Robert Wendell Vier

Robert Wendell Vier (Bob, Bobby, Dad, Honey) was born on May 5th, 1945, in Baldwin Hospital and died on April 19th, 2025. He leaves behind his beloved wife, Charlotte (Char) Vier, daughter, Kara Vier, son, Jason (Jay) Vier, daughter-in-law, Megan Vier, grandchildren Charlie, Olivia, and Lauren Vier, brother Chester (Chet) Vier and sister-in-law Colleen Vier, sister-in-law Carrol Warren (Hop) and brother-in-law Scott Warren, brother-in-law Verl Bleeker and sister-in-law Vicky Bleeker, brother-in-law Donald (Don) Bleeker, brother-in-law Wayne Kanis, and many other cherished cousins, nieces, nephews, extended relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Edward Vier and Henrietta Vier, brother, Clark Vier and sister-in-law, Virgina (Gin) Vier, and sister-in-law, Audrey Kanis.

For the past 47 years He and Char lived in Hastings, MN. Prior to that they lived in Salt Lake City, UT, River Falls, WI, and St. Paul, MN. He graduated from St. Croix Central High School in 1963, went on to Eau Claire Technical College in Wisconsin and then to Asbury College in Kentucky for generals. He came back to start a life with Char, started working at 3M in the mail room and then moved on to the adhesives division. While at 3M he went on to study Geography at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls. During the Vietnam War, he joined the United States National Guard and served from 1966-1972. He was deployed to Madison, WI during civil unrest in the US and was consistently on high alert for getting called up to Vietnam. From these experiences he learned to cherish and honor his country. This passion deepened through the years and was exhibited by how he helped us understand government through considerate conversations about thoughts we had, often encouraging us to join the forces, and showing us the different ways we could use our own voices - like how to go about voting and taking us to participate locally in precinct caucuses and town hall meetings.

After 3M, he worked for Salt Lake County Survey office for 2 years. With baby Jay on the way, he and Char moved back to the Twin Cities to be closer to family. He started working for the Dakota County Survey Department and stayed there for 37 years - with the last four in Property Records. He developed a close team of friends at Dakota County, where he shared history facts, and played heated cribbage games at lunch hour. Throughout the years, he also worked part-time as a Star Tribune paper deliverer and a tractor driver at Afton Apple. Kara came 6 years after Jay, and he would always say he was so grateful for the kids.

He was a major part of setting up our current Torrens and GPS systems. As the transition from physical maps became digital, he worked diligently to update Dakota County’s Torrens records – property records that assist in all the building, planning, buying, selling, and upkeep of the Dakota County’s property plat maps, boundary lines, easements, survey markers, and legal descriptions. His contributions also helped coordinate our GPS mapping systems that our entire world now uses. He loved to tell you about how our properties, cities, streets, and towns were mapped out. His work also helped develop his talent for drawing and his passion for maps. He loved planning routes for vacations when physical maps were the way to get around and would always find interest in historical landmarks and national or regional parks along the routes.

He had the patience and detailed mind to figure out nearly anything and the demeanor to enjoy the ‘detours’ along the way. He was humble, compassionate, and full of dry ‘Vier’ humor or a quick-witted, dad-joke type of remark. He loved to make people laugh, smile, and help them feel included and cared for. He loved children and with his patient and tender ways, he could often be found playing a game with them, putting something together with them, reading to them, or discovering their worlds along with them. He loved animals of all kinds and would tell the stories of the sheep he had growing up and made sure his children’s pets – Ernie, Basil, Sadie, Scooter, Kitty-Hawk, Cuddles and Nikki, were cared for. He enjoyed motorcycling, pedal biking, fishing, gardening, softball, taking care of the house, going on road trips, building a house, nature, maps, playing cards, doing crosswords, and his family times. He loved music – especially Johnny Mathis. He could make up songs about anything and often sang love songs to his beloved wife, “Charlie”. Most people remember his gentleness, his kindness, his hugs, his compassion, his singing, his faith, and his humor. He demonstrated all these attributes as he volunteered on the missions’ team at church – specifically helping a Mongolian community receive funding and care, guiding teenagers and working with the construction teams on Pine Ridge Mission Trip and Hurricane Katrina Mission Trip. His faith was strong and his love for God never seemed to waver. Despite the effects of having Strabismus, a Cochlear Implant, Hearing Aids, and slow effects of Lewy Body Dementia, he would still read the Bible and pray. He believed that God was always with us, loving us just as we are, and that we could never stray too far to be out of his love for us. Luke 15:11-24

He lived with gratefulness and truly knew how to enjoy almost anything as the journey unfolded. He often gave humble encouragement, showed genuine interest in other’s perspectives and showed care to all people – even his neighbors and city. He will be remembered as fiercely loyal, dedicated to taking everyday responsibilities and making them fun, consistently making us giggle or roll our eyes over the dry humor, and steadfast in loving all of us just as we are. We love you so much and will miss you forever – may Jesus hold you in his loving arms and give you rest.

Family and friends are invited to a visitation from 4-7 p.m. Thursday, June 19 at Resurrection United Methodist Church, Hastings.

A visitation will also be held on Friday, June 20 at Resurrection United Methodist Church, Hastings from 10-11 a.m.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, June 20, 2025 at Resurrection United Methodist Church, Hastings. A reception will be held at the church following the service.

Interment will be held at a later date at Hammond Cemetery, Hammond, Wisconsin.

The family invites you to share memories and photos of Bob by signing the online guestbook below. After entering your name, it will prompt you to share memories and/or photos. These will all be added to the online guestbook for the family to cherish forever.