Robert "Bob" Bergskoog

A Funeral Service for Robert C. Bergskoog will be held on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at 10:30 a.m., at the First Baptist Church in Holdrege, Nebraska, with Pastor Darren Theesen officiating. Interment will follow at Prairie Home Cemetery, Holdrege.

Robert Carl "Bob" Bergskoog, 88 years of age, of Holdrege, passed away on Thursday, January 1, 2026, at Christian Homes Care Community in Holdrege. Bob was born August 30, 1937, in Holdrege, the eldest of two children to Carl and Della (Vandike) Bergskoog. He received his primary education from Holdrege Public Schools and graduated with the class of 1955. He fell in love with welding early in his life. Around age 14, he bought and learned to weld on the #2 portable arc welder produced by Allmand Brothers. He pursued higher education at Southeast Community College in Milford, Nebraska, and received a degree in Welding Technology and Metallurgy in 1956.

Following his education, Bob was employed at Caldwell Manufacturing in Kearney for a short while, then went to work at Allmand Brothers Manufacturing.

On June 1, 1958, he was united in marriage to Leola M. Frerichs and to this union two children were born: Keri and Chris. The family made their home in Holdrege. In February of 1959, he purchased a welding shop in Holdrege from Bror Nastrom and opened Bergskoog Welding Company. In 1969 he took a short break to work at Becton-Dickinson, but after a few years he reopened his shop in a new location south of Holdrege. In 1977 he built a new building and gradually filled it with specialty machinery and equipment that no one else in the area had. Bob was an expert blacksmith and welder; he could design, build or fix anything his customers needed. He proudly served second and even third generations of customers. His handiwork still lives on the Holdrege water tower, the Prairie Museum guard tower, and in the wrought iron handrails that grace the front porches of so many Holdrege neighborhood homes. He viewed both big and small jobs as opportunities to help someone. He especially cherished the years that his son Chris worked with him in his shop.

Bob loved his family dearly. When the kids were growing up, many summer weekends were spent at the cabin on Plum Creek. He enjoyed swimming, feeding the ducks at the North Park in Holdrege, and taking his family on day trips to visit the small towns around Nebraska and Kansas. He grew delicious cherry tomatoes year-round, eating some and giving the rest away. He was quick to share old stories, limericks and sayings along with the forecast from his pocket weather alert radio.

He was preceded in death by his wife; his parents; father-in-law and mother-in-law: Pope and Rosina Frerichs; step-father-in-law, John Grube; sister, Sandra Bergskoog; brother-in-law, Kenneth Frerichs; and sister-in-law, Lela Frerichs.

He is survived by his daughter, Keri Bennett and her husband, Kevin of Kearney, Nebraska; son, Chris Bergskoog of Holdrege; brother-in-law, Clyde Frerichs of Franklin, Nebraska; sister-in-law, Charleen Frerichs of Kearney; and a host of other relatives and cherished friends.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Nelson-Bauer Funeral Home in Holdrege, with the family greeting from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

A memorial has been established in his memory and will be designated at a later date.

Expressions of caring and kindness can be sent to the family at www.nelsonbauerfh.com

The Nelson-Bauer Funeral Home in Holdrege is in charge of the arrangements.