Robert Sherman Nebel

Robert Sherman Nebel
May 4, 1916 ~ October 8, 2016

Bob Nebel passed away Saturday, October 8th, at Tendercare Health Center at the age of 100. His wife, Dorothy was by his side.

Though Bob was raised in Gladstone, MI he was born in Munising to Howard and Mae (O’Boyle) Nebel, at the O’Boyle home in Brown’s Addition. He moved to Munising after high school and remained there for the rest of his life. In 1939 he married Dorothy Spencer. They would have celebrated 77 years of marriage on October 14th.

Bob served in the Navy on Minesweeper YMS-44 in the South Atlantic during World War II. When he returned home he started his own construction business, which eventually became Nebel Building & Supply Company.

In the mid-1950s Bob designed and built a summer home on Moccasin Lake which became their year-round residence in 1968. The door was always open at Camp and they were visited by hundreds of relatives, friends, and new acquaintances over the years.

After Bob and Dorothy sold their business and retired, they moved into town where Bob built himself a state-of-the-art woodworking shop. He spent many eight-hour days there creating wonderful things out of wood, generously sharing them with friends and family.

Bob will be fondly remembered for many things. Among them are his disciplined work ethic, his sterling integrity, his abiding passions for the Green Bay Packers, spice cake, and chocolate-covered cherries, his steadfast commitment and love for his wife, his unexpected, whimsical sense of humor, and his gentle and open nature. He loved his family and not just his immediate family, but every aunt, uncle, cousin, niece, nephew, all of his in-laws, and a number of friends who became family.

We are grateful that he was blessed with 100 years of life on this Earth, and still somehow, it doesn’t seem like enough.

Bob is survived by his wife, Dorothy, and his sons, Stephen Nebel, of Munising, Spencer and his wife, Angela Nebel, of Newport, Oregon, daughters, Shelley Nebel and Shirley Phillips both of Keizer, Oregon, granddaughters, Liz and husband, Mark Beckman of Marquette, Marie and husband, Doug Schwalm of Normal, Illinois, great-grandchildren, Douglas, Jonathon and Laura Beckman and Gabrielle and Robert Schwalm, and daughter-in-law, Marlene Nebel of Anchorage, Alaska. He is also survived by his sister, Nan O’Hara of Sacramento, California, and many cousins, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his son, Sherm in 1999, as well as his sisters, Katherine “Eileen” Price and Patricia Wagner.

Services for Bob will be held at the Bowerman Funeral Home on Thursday, October 13, 2016.  Visiting time with family and friends will be from 4:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.  At 7:00 p.m. the American Legion and Vietnam Veterans Honor Guard will conduct military honors and Pastor Paul Kelto will conduct Bob’s memorial service following the military honors.  Private interment will be at the Maple Grove Cemetery in Munising at a later date.

Memorial donations may be made to American Legion, Roderick Prato Post 131 or Munising United Methodist Church.

Bob’s family would like to thank the staff at Tendercare who took such loving and tender care of him for the seven years that he lived there. It was a comfort to know that he was in such good hands.