Robert (Bob) Lutes was born on April 27th, 1936, to Elmo and Mildred (Halstead) Lutes in Timber Creek-Township. He graduated from Liscomb High School in 1954. Bob joined the US Navy as an electronics technician and served from 1955 to 1959.

In 1956 he married his high school sweetheart Sharon (Morris) Lutes. Bob and Sharon were married for 60 years and raised three children together.

Bob’s after service career from 1959 to 1962 included working at Marshalltown foundry as a laborer, Farm Bureau insurance as a salesman, and Michaels Furniture Store as a salesman.

In February of 1962 Bob and his family moved to Conrad where he lived the rest of his life. While in Conrad, Bob took a job as a Standard Oil Company commission agent, selling and delivering gas, diesel fuel, lubricants, and oil. To supplement this commission’s-based job, he worked part time jobs around Conrad.

In the summer of 1964, Bob took on a full-time job working nights for the railroad in Marshalltown as an electrician and added farm crop chemicals to the Standard Oil business.

In the summer of 1965, Bob convinced Don Martin, the local banker, to give him his first loan of $4,500.00 for his first new crop sprayer. He then hired Jerry Peters to spray during the week while Bob sprayed on the weekends.

In 1967, Bob quit the railroad and gave his full attention to his chemical and custom application business, later to become Bob’s Farm Center, which became his lifelong career of 43 years.

In 1968 Bob bought the local Standard Oil Company in Conrad and his brother-in-law Gary Moler leased and operated the station, while his brother Gilbert helped spray.

In 1971, Bob built a warehouse and office west of town and then in February of 1972, with his partner and brother, Ted Thomas, Bob opened Bob’s Farm Center. Over the next 43 years, BFC would become a Pioneer Seed Corn Dealer, and he would enter the businesses of liquid and dry fertilizers, anhydrous, oil and gas and lawn care. In 1991 he purchased the LeGrand Oil Business, which came with one of many great employees.

Bob sold his business in February of 2015 ending with 14 great employees including his son, son-in-law, and one grandson, and it still stands today as Nutrien Ag Solutions.

Bob will be greatly missed by many friends and family including his daughter Cindy (Todd) Reel of Conrad, his son Doug (Jill) Lutes of Conrad, nine grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Sharon, their daughter Diana (Goedken) Lutes, brothers Ted Thomas, Harry Lutes, and Carroll Lutes, his sisters Charming Bennethum, Barb Meyer, Frieda Peters, Gladys Lane, and Janet Hamilton.