Robert E. Grahn

He graduated from Indiana State University; taught industrial arts, first at Kokomo and then at New Harmony School for fifteen years; and worked at GE Plastics for twenty years. He was mechanically gifted, could fix almost anything, and was always prepared to do so with a number of small tools that he carried in his pockets. He left the classroom, but he never stopped teaching. At GE, he reduced volumes of technical jargon to step-by-step directions when the lines were computerized. His co-workers greatly appreciated his skill and dedication. He was honored with several awards and credited with one patent for reducing the appearance of ripples in a thermoplastic extruded film. Both as a teacher and GE employee, he was concerned with safety, and served for years on GE safety committees. He read extensively, retained and shared what he learned with others. He was a pragmatist, problem-solver and a friend to everyone, trying to alert drivers if a tire looked dangerously low. He accepted and dealt with whatever (health problems) came his way and loved his family more than anything.

After his son Andrew spent a week in the hospital for pneumonia, Robert donated an Atari to the children's unit. He thought that Deaconess needed a computer so the kids could play video games.

Robert fixed whatever was broken. He repaired the carpet at the Zoar sanctuary, where the choir director stands. It was frayed and ugly, and he used a scrap of leftover carpet to make it look much better. He did this in the last year, despite his failing health.

During his February 2011 stay at Deaconess, Robert repaired a latch on the closet door in room 5106 - so that the door would not hang ajar. He would drop everything to help his wife, his sister, and his children. He would stop to help people with car trouble, even on a rainy day with his family in the car.

Robert was preceded in death by his parents, Stephen and Marcile Grahn.

He is survived by his wife, Nancy (Wimpelberg) Grahn, of thirty-eight years; sons, Andrew Grahn of Troy, MO and James Grahn of West Lafayette, IN; sister, Ingrid Hauge (Sheldon) of Evansville; brother-in-law, Bill Wimpelberg (Karen) of Owensboro, KY; and niece, nephew and cousins by marriage.

Robert will be missed by friends at Zoar Church; longtime friends, Gene and Eileen Young of Chesterton, IN; godchildren, Charlotte Krupla and Ericka Carter; and namesake, Robert Eugene Krupla, born February 16, 2011, in Indianapolis.

Services will be 10:00 AM Tuesday, March 29, 2011, at Alexander West Chapel, officiated by Rev. Tom Ressler, with burial in Zoar United Church of Christ Cemetery. Friends may visit Monday from 2:00 to 8:00 PM at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Zoar U.C.C. Memorial Fund, 4600 Church Road, Evansville, IN 47720 or Posey Humane Society, 6500 Leonard Road, Mt. Vernon, IN 47620.