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In memory of

Robert (H. Robert) Lundeen

Idaho Falls, ID, USA

April 3, 1942 - March 27, 2018

Apr 3, 1942 - Mar 27, 2018

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Howard Robert “Bob” Lundeen, age 75, passed away from complications related to Alzheimer’s disease on March 27, 2018, at Gloria Dei Memory Care at the Park in Huntingdon Valley, PA.

A funeral service will be held at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Altona, Illinois, Bob’s hometown, on Saturday, April 7th, 2018, at 11:00 a.m. Burial will take place in the Altona Cemetery immediately following the service. A lunch will be provided by the church after the burial. Visitation will be held from 10:00-11:00 a.m. at the church on Saturday, April 7th, just prior to the service. Donations may be made in Bob’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association, the Immanuel Lutheran Church, or the Ransom Memorial Public Library, Altona, Illinois.

For those local to PA, a small gathering will be held in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, April 3, 2018 (Bob’s birthday) at 7:00 p.m. at the home of Chris Lundeen and Cindy Marselis-Lundeen at Overlook Farms 2320 Edge Hill Road in Huntingdon Valley PA, 19006. Friends and family are invited to join the Lundeens to share their memories of Bob.

Bob is survived by his sons, Christopher Carlton Lundeen and his wife Cindy of Huntingdon Valley, PA and Dr. Gregory Andrew Lundeen and his wife Kim of Reno, NV; three grandchildren, Flynn, Bowen, and Kathryn Lundeen, his sister Lori Lundeen-Smith and her husband Ronald Smith, his niece Judy Crystal, his nephew Michael Lundeen and his wife Chery, his prior wife, Judy Lundeen Campen and prior sister-in-law Jill Varns and Pat Newell, as well as several cousins. Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Irving and Frances Lundeen and his brother, Harlan Lundeen.

Bob was born on April 3, 1942 in Galesburg, Illinois. He grew up on his family’s farm, now Lundeen Farms, in rural Altona, Illinois, attended Altona Grade School and graduated from ROVA High School in Oneida, Illinois in 1960. He played trombone in the band throughout his high school career, and particularly enjoyed performing in a Dixieland jazz group. He was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church and the Luther League, the Future Farmers of America, and the 4-H, raising sheep as a project. Upon graduating from high school, he attended Augustana College for a short time, then pursued a degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Bob’s first engineering position following graduation from the U of I was with the Bendix Corporation in Davenport, Iowa. While there, he worked on projects that supported the NASA space missions. In 1973, Bob moved his family from Davenport to Idaho Falls, Idaho to work at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (now INL) and he remained there as a Project Manager until he retired, after 38 years. One major responsibility Bob held revolved around his specialization in the operation of nuclear powered submarines at the INL. In this role, he trained US Navy officers, both at the INL and on Naval submarines. Bob’s meticulous work and ground-breaking concepts throughout his career as an engineer resulted in patents from the U.S. Patent Office.

Bob loved the NASA space program and its various missions; camping in the Teton Range of the Rocky Mountains; collecting coins; restoring his 1972 Pontiac Grandville Bonneville convertible; researching the history and Swedish genealogy of Altona, Illinois; supporting his beloved hometown Altona library; researching the history of Overlook Farms; and listening to music, particularly Willie Nelson.

Bob’s happiest times were returning to Lundeen Farms; following the many accomplishments and adventures of his precious sons, Chris and Gregg, and their families; and “jabbering” with his sister Lori, his brother Harlan, and nephew Mike, and many other family members and friends. In May of 2014, Bob moved to Overlook Farms in Pennsylvania to live with Chris, Cindy, and Katie, and helped raise their menagerie, including sheep, goats, chickens, dogs, and cats, before relocating to Gloria Dei Park Assisted Living and then Memory Care.

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