Bob Hasper

Bob Hasper adored forging connections with others and being outdoors. His sense of humor warmed the hearts of everyone around him. He was a great golfer, fantastic in so many ways, but his greatest gift was kindness.

John and Angeline Hasper welcomed Bob into their lives on February 26, 1940, joining his sister Julia in their Muskegon home.

Bob loved cars from the time he was a young boy, growing up around his father’s fast cars. When Bob started driving, he quickly learned he had a need for speed. Once, during Bob's high school years at Niles, he sped past a cop and was pulled over. For the rest of that summer, he worked to pay off the ticket at a local car wash. When he wasn't speeding around, he was playing football or golf, the latter becoming a lifelong love. His father, an exceptional golfer himself, passed down everything he knew. At this time all Bob's friends referred to him as Hap, short for Hasper, and the nickname stuck within this close group long after they graduated in 1958.

Bob attended college at Western Michigan University for two years. At 21, he and a friend treated two ladies to a hockey game in Muskegon. For Bob, it was a blind date that would change the course of his life. As fate would have it, he was paired with Patricia Ballinger, and the two connected immediately. After dating for three years, Bob asked Pat to marry him, and she said yes. The fiancés were so enamored, they planned the wedding in just two weeks, and on June 26th, 1964, the couple began their 59-year marriage.

Bob got a job at Brunswick which later changed its name to Interkal. He stuck with the company for decades, manufacturing school chairs and tables and later making stadium seating. He worked his way up to General Foreman during his career before retiring at 70.

Bob loved being outdoors, and shared that love with his family when they went camping. They frequented Van Buren State Park, spending many summers out in a pop-up camper. He enjoyed climbing the dunes and swimming in Lake Michigan, especially when there were waves, the bigger the better. He always bodysurfed the next wave to get back to shore.

Golf remained a central passion throughout Bob's life. He was a prominent member of many golf leagues, and he won the league championship twice, playing with many of the best golfers in the Kalamazoo area. It was important for Bob to teach his son to love the very game his father–John's namesake–had taught him. John and Bob played in leagues together for ten years, and John was there when Bob shot his hole-in-one at States Golf Course on the 17th hole. It wasn't until John was in his 30s that he beat his dad in a round— and Bob knew that the legacy had been passed on.

Because the weather doesn't always permit outdoor activities, he picked up the hobby of bowling, got hooked, and joined a bowling league. When golf and bowling overlapped, Bob couldn't be seen. He encouraged Pat to bowl with him, and they joined a couple's bowling group that they stayed with for many years. Bob passed this sport onto his son as well, with John going on to bowl several 300 games.

Bob never stopped being fascinated with cars, especially Toyotas. Over the years he came to own over a dozen. His good friend Ronnie worked for a dealership, and Bob loved making his friend money—it seemed like every time he and his friend saw each other, Bob came home with a sparkling new ride. Bob also liked chocolate—he was infamous for his sweet tooth. His granddaughter, Payton, caught on and would make lime tarts, which Bob thoroughly devoured.

Summertime for the Hasper family came with the expectation of fireworks. Bob usually spent too much on them, often driving all the way down to Indiana for a better selection and wider variety. The children and grandchildren always had fun with firecrackers and bottle rockets which Bob provided in surplus. Once while lighting off fireworks at the Muskegon Country Club, a stray firework nearly started a fire. The family put it out before it spread, a fond memory for the Haspers.

Bob treasured family time. After every holiday dinner, he’d join in with the family answering cards with questions, detailing stories from his life and chiming in with clever comments. Usually, even long after the cards ended up by the wayside, everyone was still there, telling stories, making jokes, and connecting. Bob relished the moments he made others laugh, a skill he’d honed.

Bob adored his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, to them, he was their “Papa”, a title he wore with pride. His license plate even read “My favorite people call me Papa”. He never spared an effort to make it to their events, the countless sports games, recitals, and graduations, and he was all the happier when it included sitting outside.

Everyone who ever met Bob left better off. He was always kind, always could crack a joke, even in the decades he was in and out of the hospital. He just knew what to say to make every doctor, nurse, employee—anyone—laugh, even in situations where they might've felt like they shouldn't have. Bob was a fighter through it all, took everything on the chin, and always got back up to continue living the life he wanted to live, to be there for those he needed, in his heart, to be there for. His spirit of kindness, humor, resilience, and love will live on in the hearts of all who had the privilege of knowing him.

Robert Hasper, 83, died on July 28, 2023. His parents preceded him in death, along with his sister, Julia Scamehorn. Surviving are his wife, Pat; children: John (Kelli) Hasper, and Julia (Roger) Brinks; grandchildren: Jessica (Brett) Penny, Jordan Hasper, Payton Brinks, and Carson Hasper Brinks; great-grandchildren: Josephine and Parker Penny; and many nieces and nephews.

A reception will be held Friday, August 11th from 4-8 PM at States Golf Course, 20 W Ave. E, Vicksburg. A service will take place at 5 PM. Visit Bob’s webpage at BetzlerLifeStory.com to archive favorite memories, photos, and sign his guestbook. Memorial contributions may be made to SPCA of Southwest Michigan or Centrica Care Navigators. Betzler Life Story Funeral Homes, 6080 Stadium Drive, Kalamazoo 269-375-2900.