Robert Juni

Robert William Juni, age 82, died Friday evening, July 30, at North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale after suffering complications from a fall.

Memorial services will be at 11 A.M., on Tuesday, August 3rd, at the Willmar United Methodist Church. Military Honors will be provided by the Austin F. Hanscom American Legion Post 167 of Willmar. Interment will be at 4 P.M. Tuesday at the Spirit Hill Cemetery in Jordan, Minnesota. Friends and family may call at the church one hour prior to the services on Tuesday. Arrangements are with the Peterson Brothers Funeral Home in Willmar.

Robert William Juni was born to William Christian and Julia Blume Juni on December 30, 1927. He spent his early years in Jordan, Minnesota, where he met his future wife, Amy, when they were cast together as small children to recite the Lord's Prayer in a high school play. That was 78 years ago. Bud, as he was known in Jordan, worked in the family hardware store and attended Immanuel Methodist Church, as did Amy. They were confirmed together, and both graduated in the Jordan High School class of 1946.

After graduation, Bud continued to work in the hardware store and the associated sheet metal and plumbing businesses that the family operated. He then was drafted into the Army, and served heroically in the Korean War from 1950-52 with the 24th Division, 21st Infantry Regiment, G Company. Among other citations, he earned the Combat Infantry Badge, the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, Presidential Unit Citations from both the U.S. and South Korea, and five Battle Stars for the five major battles in which he saw action. He served with a machine gun unit and then as a battalion runner, delivering messages between units and bringing out wounded and dead comrades from battle zones. Supervising a team of Korean litter bearers, hundreds of soldiers got to aid stations and to further help because he was there.

He and Amy reconnected when he returned from Korea, and they were married on August 21, 1955 in Jordan. He graduated from Mankato State University with a B.A. in business administration in 1957. As a team - he as administrator and she as head nurse - they first managed Highland Manor Nursing Home in New Ulm and then purchased the Meadow Lane Nursing Home in Benson in 1967. Bob was the "face" of the organization for residents, families, staff and the community, and when he and Amy sold the business in 1981, six people were hired to replace the two of them and one half-time bookkeeper. They purchased and ran an auto parts store for a couple of years, and in 1984, moved to Willmar, where they owned and operated an apartment building in "retirement." Bob was a deacon of Pilgrim Congregational Church in Benson, president of the Benson Lions Club, and a vice-commander and 50-year member of the American Legion.

Bob and Amy raised three children - Tom, Carol and Robin - and always made time to attend their school events and games. Bob loved to go to auctions, often took the kids with him, and was a savvy purchaser of small treasures that otherwise had gone unnoticed in a box sold as "miscellaneous items." Of course, then the rest of the "miscellany" sometimes had to find a home! Bob similarly scoured auctions for rough-looking furniture that could be saved, and his refinishing work resulted in many handsome pieces for their home. He was always game for a family adventure - driving a red V.W. van across France, Germany and Switzerland; whitewater rafting in Alaska wearing bright orange cold-weather suits; or camping throughout Minnesota - if you wanted to do it, then Daddy wanted to do it with you. He had a deep appreciation for the ancestors who were early settlers in Minnesota, and instilled that pride in his family.

He is survived by his wife, Amy; three children: Thomas of Willmar, Carol (and Greg) Buckingham of Plymouth, and Robin (and David Miller) of Alexandria, Virginia; four grandchildren - Joel (and Jenny) & Jonathan Juni; and Carly & Alexa Buckingham - and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. His parents and brother Charles preceded him in death.