Robert Roman

ROBERT ROMAN

Anamosa

Robert Roman, 61, of Anamosa, Iowa, and formerly of Cresco, Iowa, passed away Monday morning, Oct. 21, in Iowa City, Iowa. A memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019, at Notre Dame Catholic Church, 116 Third St. East, Cresco, Iowa, with Father Jacob Rouse officiating. Burial will be at a later date in Calvary Cemetery, Cresco. Lindstrom Funeral Home is assisting the family.

There also will be a memorial gathering in Anamosa, Iowa, on Saturday, Nov. 16, starting at noon with a prayer service followed by fellowship until 4 p.m. at the Lawrence Community Center, 600 E. Main St., Anamosa, Iowa.

Robert B. Roman was born Feb. 24, 1958, in Cresco, Iowa, to Bernard and Viola "Vi" (Peters) Roman. He graduated from Notre Dame High School in 1976 and Upper Iowa University in Fayette, Iowa, in 1980. Rob married Deb Dyrland on Oct. 9, 1998. They later divorced in May 2001.

Rob worked the last 39 years for Linn County. In 1980, Rob started as a park attendant for the Linn County Conservation Department. Since April of 1990, he worked as a vegetation management specialist for the Linn County Secondary Roads Department. Over the years, Rob was treasurer for US Shippers Council Inc., a member of the Jones County Conservation Board, Izaak Walton League, Ducks Unlimited of Jones County, The National Elk Federation and various roadside committees and groups.

Rob served on the Iowa Native Species Seed Committee for more than six years in the 1990s, helping to jump-start the native seed industry in Iowa. Rob hosted Iowa's annual roadside conference twice, in 1995 and in 2018. He was a great conservationist, well respected by his peers and generous with sharing his knowledge and his time to promote the benefits of native plants.

Rob was an avid hunter and fisherman. In addition to duck and pheasant hunting, Rob enjoyed fishing the Mississippi at Cassville, Wis.; in Devil's Lake, N.D.; Guttenberg, below the dam; Lake Macbride, in Solon, Iowa, with numerous fishing trips to Minaki, Ontario, Canada and South Dakota; as well as hunting elk, antelope and deer in Wyoming, hunting elk in Colorado and Montana, and hunting bear in Minnesota.

Rob is survived by his girlfriend of the last three years, Joyce Finn-Dirks of Anamosa; his mother, Vi Roman of Cresco; a sister, Carol (Mike) McGuire of Cresco, along with Carol and Mike's children, Mac (Laura), Kevin and Alison. He is further survived by his two Brittany Spaniels, Belle and Buddy.

He was preceded in death by his father, Bernard Roman.

Memorials may be directed to Jones County Conservation, 12515 Central Park Road, Center Junction, IA 52212, (563) 487-5038.