Obituary of Robert "Bob" Edwin Ehle

Born in Ypsilanti, Michigan, to the late F. Dewey and Alice T. Ehle, Bob's early years were spent in the Ypsilanti/Ann Arbor area, with one memorable year in California toward the end of World War II, when his father worked for the U.S. Navy. It was during that year that Bob made an early commitment to Jesus, beginning a faith that would grow and strengthen through the years.Like many Michigan young men of his generation, Bob was greatly influenced by the auto industry. He learned to drive at twelve, and could hardly wait to own his first car. He finally inherited the family car, a Willys Utility Wagon that, though it needed a lot of work, was his own. He loved participating in driving skill competitions called "Road-eos" sponsored by the local Rotary Club, even winning first place one year! It was in these early years that Bob's love of the outdoors grew into a life-long joy. As a young man, he frequently went bird and deer hunting with family and friends. He canoed the Huron River and, as a young father with his oldest son, the boundary waters of northern Minnesota. He woke up four young children to see the Northern Lights, slowed the family station wagon to see a herd of deer. He loved drives in the country and camping on cross-country road trips, scrambling on rocks and hiking through woods. Later, he skied in Canada, Austria, and Colorado; he biked and jogged along the Rhine, in the Netherlands, and along the Front Range. The beauty of the natural world brought him deep joy.After graduating from Ypsilanti High School in 1954, he was introduced to Marilyn June Paul of Wayne, Michigan, when they were both part of the music team leading a service at the Howard Street Mission in Detroit. Bob and Marilyn were married in June 1957, started their family, and attended Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. After graduating with a diploma in Christian Education, Bob spent several years working in the family electrical contracting business near Ann Arbor before he and Marilyn joined the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ (now Cru) in 1966. Thus began a lifetime of adventure and service, as Bob and Marilyn and their four children lived in California, Minnesota, Texas, and British Columbia, Canada. In 1978, they moved to Bonn, Germany, where Bob and Marilyn were to lead a team ministering to international diplomats and German business people. At the same time, their lives were shattered by their son Rick's diagnosis of what would turn out to be terminal cancer. Although these first two years in Germany were extremely difficult, Bob felt fortunate to have a close relationship with Rick until his death in 1980, and he was sustained by his belief that a loving God was in control. Throughout the subsequent years in Bonn, Bob relished building relationships with people from around the world who were ready to explore an understanding of the Christian faith, a work that was grounded in his deep love for people and for God. As the Soviet Union became more open to Christian ministry in the early 1990s, Bob's leadership role expanded to CoMission, a multi-agency initiative to encourage and train educators in the Soviet Union to live out their faith through their work.In 1993, Bob and Marilyn returned to the States, settling in Colorado Springs but continuing to minister to people around the world. Since 2005, they have had the privilege of working with Unto, the humanitarian arm of Cru, through which they have loved taking God's good news as well as humanitarian goods to men, women, and children in great need. Bob loved the adventure of getting to know new places, from Haiti and El Salvador to Cameroon and Zambia, from Paris and Moscow to Beijing, Seoul, and Ulan Bator. The 56 years that Bob served with Cru along with his beloved wife Marilyn proved to be, truly, a perfect fit for him, combining his gift for planning and implementing projects with his passionate love for God, his delight in knowing all sorts of people, and his eager anticipation of the next destination ("Where can we go next? How soon?" were ever on his lips!).Bob savored his life with Marilyn, his children and grandchildren, ministry with Cru and through the local church. He rejoiced in skiing, biking, hiking, climbing "fourteeners," personal and group Bible study, music (especially jazz), cars, popcorn, constant learning, and people. He could not pass up an opportunity to talk with neighbors, passersby, fellow restaurant customers, and anyone walking a dog. It wasn't long before such conversations turned to sharing the good news of Jesus. Bob is survived by his wife, Marilyn, son Rob and daughter-in-law Geri, daughter Ren�e, son Randy and daughter-in-law Eiley, and four grandchildren: Isaac Ehle, and Morgan, Molly and Megan Ehle. He is also survived by his sister Barbara Curtis and brother-in-law Dick Curtis of Michigan, nieces Kay Spadafore and Caren Secord, nephew Rich Curtis, and many extended family members. Bob was preceded in death by his parents and his son Rick.Memorial gifts may be given to First Presbyterian Church/Missions, 315 E. Bijou St., Colorado Springs, CO 80903 or Unto, Inc., 2001 West Plano Pkwy, Suite 2200, Plano, TX 75075.