Robert “Bob” W. Aberle, age 73, of Peoria passed away on Thursday, May 27, 2021, at Unity Point Health-Methodist in Peoria.
He was born to Rudolph and Margaret Mary (Bussman) Aberle on October 13, 1947, in Peoria. He married Ramona “Mona” (Henderson) Statler on December 5, 1986, in Peoria.
Bob is survived by his wife, Mona of Dunlap; children, Micah (Lacey) Statler of Germantown Hills, Dr. Corinne Aberle (Kyle Ford) of Miami, FL, and Nick (Mariah) Aberle of Spring Bay; six grandchildren, Caroline, Waylon and Nash Statler, Emilie Ford and Levon and Raleigh Aberle; one sister, Frieda (Mark) Schellenberg of Peoria; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
After attending the University of Illinois Aviation Program, Bob served in the United States Army as a helicopter pilot. He flew with the Medevac program for Dustoff 82 in the Vietnam War from 1967 to 1969, and was honorably discharged in May of 1971. He then worked as an Air Traffic Controller until “Reagan fired him.” Later, he was a helicopter pilot for LifeFlight with the State of Illinois and retired in 2000.
Bob enjoyed spending time outdoors, with fishing, camping and hunting being his favorite activities. He loved his dogs, and wasn’t great at golfing, but enjoyed it anyway. He was an avid Fighting Illini fan and loved cheering on the Chicago Cubs and Bears. He made lifelong friends at Pearce Community Center in Chillicothe and also stayed in touch with friends he met while in the military. Bob loved spending time with his family and his sense of humor and dad jokes will be missed by those that loved him.