Robert L Ryser

Funeral services for Robert L. Ryser, 83, of East Moline, formerly of Moline, will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, April 22 at Riverside United Methodist Church, 712-16th Street, Moline. The family will greet friends Thursday from 4-8 p.m. at Wendt Funeral Home, 1811-15th Street, Moline. Burial will be in the National Cemetery. Military Rites will be provided by American Legion Post #246. Memorials may be made to the Moline High School Class of 1945 Scholarship Fund or Riverside United Methodist Church. Bob was born August 7, 1927 in Moline, the son of Ernest and Dorothy Ryser. He married his high school sweetheart, Janis Logan, December 14th 1946 in Moline. Bob worked for John Deere Harvester for 26 years, retiring in 1982 as an Employment Administrator. He was active in the Supervisor’s Club where he acted as emcee for many of the social events. He was known as a people person and could walk through the factory and call virtually all of the employees by their first names. Bob was a proud member of Moline High School sports teams in the early 1940’s. He lettered in Basketball, Football, Tennis, and Cross Country. He teamed with Leo “Punky” Brown to win the 3rd Place Doubles State Tennis Championship in 1945. He was a member of the 4th Place State Basketball Championship Team of 1945. He continued to be active in the “M’ Men activities throughout retirement. Bob was inducted into the St. Ambrose University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991 for his Tennis Career. He was also an avid golfer and fisherman. Bob was a loving father, grandfather, and great grandfather. He loved to be with family at the birthday and holiday gatherings, and was always doing magic tricks for the kids. Bob’s friends and classmates were very important in his life. He was a member of the John Deere Golf League for retirees and helped with his class reunion every 5 years. In addition, he ate with the Class of ’45 “lunch bunch” every month. Bob and his family were proud owners of The Star Sandwich Shop in Rock Island for 15 years. One of his favorite duties was to greet customers with a great joke and to make sure everyone was happy with their meal in the John Deere room. Bob took great pride in playing Santa Claus during Christmas time. He visited many families, nursing homes, and charity events. Many people thought he was the real Santa Claus. If anyone conveyed the spirit of Christmas, it was Bob. Bob is survived by his wife of 64 years, Jan. His children (spouses) daughter, Pam Ryser of Rock Island; sons Scott, Moline, Jeff (Chris), Moline, Fred (Kathleen), Moline, Joel (Allison), Moline; 9 grandchildren, Robbie Ryser, Krista Ryser, Bryan Ryser, Becky Alvarez, Steven Ryser, Alex Ryser, Logan Ryser, Abigail Ryser, and Holly Sackfield-Ryser. There are 8 great grandchildren.

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