Robert Duane Gust, age 85, of Audubon, IA, passed away on Sunday, September 06, 2026, at Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs, IA.

Bob was born May 21, 1941, in Audubon, the son of Gordon Marvin Gust and Winifred May Moore. Raised in rural Iowa, Bob developed an early love of animals and the land that remained central to his life for more than eight decades. He attended school in Viola before finishing his education in Audubon.
As a young man, Bob dreamed of becoming a veterinarian, but life had other plans. Instead, he built a life working with his hands and raising animals.

Bob married Judith Margaret "Judy" Jacobsen on June 2, 1962, in Coon Rapids, Iowa. Together they built a life centered on farming and family, raising five children: Julieanne, Robert, Maridee, and twins Janelle and Jeanette.

Bob spent much of his life raising hogs, along with cattle and an assortment of other animals that found a place on the Gust farm over the years, including horses, goats, chickens, rabbits, dogs, cats, and even raccoons. He was good with animals, and the farm was rarely without something that needed feeding, fixing, or tending.

But raising animals was only part of Bob's working life. He also spent many years working in road maintenance for Audubon County, where he was respected and took pride in doing his job well. Bob was rarely without something to do, whether working for the county, tending to his animals, or building fences around the county as a side business. Many times, Bob would come home from work, still wearing his hard hat or work clothes, to find the house already full of family for some event. Busy as he was, he made time for them, attending family events and often watching his grandchildren from the sidelines or stands as they competed in their various sports.

Retirement did not come naturally to him. Bob finally began slowing down around age 78, but after a lifetime of work, slowing down was never quite the same as stopping.
Bob and Judy shared more than 56 years of marriage before her death on October 8, 2018. Her absence was deeply felt in the years that followed. Bob remained on the farm they had shared, but life there was never quite the same without her. He often spoke of Judy, and those closest to him knew how much he missed her and how lonely life could be after losing the woman who had been beside him for most of his adult life.

Those who knew Bob will remember a hardworking, strong-willed man with a quick wit, a sarcastic streak, and a wonderfully dry sense of humor. He could be stubborn and rarely needed many words to make his point, but those qualities were simply part of the man his family knew and loved.

Bob's greatest legacy was the family that grew around him. From the children he and Judy raised came grandchildren and great-grandchildren, giving Bob the chance to watch the family they started as a young couple continue through several generations.

He is survived by his five children, Julieanne Knutsen, Robert Gust, Maridee (Shawn) Bohlmann, Janelle (Scott) Goodrich, and Jeanette (Brian) Cuppy; his brother, Dale Gust; 14 grandchildren; and numerous great-grandchildren. His grandchildren include Michael Todd Cooley, Robert Ray Cooley, Tanner Knutsen, Taylor (Knutsen) Castaneda, Morgan (Gust) Christensen, Aaron Gust, Travis Strasser, Trenton
Srasser, McKenzie (Bohlmann) Pudenz, Matthew Goodrich, Zachary Goodrich, Rebecca (Cuppy) Mumford, Jacob Cuppy, and Benjamin Cuppy. In a fitting connection across generations, Bob's grandson Aaron, who carries on the Gust family name, is attending veterinary school, pursuing the same profession Bob once dreamed of for himself.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Judy; his parents, Gordon and Winifred Gust; and his infant twin brothers, Roy and Ray Gust. Even as Bob's health declined during his final year, his family remained close. His children helped care for him and made it possible for him to remain at home. He continued attending family gatherings and milestones, remaining part of the life of the family he had watched grow
around him.

On his final day, Bob was having one of his good days. With his twin daughters, Janelle and Jeanette, by his side, the familiar Bob came through. He joked with the hospital staff, and the sarcasm and dry sense of humor his family had known for a lifetime were still there.

It was a fitting final glimpse of the man they knew.

Bob spent all of his 85 years in rural Iowa, surrounded by the family, animals, and way of life that meant the most to him. He worked hard, raised a family, endured life's difficult seasons, and lived long enough to see that family grow through several generations. After nearly eight years of missing Judy, his family finds comfort in believing that they are together again.

Bob will be cremated, and his ashes will be joined with Judy's so that they may be laid to rest
together in a single grave.

Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, September 14, 2026, at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Audubon, IA, with interment to follow at Arlington Heights Cemetery in Audubon. A luncheon will be held at the St. Patrick Parish Center following the interment.

Public Visitation with the family will be held at the Church from 9:00 a.m. until the start of the Mass on Monday, September 14, 2026.

Memorials may be directed to the Gust Family to be designated at a later date in Bob's memory. They may be mailed to the Schmidt Family Funeral Home P.O. Box 201, Audubon, IA 50025.

Schmidt Family Funeral Home of Audubon is entrusted with the arrangements.