MENDOTA - Robert “Bob” J. Vietti, Sr., 82, of Mendota passed away Nov. 23, 2018 at Mercy Health, Rockford surrounded by his family.

Funeral services will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 28 at the Merritt Funeral Home with Father Peter Pilon officiating. Cremation rites will be accorded after the funeral and burial will be private at a later date. Visitation will be from 4-7 p.m. on Wednesday at the funeral home.

Bob was born March 10, 1936 in Pontiac to Joseph and June (Wolf) Vietti. He married Barbara E. Schuster on May 22, 1978 and moved to Mendota.

Survivors include his wife of Mendota; five children, Bill (Deb) Vietti of Pontiac, Bobby Vietti Jr. of Fairbury, Mark (Kristi) Schuster of Black River Falls, Wis., Brian (Heidi) Schuster of Tiskilwa and Deb (Jim) Joslin of Earlville; one brother, Jack Vietti of Pontiac; one sister, Connie (Steve) Hiatt of Thornton, Colo.; seven grandchildren, Kyle Vietti, Kelly (Vietti) Petrovich, Joshua Joslin, Greggorie Joslin, Jacob Schuster, Steven Kremer and Audrey Felland; and 11 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; one son, Gregory Schuster; and one great-grandchild, Koda Schuster.

Bob was a driver and supervisor for IBC/Dolly Madison for several years. After moving to Mendota, he began his career at Classon’s Super Foods and transitioned with changes to Thompson’s Food Basket and eventually Sullivan’s. After retirement, he enjoyed being a part-time driver for Mendota Area Senior Services in Mendota. He was a member of the Mendota Elks Lodge 1212 where he bowled in leagues. He also bowled at Bowl Air Lanes in Mendota prior to that. His hobbies included bowling, woodworking, gardening, and taking pride in his flowers. On any given summer day, friends and family could find him outside working the ground and tending to his gardens. His other passion was fishing and he thoroughly enjoyed his travels to Bull Shoals Lake in Arkansas in the spring and fall. As a diehard Chicago Bears and Cubs fan, he was thrilled to have been a part of the Bears Super Bowl and Cubs World Series wins. Anyone who knew him knows how proud he was of his sports teams and could find him yelling at the television especially when they played poorly.

Memorials may be directed to the family for a memorial to be established in Bob’s name.