Robert C. Jannsen, 89, of Michigan City, IN, died peacefully Monday, Dec. 5, 2016, due to age-related complications.
He was born Nov. 25, 1927, in Chicago to Gertrude and Cecil Jannsen, and was the eldest of four children. He spent his childhood in Chicago but the family moved to a farm in Rolling Prairie, IN, in 1939. This farm was to become the home of his heart, though he loved his time in Chicago with his young family.
Robert graduated high school in 1945 and married Phyllis Jannsen, then moved back to Chicago where he worked as a stationary engineer in the laundry business. He retired to the farm in 1998 and lived there until 2014, when he needed to move into assisted living.
His reputation for excellence and hard work was legendary. His legacy to his children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews was integrity of word and deed, as well as his strong work ethic. Family was everything to him and he demonstrated it over and over again to all who were blessed to have been part of his life. We all stepped into his legacy and to honor him is to find meaningful work in this life.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Phyllis, who died in 2005, and his daughter, Dawn, who died in 2013.
He is survived by his daughter, Roberta, and her two sons, Eric and Andrew Deubel of Oak Park, IL; his son, John, and his wife Beth of Beverly Shores, IN, and their son, Brett (Ana), and daughter, Jennifer (Troy); and granddaughters, Denise (Greg) and Heather by his deceased daughter Dawn. He has eight great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his beloved sister, Lorie Stapler, and brother David (Judy), and six nieces and nephews.
A memorial service in Robert’s honor will be held at Haverstock Funeral Home, LaPorte, on Saturday, Jan. 7, at 1 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to American Farmland Trust, c/o Memorial Giving, 1150 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 600, Washington, D.C. 20036 or www.farmland.org/MemorialGift.
Messages of condolence may be posted below on WNLP as well as at www.haverstockfuneralhome.com.