Robert “Bob” Kenneth Lohse passed away peacefully at home on Friday, July 24, 2026, at the age of 67, just eleven days shy of his 68th birthday.

Robert was born on August 4, 1958, in Moorhead, Minnesota, to Molly Ann (Struna) Lohse and Kenneth Arvid Lohse. He grew up in Moorhead with his two younger sisters, Sheila (Lohse) Coy and Colleen (Lohse) Dyson.

He attended Our Redeemer Lutheran Church preschool and kindergarten, as well as Edison and Riverside Elementary Schools, South Junior High, and Moorhead Senior High, all in Moorhead, Minnesota. Robert graduated from Moorhead Senior High on May 28, 1976.

Most recently, Robert attended his 50th ”Class of’ 76” reunion, where he immensely enjoyed the weekend events with his wife, Deb, of more than 10 years.

Robert married Deborah Kay (Fankhanel) Lohse in New Mexico on March 3, 2016, after a 53-year friendship. They renewed their vows on July 3, 2016, at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church with family and friends present in Moorhead, Minnesota.

In the spring of 1976, shortly before graduating from high school, Robert enlisted in the United States Army with his mother’s written permission. He attended boot camp and then returned home to take part in his high school graduation commencement, marking the beginning of his adult life.

During his time in the Army, Robert served in the Health Services Command at Madigan Hospital at Fort Lewis near Tacoma, Washington, where he trained and became a phlebotomist and assisted medical examiners with postmortem examinations. His work there required steadiness, discipline, and a willingness to serve in a role few people could take on.

After being honorably discharged from the Army, Robert continued to build a life marked by hard work, music, and versatility. He worked in healthcare, farming, and welding until the early 1980s, bringing dedication, skill, and dependability to each role.

Music was a lifelong passion and talent of Robert’s life. He began playing instruments at just seven years old and continued learning and playing nearly anything with strings until his forced early retirement in 2019 as the result of a very serious car accident in the mountains of New Mexico that left him totally disabled. After the early 1980s, he traveled the country playing music off and on for more than 30 years, sharing his talent and love of music wherever life took him, evening taking him as far as Alaska.

From 1980 until his retirement in 2019, Robert also worked in various military and nuclear power plants as a plumber and pipefitter through the union. Throughout his career, he helped build homes, schools, and hospitals, using his skill and craftsmanship to contribute to places that served families, communities, and countless others. His work took precision and dedication; qualities he carried with him throughout his life and career.

His last position was with the U.S. government at Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico, where he held a high-security clearance job and worked as a lister and procurement specialist buyer contracted through the union. It was a role that reflected the trust placed in him, as well as his experience, attention to detail, and commitment to doing the job right.

Beyond his work, Robert had many interests that reflected his adventurous and creative spirit. He had a special love for old Volkswagen “hippie” vans/ transporter bus and VW Beetle cars, dune buggy rides, and he was also known as a skilled marksman. He loved to travel whenever he could, especially enjoying his time living in his “log home” in the mountains of New Mexico, and enjoyed taking photographs along the way, capturing the people, places, and moments that made each journey meaningful.

Robert also had a sweet tooth and a fondness for simple favorites that brought him joy, including Bavarian cream donuts, dark chocolate candy, butterscotch pudding, and caramel ice cream sundaes. These small pleasures were part of the many little things that made him “quirky”, who he was and will be lovingly remembered by those who knew him best.

Faith was most important to Robert and his wife Deb as they are members of Trinity Lutheran Church in Sabin, MN, and he loved being at their lake home in Pelican Rapids, MN “going fishing” – “catch and release”.

Bob is survived by his wife, Deborah (Fankhanel) Lohse; daughters, Mollanah (Molly) McMilion and her partner Lawrence Smith, Moneika (Lohse) Sweeney and her husband Brandon; stepdaughter’s Natalie Brownlee and her husband Troy, Olivia Babolian and her partner Jon Aarseth; grandchildren, Nyzaiah McMilion and Jaxon “Larry” Smith, Kailee Lynn Sweeney and James; step-grandchildren, Brooke Larsen, Jordan (Arielle) Larsen, Zachary Brownlee, Justice Brownlee, Tj Brownlee, and McKinzie Brownlee, Elizabeth “Noa” Babolian, Gaven Babolian, Cayden Aarseth; sister Colleen (Lohse) Dyson; brothers-in-law, Stuart Dyson, Mike Coy; niece, Hanah Coy; nephew, George Dyson.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents Molly Ann (Struna) Lohse and Kenneth Arvid Lohse; sister, Sheila Coy, step-granddaughter, Taylor Babolian ”Larsen”, grandparents, aunts, and uncles.

Visitation: Thursday, July 30, 2026, from 5-7 p.m. with a prayer service beginning at 7 p.m. at Wright Funeral Home, Moorhead, MN.

Funeral: Friday, July 31, 2026, at 11 a.m. with a visitation one hour before the service at Trinity Lutheran Church, Sabin, MN

Burial will be in the church cemetery.