Bobbette Rainwater

Bobbette Bishop Rainwater passed away peacefully on March 19, 2024 in Lake City, Minnesota.  She was born on August 5, 1932 to Ira and Mildred Bishop in Red Oak, Iowa.  Bobbe graduated from Red Oak High School in 1950 and later met a future engineer named Dan D. Rainwater.  She and Dan married in 1952 and started a family.  They and their four children eventually settled in Red Wing, Minnesota.   Dan became the industrial engineer for the Jostens plant, and Bobbe began a life-long commitment to volunteering in the community.  She helped with a multitude of activities, including working on the committee to renovate the Red Wing YMCA building, after school tutoring of children, and many other school-related activities.

She and Dan also frequently played host to foreign exchange students and scholars, who stayed and lived with them over the years.  This interaction was the impetus for their love of travel after Dan’s retirement.   They traveled to most of Europe, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, and the Panama Canal.  Bobbe had a very open mind and loved learning about other cultures, peoples, and customs.

After moving to Lake City in 2011 and settling into her dream home, Bobbe took up knitting afghan blankets, which she enjoyed giving away to friends and family, as well as donating them to charitable organizations.  Bobbe loved the arts, music, and the written word.  Even in her elder years, she was a conversational force and incredible dry humorist with a sharp wit.  She will be remembered for her infectious laugh and her ability to make friends easily.

Bobbe was preceded in death by her husband of 65 years, Dan, her parents, her brother and sister-in-law Jack and Joan Bishop, and her granddaughter Rachel Stori.

Bobbe is survived by her four children:  Danette, William (Sheryl), Mary (Michael) Stori, and James (Margo); grandchildren:   Orion (Jenna) Rainwater, Ian Rainwater, Andrew Stori, Nell (Peter) Bluth, Andre (Tiana) Trevino, Jessica (David) Torres; and great-grandchildren:  Aurora Rainwater, Genevieve Rainwater, Xanthus Rainwater, Lucy Bluth, J.D. Torres, and Lucas R. Trevino.

The family thanks the wonderful staff at Lake City Elysian Senior Home.  The family will have a celebration of Bobbe’s life later in the spring. Online condolences may be left at www.mahnfamilyfuneralhome.com.