Robert J. Wermers, 89, passed away Saturday, Jan 11, 2014, at Hospice of the Hills in Rapid City. He was born on Aug 9, 1924 and was raised on a farm south of Mitchell, near Dimock. He was the oldest of seven children born to Frank and Elizabeth (Geisen) Wermers. As a youth, he enjoyed hunting and fishing. He graduated from Parkston High School. In 1944, at age 19, he joined the United States Navy and was assigned to a ship in the Pacific during World War II, working out of the Marshall Islands, Gilbert Islands and Mary Anna Islands. His duties included convoy duty, air sea rescue and anti-submarine patrol. His ship encountered four typhoons; one was so rough that they couldn’t fire up the galley, and the seamen lived for three days on Spam and crackers. He served in the Navy until the spring of 1946 and arrived home one night just in time for dinner. His mother set another plate on the table and his father announced that the next day he would be taking the cultivator off the tractor and mounting the grass mower to put up alfalfa hay. “That’s when I realized I was home and things were back to normal,” he said. He went on to South Dakota State University and graduated with a degree in agriculture. On Oct 15, 1955, he married Bette Jo Moody in Crawford, NE. They moved to Rapid City in 1960 and in 1962 he became the Public Health Administrator for Pennington County. He served in that role for more than 30 years. He enjoyed his garden and working with Troop 7 of the Boy Scouts. All three of his sons achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He was an active member of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and served as a scorekeeper for Harney Little League for 20 years. In retirement, he spent a lot of time at the Minneluzahan Senior Center dancing and playing volleyball, badminton and pickleball. He participated in the Senior Olympics for many years as both a competitor and volunteer. He often could be seen riding his bike just about everywhere, finding treasures on the side of the road. He is survived by his six children, Leslie (Deanna Darr) Wermers, Rapid City; Linda (Craig) Solberg, New Brighton, MN; Kurtis Wermers, Mitchell; Kathleen (Bjorn) Nilsen, Bergen, Norway; Mary (Terry) Kunde, Union, IL and Mark Wermers of Thousand Oaks, CA; his 10 grandchildren; Zachary, Dana and Caroline Wermers; Sean and Drew Solberg; Travis and Brandan Brock; Aleksander and Jakob Nilsen and Anthony Wermers; his two great-grandchildren, Maxwell Jensen and Owen Henry Solberg, his sisters, Violet, Barbara, Grace and Ellen and his special friend, Betty Ott. He was preceded in death by his wife, Bette Jo Wermers, in 1986; his brother, Joseph and his sisters, Virginia and Joyce. Memorial services will be 10:00 a.m., Friday, Jan 17, 2014 at Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help with Father Michel Mulloy officiating. Visitation will be 5 to 7 p.m., Thursday, Jan 16th at Behrens-Wilson Funeral Home followed by a vigil service at 7 p.m., interment will follow at Black Hills National Cemetery with military honors provided.