Robert ‘Bob’ Rossmiller

Robert “Bob” Rossmiller, 95, Stevens Point, a retired
education professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP), died
Friday, Sept. 16, 2016.
Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, at
Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Stevens Point.
Visitation will be at the church from 9 a.m. Saturday until
the services.
A celebration of his life will be held from noon to 2 p.m.
Saturday in the Laird Conference Room at the Dreyfus University Center on the
UWSP campus.
Memorials may be directed to the UWSP Foundation: Rossmiller
Family Future Teacher Scholarship Fund; or the Boy Scouts of America Samoset
Council: Camp Tesomas Memorials Fund.
Cremation Society of Wisconsin, Altoona, assisted with
arrangements. Condolences may be offered online at www.cremationsociety-wi.com.
Mr. Rossmiller was born June 16, 1921, the fourth child of the
late Melvin “Bud” and Mary (Gruno) Rossmiller. He grew up on a farm in Honey
Creek before moving to East Troy with his family in 1928. He graduated from
East Troy High School in 1939 as class valedictorian.
He attended UW-Madison and graduated Phi Beta Kappa, with
degrees in Spanish and education in 1943. He remained at Madison for an
additional year to complete his Master of Arts degrees in history and Spanish.
In the fall of 1944, he entered the teaching profession as a
history instructor at Merrill High School and later added Spanish and counseling
to his duties. In 1946, he took a three-year hiatus from teaching to serve as a
field scout executive for the Samoset Council Boy Scouts of America.
He then returned to Merrill High School to teach, yet continued
to be involved in scouting throughout his life.
In 1965, he joined UWSP as its first financial aid director.
In 1968, he returned to UW-Madison to complete his doctorate with a specialty
in gifted education.
From 1969 until his retirement in 1987, he taught at UWSP in
the Education Department, mentoring countless future teachers and pioneering gifted
and talented education programs nationwide.
He was married to Elaine Marie Broeren Dec. 29, 1951, in Thorp.
She died Jan. 22, 2001.
Survivors include two daughters, Linda (Mike) Trzebiatowski
and Ann Lechelt; two sons, Jon and Charles (Toni) Rossmiller; 12 grandchildren;
four great-grandchildren; dear friends, John (Marilynn) Bernd, and caretaker
Judy (Rick) Rogers.
He was also preceded in death by one daughter, Kathryn
Bentley.