Robert Lee Thieneman Jr. was drafted into the United States Army and began active duty 29 Jan 1945. He was honorably discharged on 18 Nov 1946 after serving one year, nine months and twenty days. His Army serial number was 38 621 028. Bob left the service with the rank of Master Sergent. A summary of his service record follows: Served with Yokohama Base at Yokohama, Japan.
Supervised and directed the work of 43 enlisted men and 5 civilian employees in the operation of the Adjutant General's office. Received all incoming mail and made distribution to various sub-sections. Checked all outgoing mail for form. Processed all board and court proceedings. Handled all classified material such as top secret, secret and confidential matters. Maintained all records pertaining to enlisted personnel assigned to office. [Separation Qualification Record, Army of the United States, 18 Nov 1946]
Bob met his wife Margie Johnson when they were both working at Western Union in the 1940's. Bob retired fromWestern Union Telegraph Company in 1971 [forced retirement due to a union dispute] after 33 years. He was a Telegraph Operator and [later] night manager. Bob Thieneman died at home [1815 South White St.] just after midnight on 19 Aug 1985 in his bedroom [the front upstairs bedroom].
After having been ill since the summer of1983 with cancer of the pancreas and trachea. He had lived in that house since December 1923, moving there when he was five years old. Bob Thienemann was 6'2", weighing 178 lbs.. He had sandy-red hair and blue eyes. Bob wore suit size 42 long with waist 36", shoe size 10 1/2", hat size 7 1/4". His color preference was beige. He wore glasses to read.
He resided in the following locations: 1918-1956 New Orleans, LA; 1956 St. Louis, MO [University Park]; 1956-1985 New Orleans, LA [had a summer home in Pass Christian Isles, MS from 1958 until the night of 17Aug 1969 when it was destroyed in Hurricane Camille] Bob was an Episcopalian, but converted to Roman Catholicism while at patient at St. Charles General Hospital in 1985 [he had been attending Catholic Mass with his wife Margie for many years]. He was a member of St. Patrick Catholic Church.
Bob Thieneman was eulogized at his funeral by his son, Keith Gregory Thienemann. The text of the eulogy follows:
There are few events in a person's life that are as painful as the passing of a loved one. Be he friend, neighbor, brother, husband, father or grandfather the pain is no less sharp, the loss no less great. We are here today to pay respect to a man who lived his life in a very private, quiet way. A worker, a person who could be depended upon by all who knew him.
For most of us who knew Bob Thieneman well, we will remember him in his paint cap, always the handyman who loved the daily chores of life. Bob Thieneman was a skilled and talented craftsman whose work with wood will live on for many generations to come. But for all of the little jobs that he lovingly toiled at, he will be best remembered for the kind of person he was. Bob Thieneman was a pleasant man. He was not quick tempered or fast to condemn.
He carried with him an appealing smile and had a way of saying the right thing, sometimes in a most unusual way. Bob Thieneman convinced us that life can be rough at times but still, we could be optimists and see beyond our momentary problems. For many of us these past two years during Bob's illness have been trying times as we watched him grow weaker and weaker. But still he had that certain something which could always cheer us up while he quietly suffered.
This past March Bob Thieneman lived to see the birth of his first grandchild and for this I am especially thankful. It is now up to us to let Grant know what type of person his Grandfather was. Bob Thieneman was an honorable man whom we all canbe proud to say we knew. As his youngest son, one of my favorite memories of Dad was when I was in Kindergarten and had a medical problem in my left foot, leaving me unable to attend my birthday party at school.
After making it very clear that I truly wanted to go to my party, Dad took me to school and I entered the room where the party was being held sitting high upon my Dad's shoulders. This memory will never fade from my mind. For many of us Bob Thieneman carried us up on his tall shoulders, being our support and stability when all else was turbulent and dangerous.
The only regret that I have is that I will no longer have this wonderful man in my life and we all will have an empty space where Bob Thieneman used to be in our lives. Let us fill these empty spaces with fond memories of him and rejoice in the knowledge that he enjoyed the life he lived and we, in turn, are happier people because he was once a part of us.
Via thienemann
Via thienemann
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