Robert ("Bob") W. Dernbach, 91, of Eau Claire, a lifelong outdoorsman who practiced law for 53 years, passed away Friday, August 14, 2009, at his home. Bob was born in Wisconsin Rapids on November 24, 1917, the son of Adolph and Mabel (Kehl) Dernbach, and graduated from Lincoln High School in Wisconsin Rapids. In 1940, he became the first college graduate in his family when he earned a bachelors degree in business from the University of Wisconsin-Madison after paying his expenses working in a grocery store. He practiced as a Certified Public Accountant in Wisconsin Rapids and then enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served seven years in the Army, including a year in Japan immediately after World War II, and was honorably discharged with the rank of captain. Bob married Audrey Jane Retzlaff at the Little Brown Church in the Vale at Nashua, Iowa, on March 28, 1951. In 1956, he earned a law degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and moved to Eau Claire. He joined the law office of Connor T. Hansen, with whom he shared a general law practice until Hansen was appointed as a judge in the Eau Claire County Court. He continued in a solo practice for many years, and then practiced law with Michael Koehn. Bob's law practice was varied, but tended to concentrate on estate and tax planning, debt collection, and probate. He "retired" in 2004. Even from home, he made presentations to senior citizens on estate planning and did other legal work. Bob was active in a variety of organizations. He was a longtime member of Christ Church Cathedral in Eau Claire, and served as the chancellor (or attorney) of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Wisconsin for more than two decades. He was an active 50-year member of George B. Wheeler Lodge No. 351 F&AM (Free and Accepted Masons), a 32nd degree member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Eau Claire, and a member of Zor Temple and the Mehara Shrine Club. He served as local commander of Johnson-Nichols Post 53 of the American Legion, Eau Claire County chairman of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, and president of the Eau Claire Council of Camp Fire Girls. He also taught economics, business finance, and investments at the Wisconsin State College in Eau Claire (now the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire). Bob was an avid hunter and fisherman, and introduced all three of his sons to fishing and hunting. He spent a week nearly every year fishing in Ontario. He bagged his last deer in 2007 with a bow, and made his last fishing trip to Ontario in 2008, where he caught a 26½ inch walleye. He also sponsored a trap shooting team at the Eau Claire Rod&Gun Club. His wife, Audrey, predeceased him in 2003. Audrey, a registered nurse, spent much of her life working passionately to make parents aware of an eye disease called amblyopia, or "lazy eye." When she passed away, he established the Audrey Dernbach Memorial Nursing Scholarship at the Chippewa Valley Technical College. Bob is survived by three sons, John (Kathy) of Camp Hill, Pa., Paul (Mary Jo) of Naples, Fla., and Bob Jason (Jeanne) of Davie, Fla.; two grandsons, Joseph and Matthew; five granddaughters, Rebecca, Theresa, Sarah, Elizabeth and Kathryn; sister Margaret (Martin) Jackson, of Wisconsin Rapids; sister-in-law Dorothy (John) Ricci of Morrisonville, N.Y.; sister-in-law Jan Retzlaff of Wisconsin Rapids; nieces Dawn Lamb of Wisconsin Rapids, Kris Cichocki of Waldo, Barbara Bissonnette of Winooski, Vt., and Cynthia Weston of Lake Mills; and nephews Dan and Jeff Retzlaff, both of Madison. A gathering of family and friends will be held August 29, 2009 at 5 p.m. at Christ Church Cathedral, 510 South Farwell St., in Eau Claire, to celebrate Bob's life and share stories. Flowers and plants are welcome. Memorials may also be directed to either the Audrey Dernbach Memorial Nursing Scholarship, Chippewa Valley Technical College Foundation, 620 West Clairemont Avenue, Eau Claire, WI 54701 (checks should be made payable to "CVTC Foundation, Inc."); or the Eau Claire Rod&Gun Club Foundation Scholarship Fund, Eau Claire Rod & Gun Club, P.O. Box 1572, Eau Claire, WI 54702-1572 (checks should be made payable to "Eau Claire Rod & Gun Club Foundation"). \r\n

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