October 10, 1943 - April 5, 2026
Robert “Bob” Savage, 82, of Minneapolis, died peacefully on Sunday, April 5, 2026, surrounded by loved ones.
Bob was born in Houston, Texas, to Mary Elizabeth and Lynn Savage. A sixth generation Texan, he was a descendant of a long line of proud Texans who settled in the Hubbard area in the early 1800s and traced their roots to the Republic of Texas. He grew up in Houston and spent much of his youth in Hubbard. He graduated from Waltrip High School in Houston in 1961 and earned a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Houston in 1964. He lost his father while still in high school and shared a close bond with his mother throughout her life.
Bob spent most of his career in the newspaper industry. He worked for The Christian Science Monitor for many years, then later for the Dallas Times Herald before serving as publisher of the Lewisville Daily Leader (Texas) and the Cherokee Daily Times (Iowa). His final newspaper job brought him to the Minneapolis area in 1987. Eventually Bob transitioned his career to information technology. At the time of his retirement, he worked as a programmer for the State of Minnesota Department of Education.
While in college, he met his first wife, Beth Newton Savage, at Sky Valley Ranch, a summer camp in Buena Vista, Colorado. They married in 1964. Initially settling in Houston and later Boston, they raised (and moved) their family from Massachusetts to Texas, to Massachusetts, back to Texas, and eventually to northwest Iowa as Bob pursued one newspaper opportunity after the next. Bob loved everything to do with trains – and cats. He was an avid model railroader and was fascinated by 19th century railroad history, particularly in the Colorado region. Each time he moved his family, the new house needed to have a room dedicated to his elaborate model railroad. He took his children to railroad conventions and hobby stores to pick out model train cars, and he was patient when his beloved cat gingerly made its way across his carefully constructed layout.
In 1997, Bob met Mary Jo Phelps, who would become the great love of his life. They married in 1999 and were blessed with 27 beautiful years together. When Bob moved in with Mary, he brought with him two cats – a concession she agreed to despite being genuinely frightened of them, a testament to her love for him and to Bob’s unwillingness to part with his feline companions. They were polar opposites, and it worked magically for them. While Bob was an only child, a homebody, and self-proclaimed couch potato and computer geek, she was outgoing and social, with a large and loving family, and she pulled him out of his shell. They enjoyed traveling and spending winters in Florida during their retirement years. Bob loved baseball and was a loyal fan and season ticket holder of the Minnesota Twins. Mary accompanied him to many games over the years, although the passion was much more his than hers. They lived in Spring Lake Park, Minnesota, for nearly 25 years before moving to the Nokomis Square Senior Living Community in Minneapolis in 2023. Bob could not have been any happier in their cozy apartment, sitting beside Mary, keeping up with the news, sharing his political passions, and watching movies, television dramas, and Jeopardy! together. In the end, Bob’s greatest happiness came from sharing a quiet, well‑lived life with Mary by his side.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Mary Elizabeth Allen Savage and Lynn Savage.
He is survived by his loving wife, Mary Jo Savage; daughter, Deb (Steve) Schunder of West Hartford, Connecticut; son David (Dot) Savage of Bloomington, Minnesota; stepson, Nate (Jayna) Phelps of Minneapolis; stepdaughter, Sara Phelps of Minneapolis; five grandchildren, Rachel and Robert Schunder, and Lizzie, AJ and Danny Savage; and two step‑grandchildren, Thea Luoma and Aiden Phelps.
A private memorial service will be held at the convenience of the family.