Robert D. Koons Jr.

Robert Donald Koons, 88, passed away February 3, 2023, surrounded by family in Wildwood, FL where he had resided for 23 years.

Bob, or Bus (short for Buster) as he was known by his family, was born July 18, 1934, in Crestline, Ohio. He was the son of the late Robert and Jeanette (Morton) Koons.

Bob married Betty Jean Ruehle on August 14, 1960, in McCutchenville, Ohio. Betty preceded him in death in 2007. He is survived by sons Rob (Laura) of Bucyrus, OH, David (Christi) of Columbus, OH, and Andrew (Todd) of Tampa, FL. He leaves the grandkids he doted on, including Kendall Jo (Erik) McElroy of Monterey, CA, Brady of Columbus, OH, Hannah of Bucyrus, OH, and Korey of Bucyrus, OH. He also leaves one great-grandchild Scott of Monterey, CA.

He was survived by brothers Delbert and Lester. He was preceded in death by sisters Ellen and Julia Ann and a brother Howard.

He enjoyed Florida life during the last sixteen years with his best friend and significant other, Betty Mendenhall of Wildwood, FL.

Bob served in the Army from 1957 to 1959 with advanced training in helicopter and fixed-wing planes, serving in Ft. Knox and Stuttgart, Germany.

Upon his return from the service, Bob went to work at the Swan Rubber Co., and stayed through the many iterations of that company until his retirement in 1999 after 44 years.

Bob loved taking his young family on vacations, with Arizona, Myrtle Beach, and many trips to Florida among his favorites. His documentation of those trips is legendary, leaving boxes, albums, and totes of pictures for his family to remember those times.

Throughout his life he was active at several churches including Bucyrus First Methodist, Bucyrus Christian & Missionary Alliance, Upper Sandusky Community Christian Center, and Wildwood Potter’s House. He enjoyed serving on missionary trips to Guatemala and Haiti.

He played some pretty fair basketball for Holmes-Liberty High School, served as a Scout Master for his boys for many years, loved playing cards and socializing with family and friends.

Bob has been returned to Bucyrus and will be laid to rest next to Betty Jean at Crawford Memory Garden. His family will host calling hours on May 4, 2024 at Wise Funeral Home from 10:00 - 11:30 am, with a short service following. Military Rites will be observed by the Army Honor Guard and the Bucyrus Veterans Military Funeral Detail following at the cemetery.