Robert J. Brokamp's Obituary
Robert J. Brokamp, age 88 of Batesville, died Tuesday, March 3, 2015 at St. Andrew's Health Campus. Born March 4, 1926 in Richmond, Indiana, he is the son of Hilda (Nee: Werner) and Charles Brokamp Sr. Bob served in the army during World War II seeing action on the islands of Jolo, Sulu Archipelago in the Philippines, earning a Bronze Star, the Asiatic Pacific Medal with one Bronze Battle Star and the Philippine Liberation Medal with one Bronze Battle Star. After the war, he served for an additional year in occupied Japan as part of the surrender agreement, destroying weapons.
After the service, he attended Ball State University and did his graduate work at the Catholic University of America and Indiana University. He would then go on to teach at Batesville High School 36 years before retiring in 1986. Bob left a lasting legacy at the school. He introduced three new subjects into the curriculum which were psychology, economics and exploratory teaching. He also organized the Batesville Chapter of the National Honor Society in 1953 and penned numerous articles for educational journals on Social Studies teaching methods.
Civic minded, Bob held several positions for the city over the years. He would spend 11 years as a board member for the Batesville Public Library, nine of those as President. From 1960 - 1963 he sat on the Batesville Redevelopment Commission. He was elected to the Batesville City Council in 1963, serving one term. In 1966 he would return to the Batesville Redevelopment Commission and serve as its' President until 1990. He would also manage the Batesville Memorial Swimming Pool from 1953 - 1991. Bob was a member of St. Louis Church, the Batesville V.F.W. Post #3183, the Prell-Bland American Legion Post #271 and the Indiana Retired Teachers Association.
He is survived by his life partner of 47 years, Wayne Fischer. Bob and Wayne enjoyed traveling and took numerous cruises. Although they liked visiting St. Martin's, the Grand Caymans became a home away from home. They spent Christmas in the Caymans for 40 years until recently when Bob's health made travel difficult. In addition to Wayne, he is also survived by two nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents; sister Ester Chamberlain; brother Charles Brokamp Jr. and two nephews.
Visitation is Monday, March 9th, from 9 - 10:30 a.m. at the funeral home. Funeral services follow at 11 a.m. at St. Louis Church with Rev. Stan Pondo officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery with military rites conducted by the Batesville V.F.W. and the Prell-Bland American Legion. The family requests memorials to the V.F.W. or the Legion.
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