Robert Sheffield

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Bob Sheffield, 76, of Highmore, passed away Sunday, February 23, 2020 at the Avera Hand County Memorial Hospital, Miller.

Funeral Service with military honors was held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, February 29, 2020 at Our Savior Lutheran Church, Highmore with Rev. Brian Jones officiating.  Burial will be at a later date at Platte Cemetery in Platte, SD.  Visitation was held from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., Friday, February 28, 2020 at the church.

Robert (Bob) Sheffield was born on September 13, 1943, the eighth of nine children born to William and Dena (Vander Heiden) Sheffield.  As a young boy he was called Bobby by his mother and siblings, and according to his sister Bonnie, in his mother’s eyes he could do no wrong.  Bob’s favorite childhood memories were the hours he spent hunting small game like rabbits with his brothers, and friends Dale and Ron. He graduated from Mt. Vernon High School in 1962.  Bob played football for four years. He was most proud to tell of his freshman team losing all their games, but then would go on to only lose one game combined his junior and senior years.  After his senior season he was selected first team all-state as an interior lineman by the South Dakota Sportswriters.  He attended Huron college for one semester where he was recruited to play football.

Bob was drafted into the United States Army in June 1965, he was a private stationed at Fort Irwin, California. He served his country for two years until his honorable discharge in 1967.  More recently he served as the Hyde County Veteran’s Service Officer for the past 15 years.  Not long after being discharged from the Army, he was united in marriage with his wife Laurie (Schultz) in December 1968 in Mitchell, SD.  Soon after he started as a salesman for the Mormon Feed Company, he had many customers who eventually became lifelong friends.  Bob and Laurie farmed near Madison, SD and later near Carthage, SD in the 1970’s and early 80’s before moving to Highmore in 1984 where they raised their four children.  After living in Highmore for a few years Bob and Laurie took over the bowling alley in 1986 and naming it Bob’s Thunderbird Lanes.  Even when you called him at home, most times he’d still answer the phone, “Bowling Alley.”  When things like pinsetters, wiring, or plumbing would break down or need maintenance around the bowling alley Bob never was afraid to try and see if he could figure out how to fix them or call in a favor from a friend with a little more expertise than him.  You could still find him daily at the bowling alley, up until the day before he passed away.  Over the years there were hundreds of loyal bowling alley customers he loved visiting and B.S.’ing with.  They were more than customers to him; they were great friends too.  Bob never wanted the bowling alley to be closed, he wanted to always be there when his customers needed coffee, a drink or food.

Family was important to Bob, he was the favorite babysitter amongst the grandkids because “No”, was not in his vocabulary.  He enjoyed watching and talking about the NFL, the NBA, and South Dakota state high school basketball tournaments with Robbi and Ryan.  He had a knack and the patience for fixing almost anything for his family, especially when it came to working on cars.  This included later in his life when he began collecting and rebuilding Willy’s jeeps.  One of Bob’s proudest accomplishments was raising four kids to go on and obtain a bachelor’s degree from a four-year university.  The family, especially Roxanne, always talked about closing the bowling alley and vacationing somewhere warm, but the closest we ever came to a family vacation was going to state track meets for a day or two.

Bob is survived by his wife, Laurie of Highmore; three daughters and two sons; Sarrah (Chad) Liedtke of Nunda, SD; Roxanne (Brett) Stevens of Miller; Rhonda Baloun of Highmore; Rob Sheffield of Rapid City; and Ryan Sheffield of Highmore; Nine grandchildren: Hailey, Preston, Cori, Sydney, Perri, Whitley, Lauryn, Chad, and Wesley Robert; his brother, Charles (Wanda) Sheffield of Madison; and sister, Clara McIver of Cheney, KS.

He is preceded in death by his parents; five brothers: John, Fred, Don, Ed, and Bill; one sister, Bonnie, her special friend Ron Finnerty; one brother-in-law, Walt McIver; and two sisters-in-law, Alice Sheffield and Norma Sheffield.

Luze Funeral Home of Highmore has been entrusted with Bob's arrangements.