Robert Frederick Rinken passed away April 28, 2026, surrounded by his loving family at Barthell Eastern Star Home, Decorah IA, after a brave fight against cancer.

Memorial Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, at St. Benedict Catholic Church, 307 West Main Street, Decorah, Iowa, with Rev. Donald Hertges presiding. There will be a lunch following the service. Burial will follow the lunch at St. Peters Cemetery in Clermont, Iowa.

Visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Monday, May 4, 2026, at Helms Funeral Homes, 306 E. Water Street, Decorah, Iowa. Rosary will begin at 3:30 p.m. There will be no visitation before the church service on Tuesday. Please come in and be seated.

In Lieu of flowers, memorials may go to the family in honor of Bob.

Robert (Bob) was born to Philip and Christine (Jauert) Rinken on April 11, 1941, in Decorah, and was baptized at Frances De Sales Catholic Church, Ossian, IA. He attended school in St. Aloysius in Calmar, IA, where he made his First Holy Communion. When his family purchased their farm near Ridgeway, IA, he then attended country elementary school and later high school in Ridgeway and graduated with the last graduating class in 1959.

Bob married Bonnie Kelly on July 27, 1963, at Clermont, IA. They were one of the many couples who met at Matter’s Ballroom in rural Decorah.

Bob owned his own milk route and hauled can milk for 13 years. He bought another truck and began trucking and working for Camcar-Textron (later named Stanley) for 34 years, retiring in 2011. For around 30 years, he worked part-time on the Rolf Craft farm. He was also a good shepherd to his own flock of “Canoe Creek Sheep.” He and his faithful Great Pyrenees dog “Grouchy,” worked so well together and kept the coyotes away.

In his retirement, he volunteered at St. Benedict’s Catholic Church with the Funeral Crew, faithfully washing dishes. He delivered Meals on Wheels and volunteered with the Retired Seniors Volunteer Program (RSVP). He was a long-time member of the Knights of Columbus.

Bob enjoyed hunting with his family and friends for raccoons, turkeys, and most of all deer. He loved to relive his hunting experiences through storytelling and enjoyed watching deer through his trail cam. Woodworking and “cobbling up things” were his specialties. He was a lifelong fan of his beloved Vikings and Cubs. In recent years, he and Bonnie enjoyed watching the Iowa Women’s Basketball Team and the Indiana Fever. But most of all, Bob enjoyed the time spent with family and keeping up with his kids’ and grandkids’ activities.

Bob was Bonnie’s quilting assistant, which he enjoyed in many ways, the best of which was when he would take Bonnie’s, as well as her friends’ fabric scraps and make them into dog and cat beds for local animal shelters.

Bob organized several bus trips, but the highlight was in October 1979 when he organized a bus trip to see Pope John Paul II in Des Moines, IA. All four of his children made this a memorable trip, wearing sweaters Bonnie knitted for them.

Bob is survived by his wife Bonnie, children Annette Rinken, Decorah, IA; Dean (Jen) Rinken, Urbandale, IA; Joan (Lynn) Whipple, Pleasant Hill, IA and William (Amy) Rinken, Stewartville, MN. Grandchildren Tyler Rinken, Becca (Doug) Dimig, Reese Rinken, Katy Rinken, Emily (Kohlten DotyDavitt) Rinken, Addison Whipple and Ella Rinken; and great grandsons Robert Rinken Dimig, Rowan Dimig and soon to be born Dimig twin great grandchildren. Bob is also survived by his brother Kenny (Shirley) Rinken, sister-in-law Jeanne (Mike) Casterton, brother-in-law Jerry (Deb) Kelly, sister-in-law Sandy Rinken, his brother-in-law Vernon Oakland and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his son David in 1965, his granddaughter Ashlyn Whipple in 2008, and his great granddaughter Sunny Dimig in 2025. He was also preceded in death by his parents Philip and Christine Rinken, his brothers LaVerne Rinken, Gerald Rinken, and sister Marie (Jim) Neelans, niece Jeannie Nelson, his sister-in-law Inez Oakland, and his great nephew Isaiah Neelans.