- Born on: January 21, 1940
- Departed on: April 18, 2026
- Resided in: Decorah, IA
Robert "Bob" Gordon Crookshank
Robert “Bob” Gordon Crookshank, 86, of Decorah, IA, passed peacefully from this life on April 18, 2026, true to his wishes: at home, next to family who loved and cherished him.
Bob was born on January 21,1940, in Decorah, IA, to Raymond Crookshank and Marie (Vold) Crookshank of Decorah. He grew up on Ice Cave Road, in the brick house with the shuttered caves, just below Dunning Springs and across from the Upper Iowa River. This area is a unique treasure to Decorah, and it is here that his love for the outdoors, horses, and Iowa’s rivers formed.
He graduated from Decorah High School in 1958, and soon after, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he served in Hawaii. Upon his honorable discharge in 1960, he returned to Decorah where he worked as a Produce Manager at the original K&S Supermarket. Later, he began a 30+ year career as a lineman with Interstate Power Company, which eventually became Alliant Energy. In the fall of 1963, he married Karen Martinson, also of Decorah, at First Lutheran Church, and they celebrated 62 years of marriage in November 2025. Bob and Karen were also the proprietors of TLC Kennels, a whole family endeavor that provided boarding care for many of Decorah’s canine residents.
An eternal cowboy at heart, Bob was a self-taught horseman, mechanic, welder, builder, bowhunter, fisherman and left-handed golfer. He enjoyed black coffee, Western movies, documentaries about the wonders of the natural world, and was an avid reader of espionage thrillers. When he wasn’t working, you could find him tinkering on project vehicles, riding horses or tending to their care, slicing golf balls into the Upper Iowa at Oneota, operating his airboat off the Mississippi main channel, sitting in a tree stand at dusk, or reading a novel late into the night at the kitchen table. Often, one or more of his children were alongside. Upon retirement, Bob and Karen began “snow-birding” in Yuma, Arizona during the frigid Iowa winter. Bob towed their travel trailer out West where they enjoyed sightseeing, golf, and comraderie with other retirees exploring a new season of life.
Bob was a person to be counted on – patient, kind, earnest, and steadfast, a true salt-of-the-earth Iowan. It was not uncommon for the phone to ring on stormy summer evening with a frantic voice on the other end inquiring “Yah! Is Bob around? My lights are out!” Minutes later, he would calmly and deftly lace up his steel-toe boots and venture off to restore power, and faith, in the system. He was generous with a $20 bill when his teenagers needed gas for their cars or fun with their “cronies.” He was the ground line of the family – always anchoring and protecting, always there.
By his own accord, his greatest achievement was being a proud father of graduates of Luther College, Iowa State University, and the University of Iowa, respectively. He liked to joke that he most certainly owned “a couple of doorknobs, at least!” at each of these academic institutions.
Opening doors through education was especially important to him because he understood education to be the vehicle that provides access, tools, and perspective for navigating and thriving on the various roads of life. Like many men from the Silent Generation, his life was characterized by hard work and service - to country, community, and family; work that ensured stability and hope in the future for his children and grandchildren. He was our unique treasure of a man, and we miss him dearly.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Raymond and Marie Crookshank, and many beloved horses and pets. He is survived by his wife, Karen Crookshank; his sister, Marjorie Werhan of Sacramento, CA; three children: Corrine Erickson of Rochester, MN; Jason (Diane) Crookshank of Erie, CO; Jessica (Rafael) Ferraro of Westminster, MD; two nieces: Tracy (Rick) Boggs and Terry (Dave) Moore; and seven grandchildren: Katelyn Erickson, Anika Erickson, Karis Crookshank, Talan Crookshank, Brody Crookshank, Enzo Ferraro and Josephine Ferraro.
The family wants to thank the nurses and staff of WinnMed Hospice for their compassionate and attentive care.
In memory of Bob, and his love for horses, the family welcomes memorial donations to the Iowa Equine Rescue & Awareness League in Cedar Rapids, IA.
Bob was born on January 21,1940, in Decorah, IA, to Raymond Crookshank and Marie (Vold) Crookshank of Decorah. He grew up on Ice Cave Road, in the brick house with the shuttered caves, just below Dunning Springs and across from the Upper Iowa River. This area is a unique treasure to Decorah, and it is here that his love for the outdoors, horses, and Iowa’s rivers formed.
He graduated from Decorah High School in 1958, and soon after, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he served in Hawaii. Upon his honorable discharge in 1960, he returned to Decorah where he worked as a Produce Manager at the original K&S Supermarket. Later, he began a 30+ year career as a lineman with Interstate Power Company, which eventually became Alliant Energy. In the fall of 1963, he married Karen Martinson, also of Decorah, at First Lutheran Church, and they celebrated 62 years of marriage in November 2025. Bob and Karen were also the proprietors of TLC Kennels, a whole family endeavor that provided boarding care for many of Decorah’s canine residents.
An eternal cowboy at heart, Bob was a self-taught horseman, mechanic, welder, builder, bowhunter, fisherman and left-handed golfer. He enjoyed black coffee, Western movies, documentaries about the wonders of the natural world, and was an avid reader of espionage thrillers. When he wasn’t working, you could find him tinkering on project vehicles, riding horses or tending to their care, slicing golf balls into the Upper Iowa at Oneota, operating his airboat off the Mississippi main channel, sitting in a tree stand at dusk, or reading a novel late into the night at the kitchen table. Often, one or more of his children were alongside. Upon retirement, Bob and Karen began “snow-birding” in Yuma, Arizona during the frigid Iowa winter. Bob towed their travel trailer out West where they enjoyed sightseeing, golf, and comraderie with other retirees exploring a new season of life.
Bob was a person to be counted on – patient, kind, earnest, and steadfast, a true salt-of-the-earth Iowan. It was not uncommon for the phone to ring on stormy summer evening with a frantic voice on the other end inquiring “Yah! Is Bob around? My lights are out!” Minutes later, he would calmly and deftly lace up his steel-toe boots and venture off to restore power, and faith, in the system. He was generous with a $20 bill when his teenagers needed gas for their cars or fun with their “cronies.” He was the ground line of the family – always anchoring and protecting, always there.
By his own accord, his greatest achievement was being a proud father of graduates of Luther College, Iowa State University, and the University of Iowa, respectively. He liked to joke that he most certainly owned “a couple of doorknobs, at least!” at each of these academic institutions.
Opening doors through education was especially important to him because he understood education to be the vehicle that provides access, tools, and perspective for navigating and thriving on the various roads of life. Like many men from the Silent Generation, his life was characterized by hard work and service - to country, community, and family; work that ensured stability and hope in the future for his children and grandchildren. He was our unique treasure of a man, and we miss him dearly.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Raymond and Marie Crookshank, and many beloved horses and pets. He is survived by his wife, Karen Crookshank; his sister, Marjorie Werhan of Sacramento, CA; three children: Corrine Erickson of Rochester, MN; Jason (Diane) Crookshank of Erie, CO; Jessica (Rafael) Ferraro of Westminster, MD; two nieces: Tracy (Rick) Boggs and Terry (Dave) Moore; and seven grandchildren: Katelyn Erickson, Anika Erickson, Karis Crookshank, Talan Crookshank, Brody Crookshank, Enzo Ferraro and Josephine Ferraro.
The family wants to thank the nurses and staff of WinnMed Hospice for their compassionate and attentive care.
In memory of Bob, and his love for horses, the family welcomes memorial donations to the Iowa Equine Rescue & Awareness League in Cedar Rapids, IA.
