Robert "Bob" Duane Venn

Robert "Bob" Venn, 89, passed away from lung cancer on January 4, 2025, in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, surrounded by his family. He was also an 8-year survivor of prostate cancer.

The vigil/rosary will be held at St Joseph’s Catholic Church on Monday, January 27, at 3:00 pm. The Mass of Christian Burial will be conducted at St Joseph’s on Tuesday, January 28, at 11:00 am. Father Rob Cook will be officiating.

Robert was born on April 23, 1935, in Glendive, Montana, to Lloyd and Isla Venn. He was raised on his family's farm just west of Lindsay, Montana, along with his older sister Donna Carver.

Bob and his sister rode their horses King and Candy every day to the local farm school until they moved to Glendive for high school. The horses knew their way to school so well that Bob would face backwards on his horse when it was snowing too heavily.

Bob graduated from Dawson County High School in 1954, and that is where he met his future wife, Dona Mae Hubbard.

Robert and Dona Mae were married on May 4, 1957, at the Sacred Heart Catholic church in Glendive. They were married 59 years before Dona Mae passed away from pancreatic cancer on August 9, 2016.

Robert and Dona Mae had five children (Randall, Deborah, Ronald, Rodney and Donette) whom they raised in Glendive, Butte and Missoula, Montana, from 1957 to 1989. After living in Missoula, Bob and Dona Mae also lived in Nashville, Tennessee, Maple Valley, Washington, and most recently Sandpoint, Idaho.

Wherever they called home, Bob and Dona Mae formed lasting friendships with so many people from their early days in eastern Montana through their retirement years in Washington and Idaho, plus every place in between while raising their family and running a business.

Bob is survived by his sister Donna, four children (Randall passed away March 26, 2024) and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Bob worked several jobs throughout his life. He was a Dispatcher for Montana Dakota Utilities in Glendive, and then a Superintendent for the Montana Power Company in Butte. Bob and Dona Mae owned and operated their own business, the All American Burger Bar, in Missoula from 1973 to 1986, where each of their kids and many of their friends worked while growing up. After that Bob worked as a Chief Engineer for the Sheraton Hotel in Missoula and later the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville. Bob also spent 20 years in the Army National Guard, retiring as a Sergeant First Class.

Bob and Dona Mae were tireless supporters of all their family's activities. They attended countless sporting events whether the games were played at home or away. Bob coached all three of his sons in baseball, winning the Missoula Senior Little League Championship twice. First in 1979 with his son Ronald and second in 1983 with his son Rodney. He also sponsored a Little League baseball team and a Little Grizzly football team while owning the All-American Burger Bar.

Bob enjoyed making wood furniture and other decorative items, plus restoring antique furniture and footlockers. He was very much a handy man, a trait he learned growing up on the farm, and he liked staying busy. For example, while visiting family in Houston, Bob completed a long list of home improvements within he first two days of arriving, even though he had more than a week to complete them.

His favorite hobby, though, was watching college football during the fall and winter seasons, more specifically the Alabama Crimson Tide. While living in Nashville, Bob and Dona Mae were able to attend several Alabama football games in person. The first time they attended a game in Birmingham, Alabama, they arrived three hours early before the gates even opened.

During retirement, Bob and Dona Mae enjoyed traveling across the country with their camper and pets to visit family and friends. They spent their 25th wedding anniversary in Hawaii, their 50th in Las Vegas, and several weeks visiting Norway, Italy (including the Vatican), France (including Normandy beach) and England in 2001. Other highlights include the Grand Canyon, Pacific Coast Highway, Glacier, Yellowstone, Black Hills, Smokey Mountains, Leavenworth, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Cincinnati, Houston, San Antonio, New Orleans and Atlanta.