Charles R. Callihan (Bob) was taken to be with our Lord Jesus on Friday afternoon, August 18, 2023 with his family by his side in North Platte, Nebraska.
Memorial services will be held at 11:00 am Friday, August 25, 2023 at the Holechek-Bondegard Funeral Home in Oshkosh with Pastor Jerry Smith officiating. Military Honors will be rendered at the funeral home. Burial will be held in Hunter, Kansas at a later date.
Memorials in Bob’s name can be made to Adopt-A-Dog in Chappell, St. Jude’s Children Hospital, or to the family for later designation.
Bob was born on November 21, 1937, to Delmas and Georgie (Wheeler) Callihan in Greenup, Kentucky. Bob was the fifth of eight children: Erma, Pauline, Alfreda, Carolyn, Charles, Jenny, James, and Joe.
Bob lived in Ohio most of his youth and enjoyed taking care of his younger siblings and teaching them about everyday life.
When he became a teenager, he joined the Navy to travel the world. He was stationed in Kansas before being transferred to Hawaii where he created flight plans. While in Kanas, he met and married Vera Mae Diers. To this union four children were born: Rebecca Schultz (Les Hazen), Terry Duffield (Tom), Robert Callihan (Denise) and Deb Carlson (late Troy).
During this time Bob owned and operated a milk route and then drove for Rainbow Bread, Bob would bring home a pickup full of bread loaves to feed the chickens and pigs, but the kids would end up having bread wars, hitting each other with the loaves until they would break open and scatter bread all over the driveway.
Bob moved his family to Wellfleet, Nebraska where the kids enjoyed running wild, swimming in the lake and riding horses through the hills. He then drove for Consolidated Freightways, which took him to Chappell where he met Pricilla Kalb whom he was married to for 20 years.
During his time in Chappell, he ran a service station and started a stockcar racetrack where he shined as the announcer.
Bob then moved to Lake McConaughy to pursue a job in construction where he met and married Kathryn Holz. He did many construction jobs at Lake Mac, Ogallala, Chappell, Oshkosh, and the surrounding area.
Bob loved his family immensely and enjoyed telling stories and playing with his grandkids, Will Schultz, Nick Schultz, Lacy Reimer, Sonja Clyncke, TJ Wilkinson, Megan Dehning, Jeremy Callihan, and great grandkids, Paige, Jackson, Harleigh, Sloane, Zach, Ralee, Taylor, Jasmine, Kaylee, Kenley, Ryker, Harper, Brecken.
Bob is preceded in death by his siblings, Erma Wynkoop, Pauline Callihan, Alfreda Ratcliff, Carolyn Johnson, Jenny Brown, Joe Callihan, wife, Vera Callihan, daughter, Rebecca Callihan, grandson, Lucas Schultz and son in law, Troy Carlson.