Opinion : Remembering Bob LaGrange, and the Vinton icons he loved most

Bob LaGrange was happy to see the unveiling of the Cedar River project earlier this year.

A long-time member of the VFD, Bob LaGrange was Grand Marshal of the 2013 IFA Convention Parade.

A long-time member of the VFD, Bob LaGrange was Grand Marshal of the 2013 IFA Convention Parade.

In the last few years of his life, Bob La Grange saw that the things he loved the most about Vinton are still in good hands.

His grandson, Dan, had joined his son, Mike, as a pharmacist at LaGrange Pharmacy, in 2013, representing the fifth LaGrange generation to enter that field. Bob had retired from the business in 1994, after a half-century at the drug store.

Just last fall, Bob earned the 60-year milestone from the Vinton Kiwanis Club, at the same time the club installed Dan as its President.

"I was very proud to help install Dan," Bob told me then. "I have seen lots of things we do for the community. And yes, I was president in 1958 – a long time ago."

Nobody can remember for sure how long the Kiwanis Club has held its annual Easter Egg Hunt, but Bob told anyone who asked – including me – that the tradition has existed when he joined the club. It's very likely that he attended more of those events than anyone.

Also, last October, Bob got to see that another one of his beloved organizations – the Vinton Fire Department – was continuing its service and its traditions.

Bob looked out his window in Vinton and saw the large aerial ladder truck rising nearly 100 feet above the fire station. He got a ride to the station, where firefighters were welcoming elementary students for the traditional Fire Prevention Week tour.

Recalling his decades on the fire department, Bob said that welcoming the children to teach them about fire safety and what firefighters do was “the best day on the department.”

And as a long-time member of the VFD, Bob had seen many good and bad days. Honored as the Grand Marshal of the parade during the 2013 Iowa Firefighter's Association Convention Parade in Vinton, Bob had joined the VFD in 1956. He served as secretary, documenting the VFD's business, members and changes, for 32 years, from 1957 to 1989.

Bob and Jane, his wife of 64 years, also shared a love of the Cedar River. The couple built a cabin near the river, and would spend many days and weekends there. I last saw Bob at the dedication of the Cedar River Project, with a big smile on his face as long-time friend and fellow river-lover Don Eels guided his wheelchair.

Bob was also a source of many stories for us. If he heard about a former Vinton resident in the news, he let us know – as he also did several times, when a member of the Vinton Class of 1948 who had moved away years ago, passed away.

Bob was also a leader, in many ways. In 1984 – decades before the major pharmacy chain CVS announced its decision to do the same – Bob made the then-surprising decision to stop selling cigarettes. Nearly every pharmacy had been selling them in that era.

"Like CVS, we could not sell health in the rear of the pharmacy and death in the front," Bob told me in 2014, as stories about CVS were in the news for following a decision Bob had made 30 years earlier.

"I have never regretted this and hope other pharmacies follow CVS in getting rid of this poison," said Bob.

At that time, Des Moines Register and Cedar Rapids Gazette opinion writers praised Bob for his decision to be among the first pharmacist remove tobacco products from his store.

These are just a few of the parts of Bob's life that he loved the most. Those of us who knew him personally will be sharing memories with others as we mourn his loss. As someone who has known Bob for as long as I have been in Vinton, I too, am happy – and hopeful for the future of our community – to see that the people Bob loved are carrying on, taking care of each of the things he loved most.

A memorial visitation will be 2 to 5 pm Sunday, July 31, 2016, at Van Steenhuyse-Russell Funeral Home in Vinton. A Celebration of Bob’s Life will be held at 6:30 pm Thursday, August 4th at the Vinton Fire Station. All are welcome.

A memorial visitation will be 2 to 5 pm Sunday, July 31, 2016, at Van Steenhuyse-Russell Funeral Home in Vinton. A Celebration of Bob’s Life will be held at 6:30 pm Thursday, August 4th at the Vinton Fire Station. All are welcome.

See Bob's obituary HERE.