Obituary for Robert Dunning

Robert Dunning, 86, of Waukon, Iowa died Friday, November 4, 2005 at the Veteran’s Memorial Hospital in Waukon, Iowa after an 11 year battle with multiple myeloma cancer. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, November 17th at 11:00 A.M. at the Farm Bureau Building, 14 1st Avenue N.E., Waukon, Iowa. Robert Logan Dunning was born April 13, 1919 to David and Mamie (Kramer) Knowles in Bemedji, Minnesota. Mamie’s cousin, Elizabeth (Frank) Dunning cared for Bob while his mother was being treated for tuberculosis. She died when Robert was about 6 months old and Frank and Elizabeth continued to raise Robert and eventually adopted him. As a teenager Bob helped his father, Frank, run “Dunning Guernsey Dairy ” delivering milk to customers in Waukon. He was very proud of being able to make his daily milk deliveries yet “never once being late to school.” His father had great confidence in him, giving him a great deal of responsibility at a young age. At 16 he allowed Bob to use dynamite to clear farmland—once using 100 pounds of dynamite under just one stump leaving a hole deep enough to put a car in lengthwise! After high school graduation, Bob began farming with his father full time on a farm 5 miles south of Waukon. Bob married Olive Herman on October 30, 1943. They took over the farm from Frank and Elizabeth and farmed together for 43 years. They reared and educated three children. As a dairy farmer interested in increasing efficiency and productivity, he traveled to southern Illinois to look at an innovative herringbone milking parlor design featured in a farming magazine. After taking measurements of the equipment (as well as of his cows!), he drew up the plans and did the majority of the building himself in 1958. He farmed with innovative and creative ideas, repairing, modifying and building much of his own machinery and equipment. On one occasion, he created a 5 bottom plow (made from two 3 bottom plows) pulled by two tractors operated by one driver. A Minneapolis Moline “U” tractor was attached to an International Harvester 400 tractor by taking the front wheels off and setting the axle on the hitch. The trailing tractor was operated from the lead tractor with extensions of the hand clutch and throttle. His son, Phillip, remembers that “this was quite an outfit” and will never forget the “thrill” he got from forgetting to throttle down as he made a sharp turn at the top of a hill, completely flipping the plow! When Bob retired in 1981, he continued his tinkering and inventing. He sawed lumber from his farm woods, cured and planed it to build beautiful furniture for his family and friends. He loved and was very proud of his highly modified one-man sawmill. His creativity often emerged in surprising ways. Family and friends were astonished when they received their first Christmas poem a few years ago. As he weakened from cancer, he refused to give up. When he couldn’t lift his legs 12 inches, he built a ladder with 6-inch steps. When he couldn’t lift an object, he made yet another winch. One of the most recent “inventions” was a device designed to depress the nozzle of an aerosol can. It is a fascinating design that works well. Bob was a quiet and intensely private man, with strong values which he passed to his children. His love of the land is indicated by his wish to have his ashes spread on the farmland he loved. He was preceded in death by his parents, adoptive parents and his wife Olive, on May 12, 1993. Survivors include two daughters Susan (Robert) McCoy of Somersworth, NH and Gail Dunning of Omaha, NE; his son Phillip (Linda) Dunning of Florissant, MO, one brother Stanley Knowles of Chillicothe, OH; and special friend, Vivian Huffman, Waukon, IA; three grandchildren, Christopher Dunning, Wendy (Jon) McCoy Kaban and Brett (Julie) McCoy and two great-grandchildren, Alex and Ryan Kaban. Memorials may be directed to the Dunning family for a memorial or an organization of your choice.