Theodore "Bob" Forstner

Bob Forstner went out the way he lived, passing gently into the night, leaving behind five children who adored him, reuniting with his beloved Joan and an excited pack of spaniels.

Theodore “Bob” Forstner was born in Madelia, Minnesota on September 3, 1929, eight weeks before Black Tuesday unleashed the Great Depression. Growing up with seven siblings on a tight food budget, he treated family dinners as a competitive sport—knowing that passing a food platter could mean saying goodbye to it forever. As a teenager, he supplemented the pantry through hunting: birds, deer, rabbits, and squirrels. Regarding the birthday cake frosting that vanished overnight and the watermelon crop stolen from a local farm, well, let him take those secrets to the next life.

Bob’s independent streak revealed itself early on. One high school summer, he hitchhiked through Minnesota and the Dakotas, working various farms. When he decided his Catholic school no longer suited him, he self-enrolled at the public school, no parent consultation necessary. When caught throwing a chalk eraser out the window (having missed its intended target), his teacher meted out this punishment: return the eraser to the classroom and throw it out the window again. Repeat nineteen more times. Bob dutifully headed out the front door–then walked right past the eraser, heading for home.

The military became the place for Bob to acquire some discipline. Two years after graduating from Madelia High School, he enlisted in the Air Force as a radio/electronics maintenance technician. His awards included medals for Good Conduct and National Defense Service. A product of Minnesota town ball, Bob continued pitching while serving at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, playing for future Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. When Bob chose to be honorably discharged in 1954, Steinbrenner groused that losing him would ruin their playoff chances.

Bob’s technical training in the military led to a career in telecommunications, which led him to Fargo and Joan Kodelka. She worked for local-call Northwestern Bell; he worked for long-distance AT&T. They worked in the same building and just happened to live one block from each other. It was as if God had moved the chess pieces to ensure this quiet man and talkative woman would begin a life together.

In their 66 years of marriage, their differences were strengths. And their common ground provided them with an unshakeable foundation: commitment to their Catholic faith, love of their five children, and enjoyment of the great outdoors. With kids in tow, they progressed from tents to campers to cabins, ultimately buying a home on Juggler Lake. No matter where they found themselves, they always found a church for Sunday Mass.

Bob had a gift for making the hard look easy. On the pitcher’s mound, his motion was fluid, no motion wasted, his fastball hitting the corners and curveball dropping like it rolled off the table. On Montana’s Madison River, his finely-honed casting was a marvel to the eye, Bob always keeping his line tight, always knowing when to set the hook. Near Forman, North Dakota, Bob could plow through cornfields for hours, and when a pheasant was flushed, his shotgun was up and the bird down before his hunting companion could even begin to take aim. In a word, he was legendary.

But what made him most legendary were his qualities as a man. He was an outlier father—more involved in his children’s lives than other dads of his time. And he was a deeply devoted husband. After Joan died in 2023, that devotion to her became even stronger, Bob remembering her through photos, music, and stories. He carried unspeakable grief–he didn’t allow that grief to carry him. The grace in which he lived his final two years has moved us all.

Bob is preceded in death by his wife Joan; his parents Theodore and Mary; his sister Margaret; his brothers Tom, Stan, and Francis; and countless friends. He is survived by his children Deb, Judy (Adam), Dan (Agapi), Jackie (Chris), and Sarah; along with grandchildren Christopher, Nicholas, Eli (Linsey), Abbie (Nick), Noah, Althea, and Filia, great grandchildren Alexander and Scottie, sisters Florence and Audrey, brother Larry, and sister-in-law Maggie.

Bob’s family would like to thank Ethos Hospice and Bethany on 42nd Street for their loving care of Bob in his final months.

A Funeral Mass will be at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, January 27, 2026, at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, in Fargo, ND, with visitation one hour prior. A luncheon will immediately follow the service also at St. Anthony’s. All are welcome.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Minnesota Trout Unlimited.