Robert Anthony Overn's Obituary
Robert Anthony Overn passed away peacefully at his home in Mount Dora, Florida on December 13th, 2022, two weeks after his 97th birthday. A memorial service will be held at Faith Lutheran Church (LCMS) in Eustis, Florida on Saturday, January 14th at 2pm, with internment at Faith following the service. In lieu of flowers, please send memorials to the charity of your choice. Online condolences can be left at Steverson, Hamlin & Hilbish funeral home in Tavares, FL: SteversonHamlinHilbish.com
Robert (Bob) Overn was born on November 30th, 1925 at St. John’s hospital in St. Paul, MN. He attended grade school at St. Stephanus School in St. Paul, attended high school at Concordia, also in St. Paul, where his father was a professor, and his senior year was spent at the University of Minnesota High School.
He was drafted into the US Navy on his 18th birthday (1943) but was deferred until he finished high school in June, 1944. He was sent by the Navy to Wright Jr. College in Chicago, and later to Oklahoma A&M to study advanced electronics and radar technology. After convalescing from a bout of diphtheria, he was sent to San Diego to join the Pacific Fleet. Two days after arriving in San Diego, the war ended, but he was sent to Guam nonetheless to join a team of technicians responsible for the care and repair of electronic and small electrical devices. Free time was spent jury-rigging hand-held cameras and building makeshift speedboats out of aircraft parts.
After two years of Navy life, Bob enrolled at Bethany Lutheran Jr. College in Mankato MN, where his sister Vivian was teaching. After graduation, he enrolled at the University of Minnesota with a major in Business and a minor in Art. He graduated in the Fall of 1950 with a degree in Liberal Arts from University College.
As a young professional, Bob worked for a variety of employers, including Ellerbe Architecture, where, among other things, he designed the “Kinechromatic Polariscope,” which projected images forming a living mural in the dining room of the St. Paul Hotel. Later, he worked for a time in Kansas City for U.S. Chemical and Supply Company, where he redesigned the Portomatic radiator flushing machine, reducing it from the size of a washing machine to a portable box.
Most of his professional life thereafter was spent with Honeywell, Inc. Early on, he was a field manager for the Honeywell Minuteman Environmental Control System Installation Projects in Minot, ND; Sedalia, MO; and Cheyenne, WY. For fifteen years he served as the Director of the Honeywell Professional Development Center in Bloomington, MN. There he trained salespeople, technicians and educators, writing curriculum used in both industry and in education. For twenty-two years he taught summer sessions at the Purdue University College of Industrial Engineering covering refrigeration, psychometric analysis, and electric and pneumatic control.
On September 5th, 1953, Bob married Lois Gallman at the Lutheran Student Center at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis in a ceremony conducted by Lois’ father, Dr. Lawrence Gallman. 2023 would have marked their 70th wedding anniversary.
Bob was generous and helpful with his time. He was a senior member of the Bloomington Rotary Club for fourteen years. He served as the President of the Minneapolis Lutheran High School Board of Regents. He also served twelve years on the Concordia College (St. Paul) Board of Regents.
Bob’s interest in music began at age three, when he was given a harmonica as a birthday present. His love of music lasted his entire life, and he played piano and organ, often at the same time with one hand on each keyboard. He even built his own Theremin (with selective sound) as well as a two-octave pan pipe made from glass tubing, and once accompanied services on the pipe organ for Mount Hope Lutheran Church in Bloomington, MN.
A vocal, life-long Christian, Bob has always been quite active in the church, at various times serving numerous congregations as President, Secretary, bookkeeper, and Treasurer. He possessed a deep knowledge of Theology and, amazingly, taught Bible classes continuously for sixty years.
In retirement, Bob and Lois moved to central Florida, where he continued or took on new hobbies, including radio-controlled model aviation, boating, and music.
Robert Overn was preceded in death by his parents, Oswald and Maybelle (Jenson) Overn, brother William, and sisters Vivian Hopmann and Esther Asmus. Survivors include his wife Lois (Gallman) Overn, sister Dorothy Randolph, and children Laura Revord, Kate Taylor, Michael, Steven, and Andrew. He was greatly loved and will be sorely missed.
What’s your fondest memory of Robert?
What’s a lesson you learned from Robert?
Share a story where Robert's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Robert you’ll never forget.
How did Robert make you smile?