When I was asked to write something about Bob, I said I would have to think about it, and after thinking back over 25 years I worked with him at the Democrat office, a lot of things did come to mind.

Bob was a good boss. He was courteous, kind and often complimentary. He pretty much gave me free rein over the office management. We weren’t of the same political persuasion, but it didn’t seem to matter, although, he was the strongest Democrat I have ever known.

There are some things that stand out that I remember about Bob. He was devoted to promoting Cassville and seeing the city grow by serving on the Cassville Industrial Development Corporation. He worked hard to bring industries to Cassville and was proud of what the IDC accomplished.

He was an avid Cassville Wildcat football fan. He loved to cover their games for the paper and write very detailed play-by-play stories, accompanied by his photos, which he developed in his dark room at the office.

He also loved to bird hunt. He talked about his bird dogs a lot and could not hardly wait for quail season every year. The first day of quail season opening was a holiday for him at the office.

Most of all, Bob was truly a proud father. I just can’t express how proud he was of Bruce and Shelley and their accomplishments, and he had the same pride in his grandchildren.

Bob was a faithful member of Cassville First Christian Church, and it was a big part of his life. He loved to tell people how his mother, Kathryn Mitchell, was one of the founding members of the Church.

There was one other thing in Bob’s life that was very important to him, and of course, that was the Cassville Democrat newspaper. It was family owned for many years and it was a legacy that meant a lot to him.

After selling the paper in 1995, he continued to have a little part in it by writing his column, “Ozark Views and Comments.” I know that many of the subscribers enjoyed his column each week.

Darlene Wierman is the former office manager at the Cassville Democrat for more than 40 years and working under two family and two corporate ownerships.