Robert (Bob) L. Klein, age 75, of Rapid City passed away at home, Tuesday morning, May 29th, 2018, after a valiant battle with cancer.  He was born February 11, 1943, and was adopted by Pius and Katherine (Gagne) Klein, of Karlsruhe, ND. He graduated from Karlsruhe High School in 1961.

Bob served with the US Army JAG Corps in Wurzburg, Germany. In 1965 he and Marion Meier were married in Harvey, ND. They lived in Fargo, ND before moving to Rapid City in 1972 where he was the District Manager for Farmers Union Insurance in western SD. Later on, he was a local realtor and also joined the South Dakota Army National Guard in which he was an active duty member.  A proud veteran of the United States Army, and a retiree from the South Dakota Army National Guard, he served his country proudly and was known for his discipline and attention to detail. After an honorable discharge in 1998 and retirement, he and Marion moved to Indianapolis, IN where he worked in the real estate and homebuilding industry with a son. Always a salesman at heart, he became a well-known and respected resident and businessman in the Indianapolis community.  After retiring, again, in 2007, he spent quality time golfing, traveling with Marion, visiting family and being a grandparent. Their biggest, and last, great adventure was a trip from Paris to Prague in 2017.

Bob and Marion moved back to Rapid City in 2013 where he quickly became active again in officiating local youth basketball, baseball and football.  In 2017 he was the oldest registered, and very active, member of the South Dakota High School Officials Association. He loved playing and officiating many sports. He officiated too many American Legion baseball games to count, even after the age of 70!  Prior to his illness, he was an avid golfer and enjoyed playing the many courses in the area.

He is survived by his wife, Marion, sons: Jeff Klein (Kim McCormick) of Seattle, WA, Jerrod (Krista) Klein of Indianapolis, IN, Darin Klein of Phoenix, AZ, daughter Kara (Jeremy) Azevedo of Rapid City, one brother, Gerald (Bernie) Klein of Rugby, ND and 7 grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.  He is also survived by two half sisters: Linda (Rockie) Koehler, and Kathy (Ron) Dannenberg, a half brother, Rick Fisher and his biological mother, Gloria Schmaing Aman. He was preceded in death by his adoptive parents, Pius and Katherine Klein, and his biological father, Robert L. Brunet.

The family wishes to express their sincere appreciation to the residents of the Rapid City area who have been supportive and helpful to Bob and Marion during this difficult time. They would like to especially thank their great neighbors, and the parishioners and staff of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church.

Visitation will be at the Osheim & Schmidt Funeral Home, 2700 Jackson Blvd., Rapid City, on Sunday, June 3 from 1:00 p.m.- 2:30 p.m.  His funeral Mass will be celebrated Monday, June 4th at 10:00 a.m., at Blessed Sacrament Church in Rapid City with Fr. Brian Lane as celebrant.  A fellowship luncheon will follow immediately and his burial will be in The Black Hills National Cemetery at 1:00 p.m. 

Memorial donations may be made to: Blessed Sacrament Church Youth Organization.   

Below are some thoughts of mine about my Dad:

Growing up in Rapid City with a Father who was very active in the community made it difficult to get away with anything.

When meeting an adult and providing my full name would often elicit a response of, “Oh, are you Bob Klein’s kid?”  The answer was always yes because I was proud to be his son, and the next thing out of their mouth would be how they knew my Dad.  More often than not it was sports related since Dad was very involved with coaching or officiating one of the local or state’s sports games.

Growing up Bob Klein’s Kid was just about the best.  He was always a good example for us kids and for all of our friends who often thought of Dad as another father.

He and Mom would always welcome any of our friends for dinner or a sleepover.  Whatever was needed, they were there to support us and our friends in need.

A very early and important memory I have is of me deserving a spanking, but while I got my spanking he was crying as much as me, if not more.  After that time I really tried to not disappoint him, although I am sure I did on occasion. I never wanted another spanking because I’m sure it reminded him of the difficult childhood he endured from his father. He has the kindest soul and anyone who knew him, knew that.

One fun memory was when he would let me sit on the armrest in the Cadillac on long drives and let me steer the car down the Interstate when it was on cruise control. I think I drove hundreds of miles during a family trip to the west coast.

Another memory that showed his patience was that he would take us kids out to the country to learn to drive.  He would take all of us boys (Kara was too little) out to the dirt roads and we’d take turns learning all there was to driving.

Dad coached many of our teams and was a good coach and didn’t try to show favoritism, while encouraging us to do our best. He helped us with our soccer, baseball and wrestling ambitions any way he could.

He also taught that when we borrowed something we returned it in better condition than when we received it.  Respect for others was a big message in our household and that example has helped us kids throughout our lives.

Dad also taught us how to make our beds the “military” way as kids and that paid off when I began my military service.  I never got dinged on my bed or footlocker and always remembered to say “Drill Sergeant” and not “Sir”. He and my brothers once again gave me good advice and it kept me from doing as many push-ups as some of my fellow trainees.

When I was in the military and attending training at Fort Huachuca, AZ, Dad was going to Sergeant Major’s Academy at Ft. Bliss, TX which was a few hour drive for us so not only were we serving at the same time, we were able to see each other more often since I was so far away from home. I was able to attend his graduation and was so proud of him (as I always was) as he reached another military milestone.

When Dad was working and in uniform he always looked perfect with a freshly pressed uniform, polished boots (when not in the field), and perfectly groomed. He took his job seriously and would often do on the spot corrections for those who didn’t have the same pride in their work or how they wore their uniform.

As an adult Dad continued to set a good example for us kids, giving us good advice and helping us when we needed help.  He and Mom love all of their kids, grandkids and great-grandkids so much and it shows in everything they do.

I still don’t know how Dad & Mom seemed to make it to all of our games, events, etc. when they had four kids to parent and both working hard to support their family.  We never felt like they weren’t there for us, they were always there for us for anything we needed from when we were babies until this very day.

I’ll always be proud to be Bob Klein’s kid.