Robert "Bob" R. Buth

If you would like to join Bob's Family for his Funeral Mass,  you may click the lLivestream Link below his obiituary on this page or  go to St. Joseph's youtube page and clicking the live button shortly before the service. Click the following link to go to St. Joseph's YouTube page.  https://www.youtube.com/@st.josephscatholicchurchmo9542

Robert Ross Buth was born to Walter and Helen (Haire) Buth of Wolverton, MN, on April 26, 1955.  He was little brother to Rosemary and later became big brother to Rich, Liz and Patty.  Bob spent his first ten years on the family farm after which they moved to Barnesville, MN.  He learned his craftsmanship from his father on the farm and later at Walt’s Machine Shop.

Bob graduated from Barnesville High School in 1973 and attended Moorhead State that fall.  Two years later, in 1975, his family’s world was rocked when his father died, followed two years later by his mother.  Bob, true to his character, selflessly moved back home to help manage the household with his three younger siblings until the youngest moved on to college.  He returned to Moorhead State and graduated in 1980.

Bob met Deb Fagerlie in 1978, where he asked her to marry him the first time they met.  She said yes but it wasn’t official until he proposed on Christmas Eve a couple years later. They tied the knot on July 24, 1981, loving each other more each day than the day before.   

Following graduation, Bob started his banking profession in Barnesville where he committed his career to helping local farmers, supporting local businesses, and mentoring countless employees and coworkers.  His early love of technology even led him to introduce the first computer to the Barnesville bank.  In 1997, he moved with his family to Moorhead, MN, where he later helped found the Moorhead branch of State Bank (later Bell Bank).  He would retire from a happy and successful career as the President of the Bell Bank Moorhead branch in 2018.

Bob and Deb were blessed with four beautiful children: Tracy, Karla, Kevin and Mark.  Bob loved spending time with his kids, reading books to them, playing games and sports together, attending their sports and activities and making sure they knew who was the 1972 Barnesville Free Throw Champion.  Bob instilled in his kids a sense of humor, “moderation in all things”, and that “a job worth doing, is worth doing well”.  He also set an example by using his God-given talents to serve his parish on the finance council, teach religious formation, and help with building and remodeling projects. 

He enjoyed summers at the lake home he and Deb built near Audubon, MN, where the kids and grandkids would visit nearly every weekend.  The grandkids loved when he read “The Three Little Pigs,” complete with lots of huffing and puffing, and many good memories were made on the pontoon, including five consecutive trophies in the Fourth of July Boat Parade!  He enjoyed weekly golf outings and he and Deb always cherished a weekly “porch night” with their friends.  Retirement was spent between the lake home, Arizona, and a handful of travels around the world.

Most of all, Bob recognized what mattered in life and had the character to live it.  Jesus first and others next.  Everywhere he went, he knew people and he made sure those people knew he cared how they were doing.  Bob shared his joy and great sense of humor with us all, showing the true richness of this life, and we are better because of him.

In January of 2023, it was discovered that Bob’s kidney cancer from six years prior had returned in other parts of his body.  He fought courageously while enjoying many wonderful days and evenings with his family and friends.  By God’s providence, Bob held on until the morning after Kevin and Akayla’s wedding, passing peacefully into the arms of Jesus at the Sanford Hospice House.  What a gift for a father to take care of his family.  His family would like to thank the doctors, nurses, and staff of the hospitals he stayed in, as well as the many friends, priests and family who visited, prayed and let Bob know how loved he was.

Bob is survived by his wife, Deb; daughters, Tracy (Joshua) DeCock (children, Rachel, Michael, Daniel, Leo, Henry, and Katherine) of Moorhead, and Karla (John) Bell (children, Monica, Maria, and Audrey) of Perham, MN; sons, Kevin (Akayla) Buth, and Mark Buth of Fargo, ND.  He is also survived by his brother, Rich (Lisa) Buth, Fargo; and sisters, Rosemary (Pat) Griffin of Fergus Falls, MN, Elizabeth (Bill) Schwankl of Fargo, and Patty (Steve) Halverson of Barnesville, and their children and grandchildren.

Visitation will be Thursday, October 5, 2023, from 5 - 7 PM, followed by a prayer service at 7 PM. 

The Mass of Christian Burial will be Friday, October 6, 2023, at 11 AM, with visitation one hour prior. Both will be held at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Moorhead, MN. 

Both services will be livestreamed and those links, provided by the church, will be available here shortly before each service.