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Obituary for Robert Francis Nowels
Robert Francis Nowels, WWII Veteran, age 97, passed away December 25, 2019 in Brighton, Michigan. We lost an amazing husband, father, papa, brother, uncle, friend, veteran and idol. Robert was born November 14, 1922 in Green City, Sullivan County, Missouri to Annie Mary Pate Clelland and Addison Nowels.
As a boy, Robert loved farming, riding horses and raising livestock. Robert served his country in the U.S. Army during WWII as a Tech Sergeant building communication towers and power lines for the South Pacific and Japan.
On November 24, 1951 Robert married Audrey Jane Rocque and started their family of three children in Farmington,Michigan. He loved hunting and spent many birthdays, including his 97th birthday, at the hunting lodge he co-founded (the Hot Dog Lodge) in Marquette, Michigan.
In 1979, Robert and Audrey left Michigan to spend the next 32 years near Dallas, Texas. In 1991 he retired from Trencor-Jetco where he built heavy equipment and traveled the world with the machines.
After retirement, Robert and Audrey enjoyed traveling in their 5th wheel RV through every state in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, often stopping at race tracks and casinos. In 2011, they returned to their home town of Brighton, Michigan.
Robert was a lifetime member of the VFW and American Legion. His family enjoys visiting Greenfield Village to see the elementary school house where he fell on the brick fireplace and cracked his head open as a child. Everyone loved to hear the countless stories of life from WWII service, farming, hauling cars, tracking his dogs that would run away to neighbor Henry Ford's property, building the family homes and pool, his failed attempt at being a car salesman because he was honest and told his customer he would never own that car and his many travels around the world to name a few topics. Robert was an exceptional mechanic that could fix or build anything. He was a jack of all trades and master at all!
Surviving are Audrey, his wife of 68 years and brother Conrad Wayne Nowels; children Michael (Donna) Nowels, Rebecca (Mark) Lybrink and Joanne (Christoph) Zlydnik; 7 grandchildren - Aaron (Sharla) Nowels, Rhonda (David) Ochoa, Christian (Heather) Nowels, Christopher Nowels, Jennifer (David) DeGrandchamp, Lindsay (Joe) Bofenkamp and Cole Schnurbusch; 20 great grandchildren; his first great great grandchild due in 2 weeks; and his extended family Joanne Morales, Jacque Farley, Russell Byrum and Tom Schnurbusch. He also has many nieces, nephews and close friends he loved dearly.
Robert is preceded in death by his parents, two sisters and brother-in-laws, Doris and Robert Lynch and Margaret and Ralph Yoder; and sister-in-law, Judy Nowels.
Robert was an extraordinary person, respected and loved by everyone that knew him. We will miss him.
Family and friends are welcome for visitation Sunday, December 29th from 2:00-6:00 pm and the funeral Monday, December 30th at 12:00 Noon at Lynch & Sons Funeral Home in Brighton, Michigan. Military service to follow at Fairview Cemetery also in Brighton.
Memorial contributions, in Robert's name, to St. Jude's, Shriners Children's Hospital or Wounded Warriors are greatly appreciated.
For further information please phone 810-229-2905.
