Robert F Kropp

Robert F. “Bob” Kropp, 92, of Davenport, passed away on Sunday July 15, 2018 at his home. Memorial services in celebration of his life will be 10 AM Thursday July 19th at Weerts Funeral Home, Kimberly at Jersey Ridge Road, Davenport. Visitation will begin at 9 AM. Inurnment will be in the National Cemetery, Rock Island, Illinois. In Bob’s memory you may consider a donation to the Handicapped Development Center, Davenport.

Bob was born in 1925 in Winona, Minnesota to Carl and Hilda Kropp. He attended Winona State College for a brief period before entering the service in 1943, serving 2 ½ years with the Army Air Corps during WW II. While in the service he attended Washington State College and, upon his discharge from the service, he attended and graduated from the University of Minnesota with his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1948. On January 1, 1949 he married Dorothy Seifert in Winona. She preceded him in death July 28, 2014, after 65 years of wonderful marriage.

While at the University of Minnesota he served a one year term as president of the All University Athletic Council. Bob was also a member of Beta Theta Pi Fraternity and Sigma Delta Psi, honorary Athletic Fraternity.

He began his career in coal mining and sales with Walter Bledsoe & Co in 1949. He later became the Sales Manager of Truax-Traer Coal Company’s NW Division as well as General Manager of the Mississippi Docks, Inc. division, headquartered in Minneapolis. In 1962 he was invited back by Walter Bledsoe & Co to join them as VP of Sales at the Rock Island office. Now a division of Midland Electric Coal Corp and acquired by Peabody Coal Company in 1963, he was appointed VP of Sales in 1969, in charge of Peabody’s Chicago office as well as the Rock Island and Peoria offices. Upon the sale to American Smelting and Refining Company in 1970, he elected to remain in the Quad-Cities as VP of Sales for what became Midland Coal Company. He was named President of Midland Coal Company in 1976 and from which he retired in 1990.

In 1983, Dorothy and Bob purchased Boetje Foods, Inc. from Leon Wernentin. His son, Will, runs this famous mustard manufacturer as President. He enjoyed skiing, golf, tennis and was a 20 year jogger. His real passion was pheasant hunting. Bob estimated that in hunting for over 75 years in Minnesota, S. Dakota, Iowa and Illinois he had “saved” over 1,000 pheasants from “starvation.” His loyal companion Dori the cat brought him such joy in his final years.

Survivors include his daughter Wendy (Kevin) McDonagh of Davenport; son, William (Jane) Kropp of Moline, IL; and grandchildren, Megan, Robert, and Danny McDonagh and Whitney and Harrison Kropp. In addition to his wife, he was preceded in death by his parents, one sister and two brothers.

May his soul rest in peace.