Bob Sipes was born Bobbie Dale Sipes on May 13, 1936 to Glenn Robert and Myrta LuVella (Coombes) Sipes at their farm home located in the Pleasant Plains Community in NW Morton County. He passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by family on February 26, 2023. His birth was followed by a 3 day dirt storm, so severe that the visibility was zero, so it is fitting that he passed away on a day of a dirt storm. He attended Manter Grade School and the Pleasant Plains one room school, started high school at Manter High School and graduated from Elkhart High School in 1954. Bob attended Oklahoma Panhandle State University and graduated from diesel mechanics school in Kansas City before his education was interrupted by the draft into the US Army. The army trained him to build bridges. He always enjoyed telling stories about his time in the Army. He was stationed at the Hanau Army base near the Rhine River in Germany where he was “in charge” of building portable bridges. He didn’t out rank those “in charge” but often changed their plans with his mechanical knowledge. When not building bridges, Bob played basketball for the Army. He was often scorned by other grunts when a helicopter would pick him up to fly him to other bases to play basketball for the Army.
Sports was always a passion for the Sipes family. Besides his love of basketball, Bob loved playing baseball with his Dad and three uncles, Don, Dale and Roscoe Sipes.
Upon completing his tour in the Army. Bob returned to Oklahoma Panhandle State University where he met and later married Glenda Kaye Myers, the daughter of Glen and Lois Ernestine (Pyle) Myers of Turpin Oklahoma, on February 23, 1961. They recently celebrated 62 years of marriage.
Bob moved his bride to the Pleasant Plains community into the old Pleasant Plains school house that his parents had purchased, moved and remodeled to become a tenant house for the farm. Soon after moving, Bob was recalled into the Army during the Cuban Crisis. Bob was stationed at Fort Riley in Junction City for nearly a year before returning to the family farm.
Bob and Kaye began their family after 2 years back on the farm when they welcomed Jerry Michael, James Dale and Karla Kaye into the family.
Bob was very involved in the community. He served on the Johnson Coop Board of directors for many years, founded Skyland Grain and served the Kansas Seed Industry, Kansas Crop Improvement and Agseco Inc. in various positions for many, many years.
Bob worked on the family farm until he retired in recent years. During his tenure, he was a founding member of Sipes Land and Cattle with his dad, Glenn Sipes, and brother, Ron Sipes. He also partnered to start Sipes Seed Sales to raise, condition and sell certified wheat seed. Sipes Seed was later started to condition other farmers’ wheat.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Glenn and Luvella Sipes; his son, Jerry Michael Sipes (1964-2016) and grandson Glenn Michael Sipes (1992-2016). He is survived by his wife, Glenda Kaye (Myers) Sipes of the home; Jerry’s son, Matthew Robert Sipes and his wife, Christina (Selby) of Smyrna, GA; son, James (Jim) Sipes and his wife Kelly (Carmack) and their children, Caleb Carter Sipes and wife, Kylee (Myers), and Bailey Michele Sipes all of Manter, KS; daughter, Karla (Sipes) Norstrom and her husband Mike of Delton, MI and their children, Zachary Lee Norstrom and wife Olivia (Davis) of Bremerton, WA, and Andrew (Drew) Lee Norstrom of Kalamazoo, MI. He is also survived by a brother, Ronald Sipes and wife, Cora, of Manter, KS.
He had a pioneering, trusting spirit and thought your word was everything. He was respected and loved by most who knew him. His greatest accomplishments in life were his children and grandchildren.
Funeral service will be Saturday, March 4, 2023, at 10:00 AM at the First United Methodist Church in Johnson with Pastor Mary Courtney officiating. Interment will follow at the Stanton County Cemetery. Visitation will be Friday, March 3, 2023, from 2:00 PM until 8:00 PM at Garnand Funeral Home in Johnson. Memorial contributions may be given to the Stanton County FFA or St. Catherine Hospice in care of Garnand Funeral Home, PO Box 715, Johnson, KS 67855. Also a memorial for Bob has been established at the Kansas State University Foundation. Contributions may be sent to: KSU Foundation, 1800 Kimball Ave., Ste 200, Manhattan, KS 66502, please indicate fund KSU Glenn Sipes Memorial Scholarship M47438. To make a gift online, go to www.ksufoundation.org/give/memorials (https://www.ksufoundation.org/give/memorials). Condolences may be posted at www.garnandfuneralhomes.com.
