Bob Fitzer

He was an amazing man, and he had an amazing life and wife. Last week this paper ran the obituary of Robert George “Bob” Fitzer. It was an honor to have known him. Bob passed many stories of his life as a farmer on to me in the 30 plus years I knew him.

Thanks to an interview that is now archived on the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library site, his wisdom and experience can live on for future generations. I suggest that anyone who wants to better understand how the American farmer of 100 years ago transitioned from what many consider subsistence farming to technological and productive giants in the food industry watch the video of his interview.

Bob talks about the farm he grew up on at the intersection of Lincoln Highway and Wolf Road. I can only wonder how his life would have been different had the family not lost that farm during the depression and moved to Plainfield in 1933. He explains how his farm transitioned from an era of horse and steam power and truly organic agriculture to tractors and combines.

Bob also recalled much about life from attending a one-room school to going to Joliet Township High School. He tells personal stories of the CCC and WPA during the depression as well as the Second World War.

I could go on, but I may not do the interview justice, and I really encourage you to watch it for yourself. Simply type in “Bob Fitzer oral history Abraham Lincoln” and there should be multiple results of the search with links to the interview.

Near the end of the interview Bob is asked what he does to keep busy. He states what his father once told him, “When you get old, staying alive is a full time job.” He was 88 in 2013 when he did that interview and claimed he wasn’t at that point yet because he could still do the planting and harvesting.

Thanks to Covid I did not get to see Bob the last several years of his life. My last conversation with him was by phone, and I sensed he was frustrated from working full time to stay alive. Now that Bob has passed, he can finally quit working. There is no doubt in my mind that Bob was truly outstanding in his field.