COUNCIL #1728 - ST. JAMES REMEMBERS
ROBERT R COLLING

 

Robert R. Colling, 83, of Kearney died Sunday, April 17, 2016, at Good Samaritan Society Prairie View Gardens.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Prince of Peace Catholic Church with the Revs. Paul Colling, Bernard Berger and Joe Hannappel officiating. Burial will be at Kearney Cemetery with military honors by Kearney American Legion Post 52, Kearney Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 759 and the Nebraska National Guard Military Honors Team.
Visitation will be from 6-7 p.m. Thursday at the church followed by a Christian wake service at 7 p.m.
Horner Lieske McBride & Kuhl Funeral and Cremation Services is in charge of arrangements.
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Bob was born on Aug. 6, 1932, in McCook to Merle and Cecelia (Dempewolf) Colling. He grew up in the Indianola and McCook area and graduated from McCook High School in 1950. He enlisted into the U.S. Army Standby Reserve (active status) and served until his honorable discharge in 1959. Bob attended and graduated from McCook Community College in 1952 with an associate degree in the arts.
He married Margaret Jones in McCook on Aug. 28, 1952. In 1955, he graduated from Hastings College with a bachelor of arts degree. After graduating, Bob took a position in Shelby as principal, teacher and coach and later moved to Rapid City, S.D., to teach. He attended the State University of South Dakota and graduated with a Master’s Degree in Natural Science.
In 1963, the family moved to Kearney where Bob took a position at Kearney Catholic as a teacher and a football and basketball coach. Two years later he accepted a position teaching mathematics at Kearney State College, where he remained until his retirement in 1990.
Bob loved sports, fishing, hunting, teaching and his family, especially little children. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
He loved spending time at the lake at his cabin. He also enjoyed feeding the birds and squirrels. He was very family oriented and intelligent but was also known as a jokester. He was respected by his students, and they would often speak very highly of him.
The last few months of Bob’s life were spent at Prairie View Gardens Memory Care where he formed a lasting relationship with the staff and administration. They are sure to remember his humor and almost constant walking. He will be missed by all who had the privilege to know him.
Surviving relatives include his wife, Margaret of Kearney; children, Doug Colling and wife Terri of Kearney, Mary Nickel and husband Michael of Minden and Sue Keizer and husband Glen, Dave Colling and wife Annette, and Gary Colling, all of Kearney; brother, Jim Colling of Axtell; sister, Marianne Colling of McCook; grandchildren, Christopher Colling, Lisa Adkins, Kerman Nickel, Jeremy Nickel, Aaron Nickel, Brandon Nickel, Kara Fierstein, Shane Klinginsmith, Jaime Shaw, Lee Colling, Jordan Quintana, Ryan Colling, Tyson Colling, Whitney Colling, Trey Colling and Tessa Colling; 25 great-grandchildren; and many other extended family members and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Memorials are suggested to Kearney Catholic.