Robert "Bob" Edward Koler
July 2, 1947 — January 18, 2017
About Bob Koler
by Anita Koler
Bob was as beautiful on the inside as he was on the outside. I would never have believed that such a good man could exist.
We met at Grace Fellowship Church. Bob told me that he asked God to choose a wife for him this time (this was the third marriage for both of us). He said God had a sense of humor in that God choose another Polack for him that says Y'all. Bob was Polish and so am I; He was from Chicago and I'm from Alabama. I believe God was guiding both of us. We would have been married 14 years the 22nd of this month.
All of us saw something special in Bob. He was fun, playful, romantic and loving and always affectionate.
One of the many romantic things he did was to take me to Delray Beach to watch the moon rise. We climbed up on a lifeguard stand, cuddled and watched the moon rise. We had the beach all to ourselves.
He once wrote these words that defined how he lived his life:
-if what you have is all you see then all you see is all you will have.
-My goal is God Himself, not joy, nor peace, not even blessing but Himself, my God!
We have between us 2 daughters and 5 grandchildren. We each have one daughter from a previous marriage. My Anna has two girls, Kate (age 13) and Audrey (age 10). His Liana has 3 boys: Twins Brando and Buchannan (age 6), and Santiago (nickname Sonny - age 2 and a half).
I got to know a number of his childhood friends during trips to Chicago. I called one of them to let her know of his death and ask her to spread the word to other friends. She told me that Bob had always been sweet but he was even sweeter since he began to focus on the Lord.
As a teenager he was an Andy Frain usher at Wrigley field where he became a lifelong Cubs fan . When he was older he enjoyed going to hockey games especially with his sister who was a Chicago Blackhawk super fan.
In high school he played baseball, football and basketball. Although he played all of these well, his passion when it came to sports was basketball. He played in neighborhood games and on his team at Weber High School. He told me he continued playing in neighborhood leagues into his forties, when his aging body finally put an end to all that.
Bob got me interested in watching sports with him; he patiently explained the rules of each sport which made it fun. He, in turn, became passionate about things I loved. We visited several botanical gardens and we enjoyed our yard, loving each individual plant and all the birds.
He joined the marines in 1967 and stayed in for 2 years during which time he did a tour in Viet nam. His time in the marines was important and meaningful to him. In Vietnam he was wounded for which he was awarded a purple heart along with other metals for his service to his country.
When he got out of the service, he went to college in Raleigh, N.C. but didn't continue for a degree because he didn't know what he wanted to do for a living. He said to me he may have been a financial advisor if he had to choose a career over again. I think he chose exactly what he wanted to do because he was so, so good at working with his hands. He worked as a union painter in Chicago until his late thirties. He moved to Florida because he was tired of Chicago's harsh weather. Here he worked with paint, wallpaper and remodeling, which is what he was doing when we met. He planned to retire at age 70. God had another plan.
During his last six months He endured many painful and uncomfortable moments yet he never complained or felt sorry for himself. He was the same loving, smiling Bob until he took his last breath.
Bob's strong faith and his close personal relationship with God was always the source of his strength and attitude which never ceased to amaze me.
This scripture sums up Bobs live in the Lord:
2 Timothy 4 vs 7:8
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me-the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.
These days I often turn to this scripture for comfort:
2 Corinthians 4 vs 7:8
But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
In addition to studying the Bible Bob read many Christian books. Two of his favorite authors were A.W.Tozer and Andrew Murray. His daily devotional was My Utmost for his Highest, written by Oswald Chambers.
This is a quote from The Pursuit Of God , the Tozer book Bob was reading when he died:
"We are often hindered from giving up our treasures to the Lord out of fear for their safety; this is especially true when those treasures are loved relatives and friends. But we need have no such fears. Our Lord came not to destroy but to save. Everything is safe when we commit to Him, and nothing is really safe which is not so committed."
I read the book following Bob's death. I intend to read many more of Bob's books. I didn't realize until now how inspiring they are.
A Memorial Service was held Saturday, February 4, 2017 at 10:00 at Scobee-Combs-Bowden Funeral Home, corner of US Highway #1 & NE 15th Avenue, Boynton Beach. The Committal Service with Military Honors will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, February 10, 2017 at the South Florida National Cemetery, 6501 South State Road #7, Lake Worth, Florida, Lane #5. In lieu of flowers, those who wish may make contributions to Samaritan's Purse International Relief, P.O. Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607 www.samaritanspurse.org . in Bob's memory.
by Anita Koler
Bob was as beautiful on the inside as he was on the outside. I would never have believed that such a good man could exist.
We met at Grace Fellowship Church. Bob told me that he asked God to choose a wife for him this time (this was the third marriage for both of us). He said God had a sense of humor in that God choose another Polack for him that says Y'all. Bob was Polish and so am I; He was from Chicago and I'm from Alabama. I believe God was guiding both of us. We would have been married 14 years the 22nd of this month.
All of us saw something special in Bob. He was fun, playful, romantic and loving and always affectionate.
One of the many romantic things he did was to take me to Delray Beach to watch the moon rise. We climbed up on a lifeguard stand, cuddled and watched the moon rise. We had the beach all to ourselves.
He once wrote these words that defined how he lived his life:
-if what you have is all you see then all you see is all you will have.
-My goal is God Himself, not joy, nor peace, not even blessing but Himself, my God!
We have between us 2 daughters and 5 grandchildren. We each have one daughter from a previous marriage. My Anna has two girls, Kate (age 13) and Audrey (age 10). His Liana has 3 boys: Twins Brando and Buchannan (age 6), and Santiago (nickname Sonny - age 2 and a half).
I got to know a number of his childhood friends during trips to Chicago. I called one of them to let her know of his death and ask her to spread the word to other friends. She told me that Bob had always been sweet but he was even sweeter since he began to focus on the Lord.
As a teenager he was an Andy Frain usher at Wrigley field where he became a lifelong Cubs fan . When he was older he enjoyed going to hockey games especially with his sister who was a Chicago Blackhawk super fan.
In high school he played baseball, football and basketball. Although he played all of these well, his passion when it came to sports was basketball. He played in neighborhood games and on his team at Weber High School. He told me he continued playing in neighborhood leagues into his forties, when his aging body finally put an end to all that.
Bob got me interested in watching sports with him; he patiently explained the rules of each sport which made it fun. He, in turn, became passionate about things I loved. We visited several botanical gardens and we enjoyed our yard, loving each individual plant and all the birds.
He joined the marines in 1967 and stayed in for 2 years during which time he did a tour in Viet nam. His time in the marines was important and meaningful to him. In Vietnam he was wounded for which he was awarded a purple heart along with other metals for his service to his country.
When he got out of the service, he went to college in Raleigh, N.C. but didn't continue for a degree because he didn't know what he wanted to do for a living. He said to me he may have been a financial advisor if he had to choose a career over again. I think he chose exactly what he wanted to do because he was so, so good at working with his hands. He worked as a union painter in Chicago until his late thirties. He moved to Florida because he was tired of Chicago's harsh weather. Here he worked with paint, wallpaper and remodeling, which is what he was doing when we met. He planned to retire at age 70. God had another plan.
During his last six months He endured many painful and uncomfortable moments yet he never complained or felt sorry for himself. He was the same loving, smiling Bob until he took his last breath.
Bob's strong faith and his close personal relationship with God was always the source of his strength and attitude which never ceased to amaze me.
This scripture sums up Bobs live in the Lord:
2 Timothy 4 vs 7:8
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me-the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.
These days I often turn to this scripture for comfort:
2 Corinthians 4 vs 7:8
But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
In addition to studying the Bible Bob read many Christian books. Two of his favorite authors were A.W.Tozer and Andrew Murray. His daily devotional was My Utmost for his Highest, written by Oswald Chambers.
This is a quote from The Pursuit Of God , the Tozer book Bob was reading when he died:
"We are often hindered from giving up our treasures to the Lord out of fear for their safety; this is especially true when those treasures are loved relatives and friends. But we need have no such fears. Our Lord came not to destroy but to save. Everything is safe when we commit to Him, and nothing is really safe which is not so committed."
I read the book following Bob's death. I intend to read many more of Bob's books. I didn't realize until now how inspiring they are.
A Memorial Service was held Saturday, February 4, 2017 at 10:00 at Scobee-Combs-Bowden Funeral Home, corner of US Highway #1 & NE 15th Avenue, Boynton Beach. The Committal Service with Military Honors will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, February 10, 2017 at the South Florida National Cemetery, 6501 South State Road #7, Lake Worth, Florida, Lane #5. In lieu of flowers, those who wish may make contributions to Samaritan's Purse International Relief, P.O. Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607 www.samaritanspurse.org . in Bob's memory.
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