Robert Lynn Furnal, 59, of Babbitt, Minnesota, passed away Tuesday, February 1st, at St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth, Minnesota.
Funeral service will be held at 6:00 P.M. on Tuesday, February 8, 2022 at Rising Sun Church of Christ, 6390 NE Rising Sun Dr., Pleasant Hill, Iowa. Visitation will be held from 4:00 P.M. until 6:00 P.M. on Tuesday at the church. Cremation will take place following the funeral service.
Rob was born September 3, 1962, to Bob and Sandy Furnal in Des Moines, Iowa, on Labor Day; his mother left a tractor pull competition to give birth to him. He was raised on the family farm outside Hartford, Iowa, and attended Carlisle High School. A talented wrestler and football player, Rob graduated with the class of 1980.
He never stopped missing the farm and recalled fondly the smell of Iowa black dirt as he drove an International tractor through a field. Childhood weekends were spent on the tractor pull circuit with his parents. Their family vacations included an annual trip to Cutaway Lake near Bovey, Minnesota, where he first learned to catch walleyes and spent countless hours trolling for northern pike with his Grandpa Furnal. They camped for the duration of the Iowa State Fair every year where Rob and his older brother would spend all their hard-earned money from helping out on neighboring farms.
After high school, Rob briefly attended Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Missouri, and then married high school classmate Lisa McElwee. They were blessed with three children who Rob was so proud of: Joshua, Megan, and Andrew. Rob drove truck for many years to follow, first hauling grain for his parents’ company, Furnal Truck Line, and later delivering milk for Prairie Farms Dairy, delivering mail for Contract Transport, and hauling freight for USF Dugan and Carter & Sons.
Rob was a member of Rising Sun Church of Christ where he married Kathryn Schettler in 2003. He worked as a dispatcher for Artistic Waste Services and later as a bus driver and warehouse manager for the Indianola School District.
In 2005, Rob and Katie moved to Ely, Minnesota, so they could spend more time fishing for walleyes. He worked for various companies on the Iron Range including Ferrellgas, Merhar’s Ace Hardware, Edwards Oil, G Men, Blomberg Oil, Warren Johnson Logging, Zup’s Trucking, Range LP, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota. Between delivering fuel oil, propane, and hauling solid waste, he knew nearly every old logging road in the Ely/Babbitt area. They relocated to Babbitt, Minnesota, in 2010 and purchased the local laundromat. You would almost always find Rob and Katie together, usually working on a DIY project at home or fixing equipment at the laundry.
Rob will be remembered for his unique laugh and his love for laughing. He enjoyed the call of the loon, the smell of lilacs in spring, hummingbirds on his feeders, watching the Minnesota Vikings, and listening to Christmas music. He loved eating walleyes as much as catching them, along with a generous helping of tators and onions, followed by blueberry pie. Rob was fiercely loyal, loved deeply, and was deeply loved.
Rob leaves behind his beloved wife Katie; his children Josh (April) Furnal of Nijmegen, Netherlands, Megan (Dustin) VandeWeerd of Winston-Salem, NC, Andrew (Jennifer) Furnal of Des Moines, IA; grandchildren Dominic and Dilana Sears; siblings Pam Nelson of Davenport, IA, Chris Furnal of Carlisle, IA, Deena (Brett) Furnal-Spruce of Davenport, IA, and Ryan (Candi) Furnal of Carlisle, IA; siblings-in-law Chad (Gloria) Schettler of Indianola, IA, Joe (Kristan) Schettler of Carlisle, IA, and Megan (Chad) Andrew of Lucas, IA; bonus mother-in-law Sue Behrens of Audubon, IA; numerous nephews and nieces, aunts, uncles, cousins, other relatives, and many lifelong friends he would consider family. He is preceded in death by his parents; stepfather Jim Snelson, father-in-law Larry Schettler; and mother-in-law Nancy Schettler.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Adams Funeral Home and online condolences may be left for Rob’s family at www.adamssoderstrum.com. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Rob’s family and may be left at the church or mailed to the Family of Rob Furnal, c/o Adams Funeral Home, P.O. Box 745, Ames, Iowa 50010.