Robert E. Gramelspacher

Becher – Kluesner Funeral Home, Inc. FAX 812-482-1193 812-482-4141 Dateline Jasper, Indiana Robert E. Gramelspacher, 81, of Jasper, Indiana, died at 2:45 a.m. Saturday on January 07, 2006 in Jasper. He died surrounded by family at St. Charles Health Campus from complications of multiple myeloma and stroke. Mr. Gramelspacher was born on February 25, 1924, to Claude A. and Marie G. (Cassidy) Gramelspacher, the oldest of five children. He married Marilyn J. Hoffman on October 15, 1949 at St. Joseph Church in Jasper. He was a lifelong resident of Jasper, Indiana, and member of St. Joseph’s parish. He is survived by his wife Marilyn and four children: Jan (Charles) Stenftenagel of Jasper, Greg (Mary Lou Schneider) Gramelspacher, and Mark (Meredith McLean) Gramelspacher of Indianapolis, and Marcia (Tom) Desmond of Kenilworth, Illinois. He is survived by one brother, Glenn Gramelspacher of Jasper, and one sister, Mary Alice Schutz of Indianapolis, along with ten grandchildren. He was preceded in death by two brothers, Kenneth Gramelspacher and Rev. Bert Gramelspacher, MM. He was a 1942 graduate of Jasper High School and graduated from Indiana University, with a degree from the School of Business in 1948. Interrupting studies at IU, Mr. Gramelspacher served in the U.S. Army with the 69th Infantry Division in Europe during World War II. He was an Eagle Scout. Mr. Gramelspacher spent his career devoted to business, government, and philanthropy. He joined his father at a family firm, Jasper Veneer Mills, Inc. in 1948. He served as president of that firm from 1967 to 1985. He also served as president and general manager of Gramelspacher Farms, Inc., and Eckstein Lumber Company during that time. He retired from Jasper Wood Products Company in 2000, where he also served on its board of directors from 1950 through 2002. For several years, he served on the boards of directors of Jasper Office Furniture Co., Jasper Novelty Furniture, and Newton Box & Basket Co. In 1955, he was elected a State Representative in the Indiana General Assembly and represented Dubois and Martin counties until 1960. He chaired the Budget Committee in his second term. From 1960 until 1972, he chaired the Indiana Aeronautics Commission and from 1975 until 1989 he served on the Indiana State Office Building Commission. Mr. Gramelspacher received the Sagamore of the Wabash award from both Governor Edgar Whitcomb and Governor Matthew Welsh. He was also a Kentucky Colonel. He was the receipient of the Walter A. Davis Award from Vincennes University. Other awards from the Boy Scouts of America include the Silver Buffalo Award and the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. Mr. Gramelspacher served as the first president of the Jasper Jaycees in 1948. He is a past president of the Jasper Kiwanis Club, the Buffalo Trace Council (Boy Scouts of America) and the Jasper Manufacturers’ Association. He served on the Jasper Action Team until 2005. He was a principal founder of Cohere, Inc., and a director of its successor, the Vincennes University Jasper Foundation as well as the Jasper Community Arts Commission. He was a lifelong member of the Indiana University Alumni Association, the Memorial Hospital Foundation Board, American Legion Post 147, VFW Post 673, Knights of Columbus Council 1584 and a 4th Degree Knight of Columbus. He was a past president of the Wabash Valley Association, the organization dedicated to water conservation, and he was instrumental in the development of Patoka Lake. He was a past director of the Indiana Manufacturers Association, the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame and a life director of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. He was honored with the Robert E. and Marilyn J. Gramelspacher Fellowship in Medical Ethics and Palliative Care at the Indiana University School of Medicine. His kindness and generosity were apparent in everything he did, especially his passion for the community of Jasper, fundraising, IU sports, and his family. Memorial contributions can be made to the Robert E. and Marilyn J. Gramelspacher Endowment at the Dubois County Community Foundation to support hospice and palliative care. Funeral services for Robert E. Gramelspacher will be held at 11:00 a.m. Monday (January 9, 2006) in St. Joseph Catholic Church with burial to follow in Fairview Cemetery in Jasper. V.F.W. Post # 673 in Jasper will conduct Military Grave Side Rites. Friends may call from 11-8 p.m. Sunday (January 8, 2006) at the Becher – Kluesner Downtown Chapel in Jasper.

Robert E. Gramelspacher

January 7, 2006