Robert Carlisle

Robert passed on peacefully at his home on June 28, 2016, surrounded by his family. There aren't enough words to describe how much he was loved. He was born on November 9, 1924 in Brainerd, MN. The Carlisle family moved to Thief River Falls where he spent the summers on Cass Lake with his parents and four brothers. After graduating from high school in 1942, his family moved to Minneapolis. His first job was in a candy factory, where he learned to make the best ever peanut brittle and fudge. At the age of 18, he enlisted in the Naval Aviation Cadet program. He earned his wings in 1945 at Corpus Christi and was commissioned an ensign and pilot of an SBD Dauntless Dive Bomber. When the Navy Reserve established the Reserve Helicopter Squadron in Minneapolis, Bob earned his Navy Helicopter Pilot Designation and went on to earn the rank of Commander.


After the war, the Carlisle family moved to Montana and Bob and his brother Tom drove "whatever car they could get to start " and joined them for the summers. Tom and Bob enrolled in the School of Forestry at Montana State and after one quarter, the two brothers ventured into a business of their own. Living as homesteaders in an abandoned log cabin on a mountain, they contracted with land owners to cut trees to be sold as telephone poles. In the fall, they returned to Minnesota where under the GI Bill of Rights, Bob enrolled at Macalester College. He later attended the University of MN where he enrolled in business and agriculture courses. He and his brother Tom bought their first airplane in 1947 and along with Ruth's brother Don who already had an airplane, established the Grand Meadow Airplane Spraying Company in 1948. Don introduced Bob to his sister Ruth who Bob claimed was the prettiest girl he had ever seen. They married on September 9, 1951.

After Bob and Ruth were married, he moved his business to Lisbon, North Dakota and they eventually settled in Crookston, MN.

In 1960, the Carlisle family moved to Alexandria, where Bob started his own insurance agency. He later merged with a business partner and they established Carlisle-Andrews Insurance. Life on the lake was always a part of Bob's life and that did not change when he moved to Alexandria. After years of spending nearly every weekend on Lake Ida, whether it was summer or winter once Bob retired, he and Ruth built a home and lived on the lake. In the year 2000, they moved back to town.

While in Alexandria, Bob was on the airport commission for several years and also served on the Minnesota State Board of Independent Insurance Agents of Minnesota. He was the first president of the Minnesota chapter of Certified Insurance Counselors (CIC). He served as chairman of the board of trustees for the First Congregational United Church of Christ and for many years served on the State camp committee of the church conference. At church, he was well known for his annual pancake breakfasts. For three years he was a director of the Alexandria Golf Club. He was a member of the Alexandria Masonic Lodge #81 and a longtime member of the Alexandria Rotary Club, serving as president for one year.

Robert is preceded in death by his parents, William Lloyd Carlisle and Helen Strander Carlisle, his oldest brother Bill Carlisle killed in WWII, his brother Tom Carlisle, his brother Steve Carlisle, and an infant brother. Robert is survived by his wife of 64 years, Ruth Thompson Carlisle and his youngest brother, Joe Carlisle from Felton, CA. Their children include son, Steven Carlisle & Mary, Chicago IL; and daughters Connie Johnson & Gary, Burnsville MN and Barb Lindberg & Jerry, Plymouth, MN. They have eight grandchildren; Angela Seliga, Steven Carlisle, Rory, Ben and Chris Coplan, Bob and Eric Lindberg and Anne Stoudt. Bob was also blessed with nine "greats". He is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

The funeral service will be held on Saturday, July 2, 2016, 11:00 a.m. at the First Congregational United Church of Christ. Memorials are preferred to Hope Kids or
The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Minnesota.
Internment with military honors will be at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis at a later date.