Date of Birth:
Wednesday, March 2, 1938
Date of Death:
Thursday, February 4, 2021
Age:
82 years old

Robert C. Gunnon

Robert (Bob) C. Gunnon died on February 4, 2021 at his home in Rochester following a lengthy battle with pulmonary fibrosis.  Bob was born on March 2, 1938 to Albert C. and Florence (Johnson) Gunnon in Northfield, Minnesota.  He attended grade school in Faribault, Minnesota.  His family then moved to Portage, Wisconsin where Bob attended high school.  He excelled in academics, was involved in a number of singing groups while at the same time working to help support his family.  Bob attended St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree with double majors in Chemistry and English Literature in 1960.  He did graduate work in the Master of Business Administration program at the University of Minnesota.

Bob met the love of his life, Judy Watrous, while sailing on Lake Pepin in 1963.  They were married in 1966 in the old Zumbro Lutheran Church in Rochester, where Bob later became active on the Church council, serving as President.  They celebrated the births of two sons, John Alonzo and Christian Robert over the next six years.

Bob worked at Parke-Davis and Company for fifteen years, before and after it merged with Warner Lambert/Pfizer.  He held a number of technical sales and marketing assignments, the last being as Parke-Davis’ Corporate Representative to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.  While in Rochester, he became heavily involved in various singing groups with the Civic Theater, most notably the Gilbert & Sullivan musical comedies.

Following his career in pharmaceuticals, Bob owned and was Chief Executive Officer of two companies, which he then sold to his employees, in 1979.  He and his family moved to Colorado in 1980 to manage a family banking group.

In Colorado, Bob was involved with the Petteys Group for forty years.  He was a director of The Farmers State Bank of Brush, was elected Vice-Chairman of the Board in 1980, and Chairman in 1997, and served on all major committees.  He was Chairman and director of Equitable Savings and Loan Association, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and a director of The Farmers Realty Company, a savings and loan holding company, and Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Director of First Pioneer Bank Corp.  He was Chairman and director of First Pioneer National Bank of Wray and President of Wray Loan Company.  He retired from these positions in January, 2021.

While in Brush, he was Chairman of the Bank’s Trust Committee and was instrumental in granting funding assistance to the East Morgan County Hospital, East Morgan County Library, City of Brush Recreation programs, EbenEzer Lutheran Care Center, and many other community programs.

Bob’s leadership in banking in Northeastern Colorado was highly respected.  He served on various boards and provided guidance to many organizations.  He also mentored and guided many leaders in the community.

Farmers Realty Company was involved in the creation of a hospital district in the 1960’s and provided the land on which the East Morgan County Hospital was built.  Bob continued the Realty Company’s partnership with the hospital by facilitating the donation of additional land during its recent large expansion project.

Bob had many passions. Reading; singing; teaching and mentoring; story telling; philanthropy; entrepreneurship; and athletics (especially when his two sons were involved).  He would mentor anyone who wanted it, and many who didn’t.  If you wanted to talk basketball, it was best if you had a comfortable chair, because you would be there a while.  If you didn’t want him to share his unfiltered opinion, it was better not to engage him in conversation.  He had a sharp mind and a quick wit, and although his body faltered in the final days of his life, those qualities never did.

Bob is survived by his wife, Judy; two sons, John and Chris; and a sister, Bonnie Jo.

A private service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 9 at Zumbro Lutheran Church in Rochester, MN. The service will be live streamed and available for viewing after the service on the Zumbro Lutheran Church website at: https://zumbrolutheran.org/2021/02/04/13092/

In lieu of flowers or other recognitions, please consider a donation designated to the Alonzo Petteys Rehabilitation Center, East Morgan County Hospital at: http://emchfoundation.com/