A Celebration of Life Service for Robert "Rob" Flatgard, age 67, of Arlington, South Dakota, formerly of Windom, will be held Tuesday, November 11th at 1:00 PM at the Bethany Lutheran Church in rural Bergen. Burial will be in the church cemetery.

Robert "Rob" Oscar Flatgard, 67, passed away at the Mayo Clinic Hospital, Saint Mary's Campus on November 6, 2025, where he had received a heart transplant in December 2023.

Rob was born May 23, 1958, to Robert Lee and Marita "Rita" (Ramsey) Flatgard, in Windom, Minnesota. He attended Windom High School and graduated in 1976. Rob earned a Land Construction-Conservation Tech. certificate from the Vocational Technical Institute in Jackson, MN in 1977 and went on to receive an associate's degree in Light Horse Management from the University of Minnesota Technical College, Waseca in 1984.

Rob married Jean Elness on December 17, 1983, and they moved to Alaska for three years. He then enlisted in the Army which took them to Germany. Upon returning to the United States, he joined the Army National Guard from which he retired in 2004. He and Jean made their home and raised their three kids outside of Arlington, South Dakota so he could pursue a degree at South Dakota State University. In 1993, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences. Following that, he went to work for the United States Postal Service for 27 years, and during that time, he was a mail carrier, supervisor, and postmaster. He worked in rural Winnett, Montana for six years before retiring in 2020.

An avid reader, he spent countless hours reading histories of the west and a variety of novels. He shared his love for literature by reading aloud to his children and grandchildren, starting a family reading club and inspiring lifelong curiosity with frequent visits to the library. He relished in a secondhand book sale. Rob also had an affinity for being outdoors. Some of his favorite ways to spend time outside were walking, fishing and spotting wildlife. He also enjoyed improvement projects around their acreage and splitting wood for winter.

Rob adored Jean in ways that cannot be confined to love notes or big celebrations. Spending time with his family was important to him, and he delighted in everything his kids did. That translated to his grandkids later in life, where smiles and laughs abounded. Possessing a diverse sense of humor, Rob appreciated groan-worthy, classic dad jokes to witty, subtly delivered puns. Rob demonstrated a depth of life and was a calm presence reminding us all to cherish the moment you are in and not be overburdened with what comes next.

Rob is survived by his wife Jean and three children, Audrey, Ian (Jenna), and Josie, as well as four grandchildren, Sullivan and Charlotte Smith, Marla and Ruth Flatgard.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Randy, and niece, Mary Di Gravina.

Rob will be deeply missed by friends and family.