Bob's Celebration of Life service will be on January 18th at 2pm at St. Martin's Lutheran Church in Austin. In lieu of flowers, Holden Village in Chelan Washington is the ministry Bob and I decided would be our heart's choice for donations. Here is a link in case you'd like to donate.

Holden Village

Bob’s Homage
Robert Lewis Beglau was incredibly fortunate to be born to loving parents, Walter C. and Carol Joy, on October 2, 1953. He grew up experiencing life surrounded by singing, laughter, faith, hard work, creativity, and games made out of everything. Blessed to be the little brother of Mary, Peggy, Paul and Nancy (Nicki), Bob honed his skills of questioning everything, making his own rules, and fiercely loving his family. He took those years of nurture and love with him all his life.

Bob and Judy Todd found each other at Holden Village, a place apart in the Cascade mountains, where they fell in love surrounded by the same gifts that had graced Bob’s life in childhood. That time in their late teens gave them a touchstone they returned to throughout their 45 years of marriage. It was the strengthening way of asking God, of asking about God, of questioning everything, of thinking.

Bob and Judy partnered with God to create three new humans who gave them the family that blesses them still. Joshua Daniel, Sally Marie and Kathryn Rose found beautiful partners themselves, and Bob and Judy cherish their whole family. Josh married Nicole Stallings. Sally married J-D Nava. Katie married Daniel McElrath. The arrival of Emmett Barton McElrath, now 19 months old, was a highlight of Bob’s life. Being Gramps was a role he was born to fill.

Bob built a career out of original thinking, hard work, and a deep regard for being of service. Lutheran Brotherhood, now Thrivent, was a part of Bob’s life from the time he was born, as his father paved the way with his own career in LB. Bob often said that it was important to him to live a life of meaning, and that he must believe in the work of his industry. The friends he made along the way in that career were important to him, people who have remained close long after Bob’s career was over.

When he retired, Bob and Judy returned to the mountains, and built a cabin in the mountains of New Mexico and began a new part of life that was a joy to both of them. The people of Valle Escondido, as well as the mountains themselves, blessed him the last 13 years of his life. One of his favorite things was to host family and dear friends at the mountain cabin and show them the wonders of his heart’s place.

Bob was a fierce Viking warrior as he battled pancreatic cancer with all his might in the 3 months after he was diagnosed. His family and friends stood beside him, supporting the ways he chose to fight. On January 8th, 2020 Bob was healed as he was lifted by angels to be whole again. He was surrounded by family, by the singing voices he loved so much in life. He will be sorely missed by his people until we are all together again. We can’t say rest in peace, because resting would not be his favorite thing. So, we will say live on in peace, Bob Beglau.