Robert Tasler

Robert Tasler, 77, of Marshalltown, left on his final flight early in the morning of Wednesday, May 25th, at the Iowa Veterans Home. Memorial services honoring his life will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, May 28th, at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home. He will be laid to rest at a later date in the Riverside Cemetery. Visitation and a gathering will be held from 5-7 p.m. Friday at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home with full military honors presented by his comrades from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #839 and by American Legion Posts #46 in the Marshalltown area. A memorial fund is being established. For condolences, please visit www.mitchellfh.com. Ph. 641-844-1234. Born Robert Ernest Tasler on July 31st, 1938, in Marshalltown, he was the oldest child born to Ernest and Edith (Pegg) Tasler. He attended school in Liscomb, Conrad, Taylor #4 (a one-room schoolhouse), Green Mountain, Liberty Township Consolidated Schools and graduated from the Marshalltown High School in 1956. Three days following, he entered Great Lakes Boot Camp. Robert had a colorful military history including: Norman, OK Class C School, Norfolk, VA radar school, Glynco, GA airborne CIC school, Barbers Point, Hawaii VW-14 developing the initial Cold War barrier, in Guam for VW-3 training for two years, weather missions (typhoons) radar coverage for the Pacific 7th Fleet and flew as a ACW3 in the EC121 (Willy Victor). This tour was finished in July of 1959. Bob attended the Marshalltown Junior College two years before transferring to NW Missouri State University in Maryville completing his business degree and graduating in 1963. On February 1st, 1963, at the Conrad United Methodist Church, he was united in marriage to the love of his life, Linda Beeghly. In November following his marriage, he went to Pensacola, FL. to attend flight officer training for 14 weeks then Glynco, GA for six weeks before Corpus Christy, TX, and Barbers Point, HA. When the barrier closed in 1965, he went to San Diego to fly the new E2A carrier based airplane as a NFO. He was deployed with Det. Alpha then VAW-116 on the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea for two tours of Viet Nam and plank owner of VAW-116. Robert served as a shore instructor in Glynco, GA from March of 1968 to March of 1970 before getting orders to report to the USS Kittyhawk as staff 7th Fleet Admiral Staff from December of 1971 to June of 1974 as an instructor. From July of 1977 to July 1978 and December 1980 to March 1982 he was in Korea, in San Diego from August 1978 to November 1980 and retired in 1983 as a NFO (Naval Flight Officer) stationed in Chicago. He said many times following retirement when world events would require the help of the US Navy, he wished he could go. Mr. Tasler thoroughly enjoyed fishing, especially with his fishing buddy Verne Biggs. He and Linda were blessed with years of traveling and time together seeing their kids and grandkids grow. He was a member of the American Legion Frank Lewis Glick Post #46, and life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Harry C. Harter Post #839. Left to cherish his life are Linda, his loving wife of 53 years, his daughter- Kirsten (Joel) Dannen of Linn Valley, Kansas and son, Scott (Deidre) Tasler of Bristow, VA; grandchildren- Rachel (Scott) Rigdon of Dallas, TX; Julie (A.J.) Fitzgerald of Leesville, LA; Zachary Tasler, US Army stationed in Afghanistan, Clay Tasler of the University of Iowa and Paige Tasler at home in Bristow, VA., as well as many friends and relatives. In death, Robert rejoined his parents, sister LeAnne Large and brother Richard Tasler.