Robert Charles Oehmke

Robert Charles Oehmke My beloved Robert Charles Oehmke, a quiet, kind, gentle, dependable, and caring husband of 58 years passed on January 19, 2026 in Colorado. He was 87, with a dry wit that made you chuckle. Robert had a wonderful exciting life of family, travel, food, and animals. He was a Michigander through and through. Robert (known as Doc by his family) was born at home in St. Clair, MI, the second child of Catherine (Distalrath) and William Wallace Oehmke. Robert was an altar boy and remembered his Latin responses all his life. His siblings Mary (Saia), and Richard (deceased) and parents lived on the 100 year old Oehmke farm on Vine Rd in St. Clair. The family survived a house fire, losing all childhood pictures, and lived for a time in Detroit near railroad tracks and with outdoor plumbing. Fond memories of farm animals included curly-headed calves, feisty bantam roosters, and an occasional run in with a large turkey (resulting in a forehead scar). Being raised on the farm, his childhood was rigorous with milking cows before and after school. Driving tractors, herding cows, and feeding were part of the daily chores, with fun times fishing at the Pine River and shooting a Christmas tree with a shotgun to cut it down. Jobs included picking cucumbers for a pickle plant and hauling 100lb sacks of salt for Chrystal Salt. His family called him Doc because of his love of animals and wanting to be a vet, and he and Richard "operated" on Mary's doll and took the head off. Doc played football at Holy Cross High School and sang in the Glee Club. He attended St. Joseph College and University of Detroit for a BS. He worked at General Motors Corporation (GMC) as a mechanical engineer, and during a paid leave, went to Wayne State University (WSU) for his master's. Robert met his wife, Marlene (Zahrfeld) at WSU and they both graduated together, Robert with a master's and Marlene with a BS and were married in 1968. After a Bermuda honeymoon, they moved into their Troy home within a year with baby Robert Carl, followed in three years by David William. As a father, he could mend any toy, fix the cars, read endlessly, and grow a vegetable garden. His two famous recipes were chili and bean soup from scratch with his saved Christmas ham bone. He loved to do lots of outdoor grilling of whole turkeys and chicken, and was known for eating leftovers for breakfast like chili or pizza. His love of music inspired Robert to build a collection of records, cassette tapes, and finally music CDs, and he would frequently sing snippets of songs if a conversation reminded him of one. His photography hobby resulted in a collection of cameras and even developing and printing pictures. He bonded with our three special dogs: Pepper, Mad Maxx, and Skittles. He always took them for that evening walk in our woods behind the house both in good weather and during below-zero blizzards. He had a special affinity for animals. They would always come to him and he loved to feed his pets part of his meal in their dishes. Summertime included fun times in our above ground pool and lots of grilling. The family enjoyed various summer vacations including trips to the upper peninsula of MI to Michigamme (a resort with fishing, hiking and watching the Northern Lights), to the East coast of Canada, to the East Coast of the USA, to stays at the North Carolina Outer Banks and trips out west to Utah, Grand Canyon, and other National Parks. His career at GMC lasted an incredible 40 years working at the Truck and Bus Division, testing for safety and durability of their products. The children enjoyed many visits to GMC to see the testing machines, picnics, and circuses on family days. With retirement, Robert and Marlene made three long visits per year in a giant circle from MI to CO to MN to visit their sons' families: Bob, his wife Shana (Hunter), and their three children Amelia, Charlotte, and Henry in CO and David, his wife Cathy (Tower), and their child Alex in MN, and later in ME. Over the years, Robert and Marlene took 5 cruises: Alaska, the East Coast, two Caribbean, and the Baja Peninsula. During his lifetime, Robert donated gallons of blood to the Red Cross because of his universal donor blood type with special factors. The Red Cross would call with emergency needs for his blood, especially for children, and he was always willing to help. From December, 2022, Robert and Marlene rented a Boulder apartment to be close to the family in CO. They enjoyed attending all the school activities, plays, concerts, visits from Dave and his family, and the beauty of the Rockies, while still occasionally returning to MI for a visit. Robert passed away peacefully and surrounded by family in CO after a short illness. He was healthy until close to the end. His memory will forever remain in the hearts of his loved ones. A Celebration of Life Mass will be held on June 30, 11 am at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Lafayette, CO. There will be a Celebration of Life Gathering in Michigan at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Robert's memory to the Michigan Humane Society or The Red Cross.