Robert True

Robert True, 94, died August 24, 2025 at Pheasant's Ridge Assisted Living in St. Peter.  Private family services will be held.  

“The Luckiest Man in the World” written by Bill Wagner on October 12, 2018. 

This story about Robert Danzel True was written by Bill Wagner, Bob’s neighbor.  The facts in this story were obtained from many conversations Bob and Bill had while walking Daisy (Bill and Shari’s little dog) almost every morning for years.  I heard many “True” stories from Bob and he claims some of them are factual.  Bob is always ready to tell a “True” story.

Robert Denzel True was born August 24, 1931 to Pauline Knutson and Donald David True.  Robert was the first born of eight children.  Siblings were Marit 1936, Howard 1940, Stefan 1944, Charles 1946, Lloyd 1948, Lowell 1950, and DD, Donald David 1951.

The family farm was located in Blue Earth County close to where the Blue Earth and Le Sueur Rivers meet, about a mile from the famous Red Jacket Train Trestle.  As a youth Robert enjoyed time with the Blue Earth and Le Sueur River, hiking along their banks, fishing and swimming in their waters.  Robert tells of times when the sun was just right, and he could look into the water and see the huge lunkers along the bottom of the Blue Earth.  The water was that clear.  He remembers Nov 11, 1940: The Armistice Day blizzard when he and his father used a wash tub to “sled” the sheep from the pasture to the barn because they were bunched up and could not move.  As Robert grew in age he grew in love for his home: Minnesota. 

Robert attended Indian Lake District 77 county school and the Mankato High School.  The County School had two privies, one for the girls and one for the boys.  Robert tells of a time when he felt the “call of nature” and was allowed to go out to the privy but, as was routine for the boys, he used the side of school building instead of going all the way to the privy.  On one occasion Robert was tending to his business and looked up to see Gladys Armstrong, his teacher, looking at him through the school window. 

As a teenager Robert would spend time at the “Attic”, a hangout for teens on the second floor of the “Y”.  It was a place for teens to hangout and dance to the jukebox and have a Coke for 5 cents.  Robert tells how Mary was always being asked to dance by the “good dancers” because she was a great dancer herself.  Bob claims he never made it into the” good dancers” category. 

The U.S. Korean War stared June 25, 1950.  Two of Robert’s friends, Bob Brown and Dick Lindblom, enlisted to serve, and Robert felt it was his duty as well.  He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force December 23, 1950.  His mother did not want him to go.  She told him “We are farmers, you don’t have to go.”  Robert knew he had to do his part. After 11 months of training, he was sent to Japan.  As he sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco he was told, “take a good look at that bridge because you won’t see it for 30 months.”  Bob took a picture from his transport ship as he sailed away from the USA headed for Japan.  He spent 28 months in the Korean Theater at Itazuke Air Base on the Japanese Island of Kyushu.  He worked in the air defense control center.  Robert tells of the hostility American Soldiers faced in Japan and of a time when he was almost hit by a car that swerved to kill and injure other soldiers walking along with him.  Bob can still greet you in the morning with a Japanese greeting.  The time in Japan was “forever” for the farm boy who longed to be back home in his beautiful Minnesota.  His duties in the air defense control center helped keep track of U.S. Air Force bombers and any enemy air craft in the Korean Theater.  The worst part of his duties involved climbing up the antenna tower to maintain the antennas.  The tower was about 30 feet tall: Bob says it felt like 100 feet.  Heights are not Bob’s thing: interesting for someone who chose the Air Force. 

Robert received an honorable discharge December 17, 1954.  Five days later he re-met the love of his life, Mary Joan Heimann.  It happened that Mary was attending the wedding of her friend, Elaine who was marrying Dale Jones.  Bob’s friend suggested going to the wedding dance to check out the girls.  It sounded good to Bob.  As luck would have it, Bob ended up dancing with Mary and offering her a ride home.  After walking her to the door, Bob was left outside as Mary went straight into the porch and closed the screen door.  This is one of the occasions that Mary would mention as a time when she saved Bob’s life.  “If my mother would have seen you kiss me, she would have killed you.”  The romance grew from there.  A June wedding was planned, but lack of money and Bob’s 12 hour, six days a week working road construction made June impossible.  They were united in marriage December 28, 1955 at the First Congressional Church in Mankato, Minnesota.  They had four children, Kristi Lynn 1957, Karen Marie 1959, Janine Debra 1964, and Robert Danzel II 1970. 

Early on Robert worked in a filling station across the street from the famous Saulpaugh hotel.  When the owner was ready to sell the filling station Robert made a bid for it but lost out to his friend.  Bob mentions that it was one of the luckiest things that happened to him.  Robert worked for the U.S. Postal Services 1957 to 1993.  He turned down the first offer from the Post Office until his father reacted to his decision: “What’s wrong with you Robert, it’s a government job.”  Bob did get a Postal Service job and he worked hard to move up in the system.  He served numerous management positions including Assistant Postmaster Mankato, Minnesota, Management Section Director of Customer Services and Postmaster Albert Lea, Minnesota.  I have seen a scrapbook filled with certificates of accommodation and thank you notes from his time with the Postal Service.

Bob will tell you “I think I am the luckiest man in the world:” and that stroke of luck came with the “yes” Mary Jo gave him when he asked her to marry him.  He will tell you, “Mary was a very kind, intelligent, and loving person,” and that assessment is shared by everyone who knew her.  She went to work at the First National Bank during her senior year of high school.  At the time, married women were not allowed to work in Mankato banks.  So, when Bob and May were married her job was gone.  The bank hired two ladies to replace Mary after she left her employment.  Bob explains that it took two to do the work Mary Jo was doing.  Soon after Mary lost her job because of her marriage the banks eliminated the rule completely.

I will tell you; Bob constantly praised his wife as his rock and the most wonderful wife a man could have.  In all the time we walked and talked Bob never once complained about anything Mary did.  He would admit to messing up himself, but his care for Mary was always beyond reproach.  Mary Jo was the most important thing in Bob’s life and the one beautiful thing that backed up his claim, “I am the luckiest man in the world.”