Robert Huston Heuerman Sr. passed away peacefully at Joan & Diana’s Hospice Home on November 27, 2020 at the age of 91.
Born Sept. 15,1929 and raised in Faribault, MN, Robert moved to Los Angeles with his mother in 1943. He sold newspapers and baby sat for neighbors and finished his education at L.A. High. Soon after, he was hired by the AT&SF railroad where he would spend 38 of the next 40 years.
By January 1951, America’s involvement in the Korean War had elapsed 6 months. Robert, now known as Bob, received the call from Uncle Sam. He completed basic and advanced infantry training at Camp Roberts in Paso Robles, CA before boarding a transport ship in San Francisco for a 7 day “cruise” to Yokohama, Japan. Now just 21, he remembered passing under the Golden Gate Bridge, wondering if he would ever live to see it again. Once in Japan it was just a short ferry ride across the Korea Strait to Pusan, South Korea. In Nov. 1951, on a hillside known only as Hill 605, a site now located in North Korea, Bob earned a Purple Heart. He was hit in the neck by a piece of shrapnel, which he carried his entire life.
Anxious to get back to railroading and with his seniority intact, Bob returned to the AT&SF.
Bob met his soul mate, Leila Joy Rice. A widow with 2 small children, Leila was also an employee of the Santa Fe. They soon fell in love and were married on March 3, 1954. Bob legally adopted Leila’s 2 children and, in October 1955, they had a son together.
Living in Alhambra, CA, the two raised their family. Bob found himself working at Mission Tower, a beehive of railroad activity on the L.A. River just outside of Los Angeles Union Station. The Santa Fe, Southern Pacific and Union Pacific railroads all intersected there to gain access to Union Station. Sadly, Bob’s job was abolished in early 1974.
Their children raised, the couple moved to Willow Valley, AZ. Bob completed 40 years of service with the Santa Fe in Needles, CA and, soon after retirement, moved to Kingman, AZ to escape the heat!
Bob and Leila adored the small town life in Kingman and never left. They loved traveling the back roads of Arizona with their trailer. They became members of the Grace Lutheran Church. Bob became a member of the Mohave Pioneers Historical Society where some of his railroad artifacts and memorabilia are on display at the Mohave Museum. He also joined and donated many photographs and pieces from his collection to the Kingman Railroad Museum.
As an active member of the U.S. Army 31rst Infantry Regiment “Polar Bears” Association,
Bob was one of the organizers and hosts of their reunion festivities here in Kingman in 1997.
He was also instrumental in the establishment of the Korean Veterans Memorial in Railroad
Park and the “Freedom Isn’t Free” bronze plaque in Centennial Park.
Bob will always be remembered for his infectious smile, sense of humor, his dedication to
his country and his love of railroading. He is survived by his three children, John, Mary, and Robert Jr.; his four grandchildren, Erica, Jon, Emily, and Anne; and five great grandchildren, Christopher, Justin, Gavin, Madeleine, and Macie.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, a memorial service is being planned for spring. Close friends
and relatives will be notified.
Arrangements were made by Sutton Memorial Funeral Home.
such a beautiful written obituary!
such a beautiful written obituary!