Robert D. Bain

Robert “Bob” D. Bain, 93, passed into the arms of Jesus on Monday, January 28, 2019, after a lengthy battle with dementia. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, February 2, at 11:00 am, at Lutheran Church of the Cross, 1004 E. Highland Acres Rd, Bismarck. Visitation will be held Friday, February 1, from 5:00 to 7:00, with a time of sharing and remembrance beginning at 6:30, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck. Cremation has taken place. Internment will take place at a later date at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan. Bob was born on April 24, 1925, to Robert and Hulda (Ristau) Bain, in Crookston, MN. He spent his early years in Crookston, and started playing hockey as a five year old. Upon graduation from Crookston High School in 1943, at the age of eighteen, Bob enlisted in the US Army at Fort Snelling in Minneapolis. Bob proudly served in the 89th Infantry Division under General Patton, arriving on Normandy Beach three days after D-Day. His combat service continued across Europe ending with the liberation of Ohrdruf, a subcamp of Buchenwald, a German concentration camp. Upon his return to the states, he went to Concordia College Moorhead, MN where he was a four year letterman in football, baseball and hockey. Bob was the first player coach of hockey at Concordia. While at Concordia, he met his future wife, Gladys M. Tveit, of Mahnomen, MN. Bob and Gladys graduated in 1950, and were married in 1951. In 1953, Bob was offered and accepted a position as an insurance agent with Byrne Insurance of Bismarck. Bob later become a partner in the agency, and in 1977 purchased Byrne Insurance from the Byrne family, later named Bain Insurance. After moving to Bismarck in 1953, Bob started a hockey program on outdoor rinks, and pioneered its junior outdoor puck program. He motivated the artificial ice drive when the city built the Civic Arena. He promoted hockey throughout his years in Bismarck, serving as St. Mary’s High School Coach, and as a referee. He also added his expertise to the erection of the Schaumberg Arena. He served on the Hobey Baker Awards Committee, selecting the outstanding USA Collegiate player, and was on the US Olympic Committee of North Dakota. In February of 1987, Bob was inducted into the ND Hockey Hall of Fame, an honor of which he was most proud. He was named Doctor of Hockey by UND of Grand Forks, ND. His love of hockey never wavered; he skated at the All Seasons Arena, even getting ice time with the Bobcats. He finally hung up his skates at the age of eighty five. Bob’s dedication to his community was very evident in his many years of service. He was active in numerous civic affairs ranging from the Bismarck Park Board, the Bismarck City Commission, the Bismarck Chamber, the Board of Directors to the National Legislative Committee of Cystic Fibrosis, president of the Lake Audubon Association, the North Dakota Water Users Association, director of United Way, the first president of Missouri Slope Lutheran Care Center, and a decade of service to youth with the Bismarck Police Youth Bureau. He was Ronald Reagan’s state fundraising chairman in the 1980 campaign. In 1982, President Reagan appointed Bob to serve on the advisory committee for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. During his insurance tenure, Bob was active in the Independent Insurance Agents of North Dakota, the National Surety Bond Producers, and the Big I Youth Golf Classic, as well as various agents’ advisory boards. After selling Bain Insurance to a New York family agency in 1987, Bob worked for a few more years, then retired from the insurance business in 1991. Retirement brought many years of adventure to both Bob and Gladys as they enjoyed their cabin on Lake Audubon, and their homes in Arizona. Bob was an avid golfer and hunter, things he most enjoyed while spending time with his sons and grandsons. Bob was an amazing watercolor artist, and his family will always treasure his gorgeous landscapes of stubble fields, barns, churches and the native wildlife. Bob is survived by his loving wife of sixty seven years, Gladys; his son, Steve (Pat), Bismarck; Karen (Bob) Johnson, Blaine, MN; Susie (Gordon) Queen, Evergreen, CO; and Alan (Sue), Savage, MN. He is also survived by grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Sarah Bain; Michael (Amber) Bain, daughter Avigail; Kayla (Jared) Blackwood, children, Jacob and Jenna; Kalena Johnson; Robbie and Andy Queen; David (Ali) Bain, children Henry and Lainey; Erik (Kathryn) Bain; Krista Bain. He was preceded in death by his mother and father; his sister, Betty Bain; his in-laws, Sigvald and Helen Tveit; and an infant granddaughter, Anna Johnson. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the ND Veterans Cemetery, or Lutheran Church of the Cross.