Robert L. Laumeyer died peacefully in his sleep on June 4 after speaking with his children and repeating his desire to “share some tea with mother.” He had a tremendous zest for life and will be missed by many who love him.
Bob was born on Aug. 31, 1932 in Wolf Point, the youngest of Rose and Joe Laumeyer’s four children. On the family farm, he learned how to fish and hunt, grow food, work hard, play cards and fix anything that broke. Bob left the farm to study in Havre at Northern Montana College. He accidentally signed up for a degree in education — which became his life-long career. He also met Bonnie, his wife of 64 years.
Bob was committed to education; after completing two years at Havre, he started teaching in small Montana towns and attended nine years of summer school to earn his B.A. and M.Ed. degrees. He understood kids and helped hundreds to succeed at school and to navigate a better life. He was superintendent in Boulder for 17 years, and even in the months before retirement, he was tutoring students on the side in algebra, allowing them to graduate from high school. He was particularly proud of the successful school building projects during his tenure.
