Robert Bruce Neukranz

Robert Bruce Neukranz, 92 of Fayetteville died November 7, 2016. Robert was born May 9, 1924. He is survived by his wife, Eileen Neukranz and beloved dog, Rascal; Brother, Don Neukranz; daughters, Robin Carpenter, Jennifer Alexander, Nancy Seward, and Marion Aust, and their husbands or significant others, Jim Watts, Richard Alexander, Steve Seward and Steve Aust; nine grandchildren, and 17 great grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents Kurt and Gevilla Neukranz, his brother Richard Neukranz, and sister Florence Gregory. Robert rarely spoke of himself, nor was he one to brag, but he had a fabulous sense of humor, and had a life full of accomplishments. Robert entered The United States Navy at the age of 18 on July 8th, 1942 after finishing high school at New Trier H.S. in Wilmette, Illinois. His first duty station was The U.S. Training Center in Great Lakes, Ill., where he attended boot camp. Robert then went on to Grove City College in Pennsylvania, where he completed an Elementary Electricity and Radio course. Next, he was sent to the Naval Air Technical Training Center in Corpus Christi, and then on to The Naval Station in Lakehurst, N.J. in 1943 to a blimp squadron. Robert attended Northwestern University in Evanstown, Ill. from 1943 to 1944, and Depauw University in Greencastle, Ind. from 1944 to 1945. Robert graduated from the United States Reserve Midshipmen's School, at Columbia University, in New York. He was the 24th class of reserve midshipmen, and received his commission as an Ensign in The U.S. Naval Reserve. On September 22, 1945, Robert was assigned to the ship, the USS Lapwing, and then to the USS Pine Island, in the U.S. Pacific Fleet, and was sent from San Francisco to Japan and China. His mother, Gevilla, said that when Robert was a small child, she could sit him down on a blanket with some geometric wood blocks, and that he was content to just sit there and play for hours. His mind was inquisitive, and from his early beginning, he enjoyed problem solving and assembling things. He loved to design and build the homes that he lived in throughout his life. After Robert served on active duty in the U.S. Navy from 1942 to 1946, he served in the reserves from 1946 to 1955, during which time he married Diane McFarland, from Highland Park, Illinois. They had four daughters and lived in Lake Forest, Ill., until their divorce in 1959. Robert earned his engineering degree from Purdue, and became an engineer for the village of Skokie, where he worked for many years. Later, he moved to Northwest Arkansas. He worked for the engineering firm ESI, and designed water intake plants on Bull Shoals and Beaver Lake. Robert's children Robin, Jennifer, Nancy and Marion, have often expressed gratitude for their dad for instilling in them a love for nature, and for being able to spend every summer with him. He would take them on long walks after dinner, and would identify the deciduous and coniferous trees in the neighborhood. They would collect and press leaves and put them in scrap books, and would look in taxonomy books in order to identify the leaves properly. Robert would take his children out on Pistackie Bay, in Illinois, in a small row boat, where they would catch turtles with a net. They grew attached to these turtles, and gave them all names, but after many turtle races, at the end of the summer, the turtles would be put back in the lake. Robert and his four girls would play cards after dinner. It was usually Hearts or Rummy. They would drink soda like 50/50, or ginger ale and eat chips. It was a delightful time. Robert always liked being productive. He enjoyed making his own furniture, and made beautiful models of ships, too. When he had to give up his power tools and workshop, he began to make hilarious wood sculptures. Robert always enjoyed reading. He especially enjoyed historical novels about World War II. He also had a dog named Rascal that he adored. He told his daughter Jennifer before he died, that if he'd known how special it was to love a dog, he would have had dogs all of his life. Although he was no longer able to problem solve or build things, he died peacefully at home with his loving wife Eileen by his side, at the age of 92. Robert will have a private memorial service in the home of his daughter Jennifer Alexander, on November 8, 2016. Arrangements were by Nelson-Berna Funeral Home. Condolences may be given online at www.nelsonberna.com.