Robert Leroy Konzem

Robert L. "Bob” Konzem passed away on January 17, 2021. Born February 5, 1941, to Romanus and Margaret Konzem in McAllen, TX. Bob grew up in Tipton, KS, attending elementary and high school there and graduating from Tipton Catholic High School in 1959 and then joining the United States Air Force. He married the love of his life, Sondra J. Schmitz on September 14, 1963, at St Boniface Catholic Church in Tipton, KS. He and Sondra welcomed their first daughter Jane in 1964, their second daughter Christa in 1967, and their third daughter Kathy in 1973. Growing up, Bob’s mother always told him that God would get him and his brother back for all the gray hairs the two of them caused, and in her opinion God did so by blessing each of them with 3 girls before a boy was born. (As most of you know, Bob is pretty much bald, so not much hair to turn gray or fall out, but in all fairness to us girls, Dad was half bald before he even met Mom.) Bob served 20 years in the military, being stationed at 11 different locations across the US and overseas, including Iceland, the Philippines, and Turkey. While in the military he worked as an investigator with the Office of Special Investigations from 1963 to 1972, then went "on loan” to the Department of Defense (DoD) / Defense Investigative Services, until his retirement from the Air Force in 1979. The family then moved to Loveland, CO, in 1981 and he remained with the DoD as a "civilian” investigator until his retirement in 1995. Bob had a quick wit and a fun, larger-than-life personality. He had a boisterous laugh to go along with his humor and teasing ways. He appeared to be a bear of a man when in reality; he was a teddy bear with a heart of gold and an endless amount of love for his family and friends. When fixing or finishing something he would often say "Good enough for government work” – which usually meant he was done messing with it. Another favorite response when seeing people, was "Smile”, which is even recorded on their home answering machine. He also loved answering the phone "White House”, when he saw who was calling. Politics was always a hot topic with Bob and was normally the discussion with his "coffee guys” at McDonald’s. Some discussions were so robust, they almost got the group kicked out on one occasion. Bob was an avid golfer, bad-mouthing that little white ball, the clubs or his swing, on occasion. However, he did make 2 holes-in-one during his golfing career. As many know, he loved his sports, both playing and watching, and was especially proud to be a spectator at his grandkids’ sporting events. One of Bob's favorite activities was spending time with his family and playing games, but with a healthy dose of competition, of course. He enjoyed Pinochle as well as numerous other games. As the son of one of his long-time pinochle partners said, "Bob and Noel (Hike) were probably beating everyone in Heaven". Bob was always the teaser and joked around with everyone. He faced his death as he did life –head on, often joking about if the hole in the back yard was dug for him yet, or saying that he was going to start Bingo when he got to Hell and raise enough money to buy air conditioning down there. (Sorry to disappoint you Bob, you’ll be properly interred with full military honors in Ft Logan National Military Cemetery, so enjoy your perfect golf games and double runs in pinochle!) Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Romanus and Margaret Konzem. Bob is survived by his wife of over 57 years Sondra "Sonnie” Konzem; daughters: Jane L. Konzem (Overland Park, KS), Christa K. Davis (Alamosa, CO) and Kathy L. Knapp (Cameron)(Ft Collins, CO); 5 grandchildren: Toney Davis (Kimmie), Eric and Ryan Davis, Lindsey and Sydney Knapp; 2 step-great-grandchildren: Conner and Cooper. His brother, Eugene "Gene” Konzem (Jane F.), nieces Jennifer Konzem, Jill Lancaster (Mark), Jolene Eichberg (Matt) and nephew John Konzem; sister-in-law Beverly Warner-McAfee (Larry, deceased) and brother-in-law John Schmitz; as well as many other relatives. Bob was a loving son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, uncle and friend and will be missed greatly. Rosary will be held at 10:00am with Mass beginning at 10:30am on February 5, 2021 at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Parish in Loveland, Colorado. Private inurnment with full military honors will be held at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver. A Celebration of Life Open House Friday, Feb 5, 2021 at 1 pm (following Mass) at Kathy Knapp's home 1209 Mountain Home Drive Ft. Collins, CO. NO FLOWERS, PLEASE. To stream the funeral on February 5th at 10:30am. Here is a direct link to the funeral Mass: https://youtu.be/hQ1bNiB_xog