Robert "Rob" Carl Redman

Rob Redman has passed from this life.  He was a longtime resident of Marshall, Michigan, born September 26, 1954.  More recently he could be found in New Orleans, Albuquerque, and finally Amarillo. He was found deceased in his apartment on June 19, 2026, where he lived alone.  An autopsy has been performed, but the results are not yet known.  A Memorial is being planned for early autumn.  Relatives and friends may post photos (mementos) and memories of Rob below.

 

               Memories of a Gentle Giant

 

Rob was tall in stature, but even taller in his gifts to others; family, friends, and strangers alike.

 

He was known to many for his sharp wit which he exhibited even as a young child.  When Rob came around the corner before you with that cherubic, dimpled smile, one just knew he was coming out with a humorous comment concerning you or the world about.

 

His humor could be very sharp and inciteful, or sometimes just plain funny.  He kept Brother Steve laughing in stitches for an hour or two at a time with stories from the past.  He had a remarkable memory for almost everything and particularly for humorous situations.

 

Rob grew up with siblings Steve and Ionia (Sandy) on Exchange Street and in the neighborhoods of Marshall Michigan.  He had many outdoor childhood adventures with the Peterson/Dowd/Sprague/Bruce clan on the family farm in northern Michigan near Yuma.  There were seemingly dozens of cousins roaming the fields, forests, orchards, barns, and beaver dams near Slagle Creek.  Grandpa Chris and Grandma Mandy Peterson oversaw the mayhem.  He also spent much fun time with the many eclectic members of his dad’s Redman family in Lansing, Michigan. Grandpa Auggie and Grandma Emily (Mimi) hosted many boisterous holiday gatherings on Beal Street.

 

After graduating from Marshall High in 1972, Rob attended the University of Michigan but left to help Mom Maxine with the family business so she could eventually retire.   He spread kindness and good cheer to a significant portion of Marshall’s population and always remembered thousands of stories from all strata and corners of the town.  He also followed in the footsteps of his father, Art Redman.   Rob’s father was well known for his big heart and pranks around the community but had died quite young in 1968. 

 

Rob was a member of the Marshall Jaycees that was one of the most active Jaycee groups in the state and did all manner of good works around Marshall.  Governor Milliken presented Rob with an award for being one of the top Community Contributors in the state of Michigan.

 

During this time, Rob was married to Linda Hoover.  Linda was an avid softball player and Redman’s sponsored a softball team that was quite a force in the state of Michigan. Rob attended many softball tournaments with Linda.  They had great success on the field and enjoyed much fun as well.

 

Rob eventually decided to return to school at Western Michigan University while working and obtained a degree in accounting.  An extremely sharp guy, he passed all five sections of both the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA) on the first attempt in a short period of time.

 

Much of his accounting career was spent in Marshall at Standard Printing and Marshall Savings and Loan. He had a great impact on the success of these businesses in challenging and rapidly changing business environments.

 

During this time, he married his second wife, Linda Lewis.  They had great fun travelling all over the United States,  They operated a small “hobby” farm in the country taking an interest in rescue dogs and were great contributors to animal health in several zoos, particularly Binder Park in Battle Creek.

 

Many will remember the healthy competitive streak Rob sometimes exhibited.  Brother Steve remembers playing in a Gus Macker basketball tournament with Rob. The center on the other team managed a bit of a block of one of Rob’s shots.  He then committed the fatal error of asking “How did that taste ?”   We all knew it was coming when a few minutes later the other center attempted his next shot.  It was absolutely the worst clean block we have seen at any level of basketball.  Rob spiked the ball from over the poor guy’s head, and it almost appeared to pass through his abdomen.  It was perfectly clean, though.  As you guessed, Rob proceeded to inquire as to the tastiness of that bit of leather.

 

Rob was a terrific uncle to his nieces Mandy and Kate.  They had fun at family gatherings and getting out on the water and beaches of Michigan.  Uncle Rob just had a way of making everything fun.  He would often construct a special creative article for them.  One of the best was the giant Canadian Boggle game which seemed almost as big as Saskatchewan.  The Canadian patent is still pending !  Rob was also working on a four-dimensional chess game.  It was never constructed, but he had fun in the concept. 

 

Another famous fun creation was a paint-by-number of Gainsborough’s famous Blue Boy.  It looked quite authentic, but there was something unsettling about it . . . . . then it strikes you !  Blue Boy is flashing the Peace Sign.  It must be seen to be completely appreciated, but the effect is both eerie and hilarious.  The painting continues to entertain niece Kate, husband Chad, and their two-year-old daughter Maxine in their living room.

 

Rob also acquired a niece and nephew through Steve's wife Jill.  They have some good memories of Rob when they were younger as well.  Whitney Fecker Gesch of Northville is married to Earl  with a young vibrant 9th grade son Anakin. Joseph Fecker of Salt Lake City is married to Maria, with two fun, very creative elementary school children; Giuli and Emilia.

 

Rob was particularly kind to his Mother Maxine and Aunt Elaine Bruce who lived in Olivet after their husbands passed.  He was constantly in contact with these two senior characters and saw that they were cared for and well entertained.

 

As he made his way through these other pursuits, Rob spent much of his spare time remodeling and improving the houses where he lived.  He was a very, very quick study on carpentry, plumbing, electric work, roofing, and any aspect of home improvement.  One major project was a cottage on Bass Lake near Ludington.

 

If anybody worked with him, you could just forget about keeping up with him in either the quality or speed of his construction.  Brother Steve used to kid him that he moved so fast, one couldn’t even see Rob’s hands moving when he was working on a project.   The new construction just seemed to appear almost as if by magic before us.  This may sound like an exaggeration, but it is closer to truth than imagination ! 

 

After Rob’s retirement from the accounting game in 2006, he helped family members with larger scale housing and roof projects before heading to New Orleans.

 

New Orleans had (of course) experienced the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, The re-building of the homes in the city has taken many years.  Rob worked for eight years on rebuilding individual homes, primarily throughout the St. Bernard Parish.  He had a reputation among his fellow workers for going into messy, complicated situations and producing quick, efficient quality results.  He helped salvage literally hundreds of homes for grateful New Orleans families.  They put Rob in charge of groups of workers, but he always preferred to spend his time physically working on the home recoveries themselves.  If you are interested in a donation in Rob's name, the ASPCA, Habitat for Humanity, or similar organization would be appropriate.

 

Rob’s niece Mandy, husband Matt, and their children Bo and Hudson visited Rob several times when he moved south after retirement.  They found his sense of humor never diminished.  Bo and Hudson enjoyed hanging out with great-uncle Rob as much as Mandy had when she was a kid.

 

As he seemed to prefer the warmer weather, he spent his last years in full retirement predominantly in New Orleans, Albuquerque and eventually Amarillo.  He spent some time with sister Ionia in Sedona.   Like Rob, Ionia also spent much of her life helping others.  He loved to ride bicycle and kept that up throughout his later years.  When he was younger, he would ride a hundred miles on his birthday, but that was asking a bit much when he hit his 60s !

 

Rob was always an avid reader and continued reading and learning a wide variety of subjects throughout his life.  He was always ready to engage on any topic ! 

Everyone will have their own special memories of a truly gentle giant, but the following captures much of the spirit of Robert Redman:

 

Excerpted from Joy Harjo’s Eagle Poem:

 

Like eagle that Sunday morning

Over Salt River. Circled in blue sky

In wind, swept our hearts clean

With sacred wings.

 

We see you, see ourselves and know

That we must take the utmost care

And kindness in all things.

 

Breathe in, knowing we are made of

All this, and breathe, knowing

We are truly blessed because we

Were born, and die soon within a

True circle of motion,

 

Like eagle rounding out the morning

Inside us.

We pray that it will be done

In beauty.

In beauty.

 

 

 Indeed it was . . .

 

     Thank you, Rob . . .

 

. . .