Robert Monroe Haak, age 73, of Belleville, Ill., formerly of Westport, Ind., born March 3, 1936 in Madison, Ind., passed away November 30, 2009 with his wife and son by his side.

Mr. and Mrs. Haak recently moved from Westport, Ind. to the Scott AFB area to be with their son and his family. In addition to working as an auto body repairman for over 40 years, he managed ranches in Big Horn, Wyoming. He enjoyed ranching, woodworking, and spending time with his wife and family.


He was preceded in death by his parents Robert and Thelma, nee Cope, Haak, both of Madison, Ind.; stepfather Herman Jessup of Madison, Ind.; son-in-law Greg Robbins of Seymour, Ind.

He is survived by his wife Lois Baker Haak, whom he married April 14, 1972, his daughter Vicki Knowles and her husband Chuck, of Frederick, Maryland; Melissa Robbins of Seymour, Ind., son MSgt Scott Haak and his fiancée Erica Vega, of Belleville; grandchildren Sean, Tyler, and Andrew Melton; Kody Vega, Brianna Haak, and Noah Haak, and one great granddaughter Madison.

TIMING
By Lois E. Haak

He cried out in anger the morning he was born.

How could this have happened? He had not been forewarned.

Had he slept through the signal that was to cue him of the year?

Why hadn't someone roused him? He screamed in frustration and fear.

He wasn't supposed to be here now. The timing wasn't right.

Would he have to spend this lifetime dreaming of another time each night?

The year was to have been Eighteen Thirtysix

But it's one hundred years later. This calamity sure had him in a fix.

He was much too young to tell them; the parents he would grow to love.

They didn't know he'd been watching and waiting from up above.

He must have nodded off a spell when that century slipped by.

So here he was in 1936, and all he knew to do was cry.

Oh, he could have refused the entrance; but there'd be hearts that he would break

If he refused the breath of life; and so his first breath he did take.

It would be a long row to hoe, of that he had no doubt.

His parents would never fully understand just what he was all about.

But, being parents, they'd adore him, and let nature take its course.

His father would only shake his head wondering why the boy preferred a horse.

Horses were, for the most part, Now just for sport and pleasure;

Not something to keep with you, to cherish and to treasure.

Cars were the big thing now. The horse had had his day;

As he tried to convince the boy that the car was here to stay.

But the lad would not hear of it; though he'd been put to the test.


He'd work on cars all day long, While dreaming of horses and the west.

And when he finally came of age, ready to do his own thing;

He cut a trail, albeit by car, to the mountains of northern Wyoming.

In a spirit of generosity, Mr. Haak has donated his body for medical research to Anatomy Gifts Registry, Hanover, Maryland. Memorial Donations in his honor may be made to Hospice of Southern Illinois or to your local hospice organization or to a charity of choice.