Robert (Bob) Eugene DeMaris, 66, passed away unexpectedly at his home in Victoria, Minnesota, on November 15, 2025.

Bob was born on November 26, 1958, in Babbitt, MN, to Bert and Leona DeMaris. Growing up on the Iron Range, he was the eldest of five siblings.

From the beginning, Bob was busy, rarely still, and always involved in something that brought him joy. Growing up in Babbitt, he played just about every sport he could get his hands on, excelling in baseball, football, golf, and even enjoying a brief (and often retold) stint in cheerleading as an “Vermillion Community College Bleacher Creature.” In 1976, he pitched the Babbitt Knights to a Division A State Baseball Championship—an event that many Iron Range families may still celebrate with fireworks, parades, and if you’re from Sleepy Eye, curses muttered under their breath.

Bob enlisted in the Army in 1983 and served as a Military Police officer in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. He cherished his time abroad, summiting peaks from Garmisch to Mittenwald and forging lifelong friendships he spoke of with deep fondness.

He met the love of his life, Cathie Harker DeMaris, in 1979. They married in 1985, and she joined him in Germany, beginning a partnership grounded in devotion, good humor, and the kind of teamwork that makes a household a home. They moved back to Minnesota, and together raised their two children, Benjamin and Emma in Victoria, MN. He was a proud dad and relished every moment of fatherhood, except when he needed to step into his alter ego “Mommy D” to give Cathie a well-deserved break. When it came to Emma, he never missed a performance if he could help it; always the loudest cheerer in the audience at every theatre production, dance recital, or curtain call, beaming with the kind of pride only a dad in a too-loud shirt can pull off. He proudly coached Benjamin in sports and passed on his passion for umpiring, a gift to both his son and youth baseball diamonds across Minnesota. His greatest joy in recent years was becoming “Grandpa Bob” to Sylvia and Oskar, a title he wore with more pride than any other.

Bob worked many jobs throughout his life, including Piggly Wiggly, SUPERVALU, the Lester Prairie Market and Deli, and Cub Foods. But his dreamer’s heart led him to chase the microphone as a stand-up comedian. In the mid-2000s, he competed in KQRS’s Laugh with Louie Anderson contest and made the finals, proving once and for all that his terrible sense of humor was, occasionally, excellent. Through comedy, he met extraordinary performers from all walks of life—including Louie Anderson, Fancy Ray McCloney, and Scott Hansen—and formed lifelong friendships. As the founder of Bob’s Comedy Bunker, he became the kind, slightly eccentric uncle of the Minneapolis comedy scene, welcoming newcomers, encouraging nervous first-timers, and reminding everyone that laughter really is good for the soul.

Bob’s faith was the steady foundation of his life. Baptized at Good Shepherd Church in Babbitt on May 26, 1963, he remained a devoted Lutheran throughout his life, frequently serving as a scripture reader and Elder at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Chaska, MN.

Bob’s truest ministry was expressed the way he showed love best: through food.

For more than a decade, he volunteered with Loaves and Fishes, cooking food every third Wednesday of the month without fail. His legendary pulled chicken drew the highest attendance. He also cooked “soup” dinners throughout many Advent and Lent seasons and, every Thanksgiving for many years, roasted an average of 28 turkeys to ensure that anyone who needed a warm meal would have one at St. John’s in Chaska. Feeding people wasn’t a chore to Bob—it was an honor, a joy, and a calling.

To know Bob was to know his humor. He was recognized instantly by his warm smile, his slightly-left-of-appropriate jokes, and his unwavering mission to brighten someone’s day. He was fiercely positive, endlessly generous, and always willing to go above and beyond for anyone: family, friend, or stranger.

Bob is preceded in death by his parents, Bert and Leona, and his infant brother, Kurt.

He is survived by his wife Cathie; son Benjamin (Meghan) DeMaris; daughter Emma (Gabriel) Stevens; siblings Bruce, Darrell, and Renee; hundreds of cousins; grandchildren Sylvia and Oskar DeMaris; and his beloved dogs, Ginger and Sookie.

Whenever Bob ended a phone call or text, he usually signed off with:

“Be good. Have fun. Bye for now.”

“For now” brings comfort today. While his passing was sudden, his family holds tight to the faith that they will see him again. As he once wrote upon the loss of a dear friend:

“Life is precious. Death is certain. God has promised to take care of us forever… just not here.”

Be good. Have fun. Bye for now, Bob.

A funeral will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church (417 Oak St, Carver, MN 55315) on November 22, 2025 at 2:00pm with visitation at 1:00pm, a reception to follow with light refreshments. Memorials are preferred.

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