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Robert “Bob” Staats, 87, of Creston, died Friday, April 14, 2023, at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines. Services will be 10:30 a.m. Friday, April 21 at Powers Funeral Home at the junction of Highways 34 and 25 in Creston. Pastor Jodi Rushing will officiate. The services will be live streamed. Full military honors will be provided by Theodore J. Martens Post 1797. Burial will be in Rose Hill Cemetery in Mount Ayr. Open visitation will be 2-7 p.m. with family receiving friends from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, April 20 at Powers Funeral Home.
Memorials are to The Chicken Inn for its continued upkeep. Online condolences may be made under the obituary category at www.powersfh.com.
Robert George Staats was born Sept. 5, 1935, to George Hiram and Hazel “Juanita” (Sterner) Staats in Chariton County, Missouri. He grew up in Redding and lived in Ringgold County for many years.
Bob served his country as a part of the United States Air Force for four years stationed in Alaska prior to it becoming a state and in Kirksville, Missouri. On Sept. 20, 1958, he was united in marriage to Betty Jean Sparks in Kellerton.
They lived in Delphos briefly while working at a lumber yard in Mount Ayr until 1960, then Red Oak for five years, working a variety of jobs including a calendar factory, meat packing plant and as a cement block mason. They moved to Creston in June 1965 where Bob went to work at Hills McCanna in the clean room as a lead technician. In December 1969 he went to work at Green Valley Chemical in the maintenance department. While there, he earned his journeyman electrician’s license. He continued to work there in conjunction with Midwest Carbonics until his retirement, serving a total of 37 years. In his spare time he did private electrical and other construction jobs.
Bob attended the Salvation Army Church and the Nazarene Church until it closed. He was also a member of the Old Time Power Club and participated for many years in the KSIB Tractor Ride. He thoroughly enjoyed going to the Chicken Inn and the other area dances.
Survivors include his two daughters: Jeanne (Paul) Barber of Edgerton, Misoouri, and Heidi Jo McDonald of Nashville, Tennessee; one son: Fred (Janell) Staats of Creston; six grandchildren: Colette (Gloria) Staats of Kansas City, Missouri, Caley (Jaclyn) Staats of Edgerton, Luria Staats (Michael Sullivan) of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Daisy Staats of Creston, Grant Staats (Addy Flamming) of Shenandoah and Noah Runde of Nashville; five great-grandchildren: Chloe, Jackson, Max, Marley and Charlotte; brother Fred (Alva) Staats of Loveland, Colorado; three sisters: Doris Smith of Green Valley, Arizona, Linda (Sam) Parise of San Diego, California, and Mary (Staats) Exley-Anderson of Trenton, Missouri, and brother-in-law Charles “Junior” Williams of Hamilton, Missouri.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife Betty in 2008; a son George Howard Staats; brother Bill (Roberta) Staats; sister Margaret Williams; son-in-law Terry Tull; two brothers-in-law: Jerry Smith and Jim Exley.