Robert Fred "Reuben" Reisbeck

Well, the old chicken thief is dead. Finally. Gone on to his reward—whatever and wherever that may be. Probably died of pure meanness. He lived a long and not especially productive life. In other words he was no big deal. If you were to ask nearly anyone if they knew Reuben, they’d probably reply, “Reuben who?” But somehow he managed to have a lot of fun. Reuben was born June 7, 1932 in the old Reisbeck family farmhouse, three miles west of Berthoud, in Larimer County, Colorado. His parents were Phillip H. and Doris VanGalder Reisbeck. They were good and decent folks. He went to public school there at Berthoud, and then went on to Colorado A&M College in Fort Collins where, somehow, he managed to earn an undergraduate degree in General Agriculture. He was never on the Dean’s Honor Roll. Then on October 9, 1955, he did just about the only really intelligent thing he ever did do; he married the very fine and lovely Sandra Lee Laulainen. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Arde Laulainen of Cheyenne, Wyoming. (She wasn’t of age when they got married. He had to tell a waitress in Estes Park, Colorado, that it was all right for her to drink a Manhattan.) That marriage occurred as he was complaining his way through two years of active duty in the United States Army. Following his anything but illustrious military career, our young warrior began a time in his life when he did a lot of dumb things and didn’t do any of them very well. Finally Oklahoma State University took him on, let him hang around the campus in Stillwater, gave him a little office, and even let him teach some courses. Meanwhile, thanks to some GI Bill educational allowance -- and a hard working wife who could do anything well – Reuben received an MS in Mass Communication at the University and then an EdD in Higher Education/Mass Communication. He wasn’t impressed with all his education, especially the “Doctor of Education” degree, claiming it wasn’t really a doctor’s degree, and that it was probably worth less than a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science. He often would point out that, “Even a rectal thermometer has degrees.” He was certainly educated beyond his intelligence. But going to school is easier than working at a day job. The best and happiest part of his career at OSU seemed to come after he became a faculty member of the Agricultural Information Department. There he produced all the Division of Agriculture’s radio programs, and very often produced and hosted the every-weekday-morning television agricultural show, “Sunup.” Big Whoopee! It’s hard to believe that anyone would watch that ugly old man on TV. And then he retired in 1997. Some people wondered what he retired from. Now, he and Sandra (he called her “Mama”) had a 60-acre place outside of Stillwater. They lived out there well over thirty years in all trying to raise a few Appaloosa horses and some mangy old Hereford beef cows. The truth is they simply didn’t know much about practical ranching, and they made every dumb mistake in the book. But it was something to do. And they actually had a good time at it. For example, they’d haul hay together at night when it was cool, and other things like that -- things sane people would never consider doing. We will say, however, that the old war horse was a chicken man. He loved chickens, and raised a new flock of broilers and layers every year. When you get down to it, what old Reuben was best at was spending money. It was a good thing Mama was tighter than a tick, else wise they’d have been living at the county poor farm. His wife, Sandra, and three children who grew up and left home long ago survive the old man. They include Robin Reisbeck Barbe of Springerville, Arizona, Craig Reisbeck of Siloam Springs, Arkansas, and Holly Jo Reisbeck Popham of Columbia, Missouri. And there are four grandchildren; Austin and Ashley Popham, son and daughter of Holly, and Clayton and Elizabeth, son and daughter of Craig. Reuben has a surviving brother, Jim, of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Reuben’s ashes will be placed in the Columbarium at the Estes Valley Memorial Cemetery at Estes Park, Colorado. Obviously his body was cremated. He didn’t owe a soul any money (that we know of,) and, since he had no debtors, it’s pretty dadburned improbable that anyone else would take note of his passing enough actually to take the time to come to some sort of memorial service. But on the slim chance that anyone might show up, we hope they bring along a big bottle of Dago Red and have a good time giving old Reuben’s memory a good what for. By the way – you’ll have to pay your own way to Estes Park and buy your own wine. -written by Robert "Reuben" Reisbeck

Tributes

Robert Fred "Reuben" Reisbeck

June 7, 1932 - February 13, 2017