret Doyscher, the first grandchild of William and Margaret (Coryell) Doyscher and George and Mary (Petrich) Hassing. His early years were spent on the 40-acre farm in Middletown Township, Jackson County.
    He was mechanically inclined from a young age. Taking a screwdriver, he removed a leg from one of Grandma Bill’s end tables at the age of four. Always the apple of Grandma’s eye, she was not upset at all. He loved to tell the story of how Grandpa George let him drive the grain truck at the age of seven or eight. With blocks on the pedals, he was to drive the truck down the road to our parents’ place, with younger brother Tom as his passenger. He cut the turn short and ended up in the ditch.
    The family settled in Marshall, Minn., where Bob  graduated from High School in 1970. He later attended Southwest State in Marshall and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Later in life, Bob received an education and gunsmithing degree from Pine Technical College, Pine City, Minn.
    Bob had a deep sense of social justice rooted in his Catholic upbringing, but was happiest when he was creating. He was a talented artist, designer, draftsman, photographer, boat builder, race car mechanic, and an extremely skilled finish carpenter; which was his lifelong career.  Bob is also known to many locals as the maintenance man in their living facilities.                                                       
    Much of his ability was due to his incredible mind. Once Bob had an interest in a subject, he went all in. Examples include wooden boat building, ham radio, birding, fly fishing, kite building, antique bicycles, his Slovenian ancestry, thrifting for vintage Pyrex–the list goes on and on. He was an expert on countless topics, and if you asked him a question, he often gave you more than you bargained for. If you look up the phrase “the gift of gab,” Bob’s picture should be next to it. He could talk to anyone about just about anything, and he never shied away from correcting you if you were wrong. Just ask anyone who attempted to tie a boat to a dock. His knowledge of knots knew no bounds. He mellowed with age, but his will to impart knowledge never did.
    Bob married the love of his life, Lia Leirfallom Ash, in 1989. Bob was stepdad to Lia’s three girls, whom he taught to drive a stick shift and run power tools. He was so proud of them all for being fiercely independent. Bob loved to tell stories of how the girls helped build their own house in Pepin, Wis., from framing to hanging sheetrock.
It was during their time in Pepin that Bob, through sheer orneriness, beat the demons of alcohol and cigarettes in order to reset to a life of good health.
    Bob and Lia most recently lived in Lake City, Minn. where Bob loved to camp, boat, golf, take pictures of the weather over Lake Pepin, and promote the growth of clover and other pollinator-friendly plants in his yard.
    After hearing of Bob’s passing, his sister Mary said, “A world without Bob will be a whole lot quieter.” His friend Jerry added, “And a whole lot less interesting.”
    A Celebration of Life for Bob where all are welcome to share stories will be held Saturday, August 6 at Hok-Si-La Municipal Park in Lake City, Minn., from noon to 5 p.m. Please bring a lawn chair.    
    RIP, Bobby.
 

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ISSN 2994-1059 (print)  ISSN 2994-1067 (online)