Funeral services for 82-year-old Robert I. Axford Sr. of Bingham Lake, Minnesota, will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday morning, September 5, 2014, at the First Baptist Church in Windom, Minnesota. The church is located at 450 3rd Avenue.
Visitation will be at LaCanne Family Funeral Home in Windom from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, September 4, 2014. The funeral home is located at 2280 6th Avenue in Windom.
Robert had begun dialysis and was doing well until Saturday evening, August 30, 2014, when he suddenly became ill at his son’s home in Windom and was taken to the Windom Area Hospital where he passed away.
Robert I. Axford, Sr. was born on February 11, 1932, in Estelline, South Dakota, the son of the late Angus William and Esther (Pierce) Axford. He received his education at Vought Country School-west of Windom, then the Oak Grove Country School-east of Windom, before finishing his education in the Windom Public Schools.
Robert was baptized in December of 1944 at the First United Methodist Church in Windom and was later baptized at the First Baptist Church in Windom.
On December 9, 1952, Robert enlisted in The United States Army and was later honorably discharged on November 10, 1954.
On September 15, 1952, Robert I. Axford, married the love of his life, Kathleen Parish, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. They were residents of the Bingham Lake area since then. Robert and Kathy became the parents of two children, Robert and Nancy. Robert worked for 32 years for the Minnesota Department of Transportation; retiring in 1993.
Throughout his life, Robert enjoyed time spent on the farm, gardening, hunting with his brothers and most of all, his family, especially his grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Robert was a member of the First Baptist Church in Windom and the Windom Saddle Club and served his community as a member of the Bingham Lake City Council.
Survivors include a son and daughter: Robert E. (Kate) Axford Jr. of Windom and Nancy (Rick) Oliveira of Litchfield Park, Arizona; six grandchildren, Mike (Tonya) Axford of Montevideo, Minnesota, Amber (Ben) Thomas of Jeffers, Minnesota, Sarah (Jason) King of Windom, Daniel (Lacey) Axford of Lowville, New York, Tiffany (Levi) Beard of Winslow, Arizona and Mandi Denney of Los Angeles, California; 14 great-grandchildren; two siblings, Audrey Carter of Jeffers and Marilyn (Harlen) Fisk of Sanborn, Minnesota; one sister-in-law, Emily Axford of Windom; many nieces and nephews and his dog, Brutus.
Besides his parents, Robert was preceded in death by his; wife, Kathleen Axford; granddaughter, Amy Axford; three brothers, Charles, William and Douglas Axford and an infant sister.