Robert "Bob" Drum

Bob passed away on Thursday, March 12, 2026, at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, at the age of 82.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Lost Island Protective Association (LIPA) or to American Legion Post #33 - Ruthven, Iowa.

Cards and condolences may be mailed in care of Bob Drum to this address: 3354 320th Street, Ruthven, Iowa 51358.

VISITATION
Friday, March 27, 2026
4:00 - 7:00 PM
Zion Lutheran Church
Ruthven, Iowa

SERVICE
Saturday, March 28, 2026
10:30 AM
Zion Lutheran Church
Ruthven, Iowa

CLERGY
Rev. Ben Unseth

BURIAL
Crown Hill Cemetery
Ruthven, Iowa
To be held at a later date.

Robert “Bob” Howard Drum age 82, of Ruthven, Iowa (formerly of Wells, MN) passed away at Avera McKenna hospital in Sioux Falls, SD on March 12, 2026 surrounded by his family.

Bob was born September 13,1943 in Owatonna, MN to Harry and Dorothy (Penney) Drum. As a young boy, Bob and his family moved to Ruthven, IA, where he lived until graduating from Ruthven High School in 1961. He attended Mankato State University before joining the United States Army in 1967. Bob attended boot camp and advanced individual training at Ft. Lenord Wood before going on to Officer Candidate School and Airborne School at Ft. Benning. He went on to Ft. Bragg and the Special Forces Qualification Course where he earned his Green Beret. Bob did a tour in Vietnam from October1968-October 1969 where he earned a Bronze Star.

Upon returning to the United States, Bob moved to Wells, MN, after getting a job with Wells Concrete Products, where he worked for 55 years. Bob started with Wells Concrete as an engineer on an erection crew, worked his way up to Ready Mix Plant Manager, where he decided to paint all the cement trucks orange and yellow so they could be seen from the road while pouring concrete out in the country and eventually being elected to the Executive Board of the company.

Bob married his wife Nancy on February 24, 1984, at the United Methodist Church in Wells, Minnesota. Upon Bob’s pseudo retirement in 2007, the couple moved back to Bob’s hometown of Ruthven because the pheasant hunting season was longer in Iowa than it was in Minnesota. Together, they built what Bob called his “Hunting Shack,” on Lost Island Lake.

He was a born storyteller. He loved to tell stories about his life adventures, everything from the crazy antics he got up to with his brother while growing up, to shooting deer out of a helicopter over the jungle of Vietnam. When Bob started telling stories you never knew what you were going to get. As crazy as his stories were, his family can attest that they were true.

Bob enjoyed being outside in nature whether walking the fields hunting pheasants, being on the lake, feeding the birds or enjoying his coffee on the front porch while watching the sunrise. When the weather turned colder and hunting season was over, you could find Bob in his chair watching football, basketball or Gunsmoke reruns with a dog at his feet.

He was a member of Zion Lutheran Church in Ruthven, the same church he had been confirmed in as a boy. He was a lifetime member of the VFW serving as a Commander of the VFW in Wells. He was also a lifetime member of the American Legion and Disabled Veterans of America. He was a member of Pheasants Forever and the NRA as well as the Lost Island Protective Association (LIPA).

Bob will be lovingly remembered by his daughters, Amy (Jay) Voorhees of Rosemount, Minnesota, Bobbi Jo (Chris) Drum of Portland, OR and Tammy (Kyle) Krieger of Terril, Iowa: eight grandchildren, Grace, Justin and Matthew Voorhees, Elle, Ava and Ana Kubiacyzk and Adrianna and Jonathon Krieger; sisters, Catherine (Joe) Botos of Georgetown, TX, Deanna (Nat) Natarajan of Coeur d’Alene, ID and brother, Richard Neil Drum of Mesa, AZ, his hunting partner and shadow Gabby Drum, many nieces, nephews and friends who were like family.

He was proceeded in death by his wife, Nancy, his parents Harry and Dorothy Drum, his niece Jaya, and many special hunting dogs.

Arrangements by Geelan Funeral Home