Pastor Robert C. Mickelson, 68, of 134 W. Coolidge Ave., Ironwood, went home to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ unexpectedly Monday, Sept. 17, 2007, at St. Mary's Medical Center in Duluth, Minn. Pastor Bob died on his granddaughter Kimberly's birthday following complications from open heart surgery. He was born Nov. 29, 1938, in Ironwood, son of the late Hugo and June (Dixon) Mickelson, and attended A.L. Norrie Grade School and L.L. Wright High School. At the age of 17, he entered the U.S. Navy, serving on the USS Bristol for four years, and was honorably discharged as a petty officer second class on Oct. 23, 1959. While in the service, Bob received his general education degree. Following his honorable discharge from the Navy, he became an air traffic controller for the Federal Aviation Agency, serving in that capacity until 1974, when he returned to the area. He attended Gogebic Community College, receiving an associate degree in electronics, and opened Tri-City Television in Bessemer and also taught electronics to high school and college students at Gogebic Community College for three years. Bob then entered the ministry and became credentialed with the Christian and Missionary Alliance. He was a graduate of Rhema Bible College in Tulsa, Okla., the International Bible Institute and Seminary in Florida, and the Institute of Ministry in Bradenton, Fla. For the past 33 years, he had resided in the Range area, pastoring churches in Marenisco, Gurney, Wis., Ramsay and Ironwood, where he currently served as pastor of the Woodland Church on Curry Rd. Pastor Bob served as Executive Director of the Range United Way for many years, was a past member of the Range Clergy Association, and helped coach his children and grandchildren in Little League baseball for many years. His passion was preaching, his wife, family and grandchildren were the light of his life, and his favorite pasttime was sitting on the end of a dock with a fishing pole and a cup of coffee. On Jan. 30, 1960, he was married to the former Marjorie A. "Marge" Perkins at Emmaeus Lutheran Church in Milwaukee by the late Rev. Harold Neuberger. Marge survives. Also surviving are his five children, Jayne ( Brad) Beran, Concorde, No. Carolina, Diana Mrdjenovich, Montreal, Wis., Rob (Karen) Mickelson, Superior, Wis., Jon (Heather) Mickelson, Rice Lake, Wis., and Jill (Bill) Carver, Ramsay; 16 grandchildren, David, Rob Jr., Kyle, Erinn, Andrew, Marcus, Tom, Kayla, Amanda, Nicholas, Kimberly, Holly, Jacob, Morgan, Kris and Shelby; two sisters, Janet (Cecil) Peterson, Watersmeet, and Deborah (Steven) Varlesi, Phoenix, AZ; his mother-in-law, Martha Perkins, Ironwood; and numerous aunts, nieces, nephews and cousins. Besides his parents, Bob was preceded in death by his brother, Ralph "Bill" Peterson, and father-in-law, James Perkins. Funeral services will be held Friday, Sept. 21, at 11 a.m., at the Woodland Church, N10234 Curry Rd. Ironwood, with Pastor Darrell Grant of the Superior Alliance Church, Superior, and Pastor Gary Grabow of Living Waters Missionary Assembly, Ironwood, co-officiating. Luncheon will immediately follow in the church fellowship hall. Committal services and interment will be in Riverside Cemetery, Ironwood, where full military rites will be accorded by the Ironwood American Legion Post 5 Honor Guard. Relatives and friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. this evening at the McKevitt-Patrick Funeral Home, 305 N. Lowell St., in Ironwood, and again from 10 a.m. until service time at the church on Friday. Pallbearers will be Kyle Carver, Rob Mickelson Jr., James Farragh, David Block, Jeff Lauren and David Brauer. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Northwoods Christian Academy, Hurley, or the Woodland Church. To view Bob's obituary online, sign the guestbook and express condolences, visit mckevittpatrickfuneralhome.com. McKevitt-Patrick Funeral Home Inc., Ironwood, is assisting the family with the arrangements. To My Dear Husband, Lord God, I thank you this day... For my precious husband... The one you gave me to love. How grateful I am for this wonderous gift... My friend, my companion, my love. I know he'd take my pain if he could... He's considerate, loving and kind... But-t, much more than this, he's a child of yours... He prays, he listens, he tries, Above all else, to do your will... My husband, my friend, my love. So this day my Lord, I want to offer up my special thanks... To let you know how I care... For this wonderous gift of my husband, my friend... Handpicked by you with your love... Your Loving Wife