Robert J Schweers

Memorial services for Bob and Kay Schweers will be on Friday, February 28, 2025 at Ankeny First United Methodist Church, 206 SW Walnut Street. A visitation will be held from 1-3 p.m., with a service at 3 p.m., and reception to follow. Bob and Kay did everything together, for as long as they were able, and it is fitting they completed their earthly journey together as well.

Bob was born January 19, 1941 in Burlington, IA, to Mary and William Schweers. He graduated from Burlington High School in 1959, and in 1967 married Kay Norris. They had two sons, Rob (Maria) of Ankeny, IA, and Eric (Elizabeth) of Belleville, MI.

Bob was a career firefighter, working from 1962 to 1986, and then worked at McDonald’s, Hy-Vee, and as a custodian at Area Education Agency #16 before retiring for good in 1994.

Like many firefighters past and present, Bob worked side jobs on his days off, including as a telephone booth cleaner, an exterminator, and cement finisher. His stint with the phone company led to the installation of a wooden booth in the basement of their home on Dehn Street in Burlington, where Rob and Eric would quietly talk on the phone with their girlfriends while hoping no one picked up the handset upstairs.

Bob’s work ethic provided the margin of comfort for their middle class home. He and Kay wanted to make sure their kids had an easier life, went to college, and launched successfully into adulthood. It could also be they wanted to make sure their kids didn’t move back into the house!

Bob was also a prolific baker, famous for pies with made-from-scratch crust true to the family recipe, cookies, and the moistest pumpkin bread west of the Mississippi. He rarely used a recipe, and was not afraid to experiment, as his occasional hockey pucks would attest.

Bob was never one to coach his kids but was always the loudest voice in the stands (especially for his grandchildren). And while many of us strive for more in every aspect of our lives, Bob was content, and “tickled” by the success of his family. This general satisfaction with life continued to his death, even after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, and spent the last two years of his life in a memory care facility.

Bob is survived by his sons; four grandchildren, Nate (Lyndsay) Schweers and Anna Schweers of Ankeny, Courtney (Stephen) Roach of Cincinnati, OH, and Andy Schweers of Chicago; and three great grandchildren, Georgia and Lennyn Schweers of Ankeny, and Eliana Roach of Cincinnati. He is also survived by a twin brother, William Schweers of Ridgefield, WA, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his wife, parents, and a sister, Sherry Schweers Morse, of Burlington.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Ankeny First United Methodist Church, Families Forward in Des Moines, or the Alzheimer’s Association – Iowa Chapter.

And if you would really like to make Bob happy, drop off a couple dozen cookies at your neighborhood fire station.