Robert Dages

Robert 'Bob' Dages entered the world December 15 1925 and spread his love of laughter for more than eight decades. Bob's hearty laugh was silenced on December 31 2011 but the laughter he sparked is multiplied and amplified by his children: Jim (Roberta) of Lafayette CO; Jean Dages-Wilkerson (Paul Wilkerson); Don (Mary Ellen); Dave (Jeanne); John (Connie) and Paul; his grandchildren Josh Alina Dan David Becca Brian Tonnie Ben Mark Justin Stephen Will Maggie and Michael; and even in the tiny voice of his first great-grandchild Evaleigh. If all that laughter is too much we apologize; this would not be the first time we've been shushed for laughing too hard. Bob joins his wife Anne who died in 1990 and his parents Frederick and Elnora. Despite living in the Akron area since 1961 Bob's heart never left his hometown of Navarre. Stories of his childhood were painted on the canvas of a great small town with plots driven by our country's best and worst times played out by a host of colorful characters not the least of which were his parents. Much of Bob's early life revolved around Navarre's City Dairy where he learned the dairy business from his father and then built on that as he ran the business during the 1940s and 1950s. It was there Bob learned to wake early work hard and treat people with kindness. Bob earned his acceptance in 'The Great Generation' by serving in the Army during WWII. The few stories he shared about this time would oddly leave one laughing. His letters to his mother during the war focused more on the quality of Army food (much of which he found to his liking) than the rigors of saving the world. Later is his life people outside his family knew him as a Reiter & Harter milkman or an insurance salesman. After retirement others met Bob as he hosted Dages/Daeges reunions that drew people from far away scooped out their Baskin-Robbins ice cream cone sliced their deli meat just right at Lou & Hy's Deli or handed them their cheese and wine at West Point Market. There was never an extra charge for the smile. Throughout his life Bob's Catholic faith served as his bedrock. The days Bob missed Mass were few and far between. Bob's greatest accomplishments were the six children he raised with Anne. Easy to find in a crowded room (which table is laughing the hardest?) they carry on - and have passed on to Bob's grandchildren - Bob's passion for laughter and his insistence on working hard. Mass of Christian burial will take place on Friday January 6 2012 at 11 AM at St. Sebastian Catholic Church 476 Mull Ave Akron OH 44302. Family interment at St. Clement Cemetery in Navarre. Friends may call at the Hummel Funeral Home 500 E. Exchange St. Akron on Thursday January 5 2012 from 4-8 pm. Memorial donations may be made to Navarre-Bethlehem Township Historical Society PO Box 291 Navarre OH 44662 or take a loved-one out for ice cream.