Robert Bruce Eldridge, 88, of New London, died Saturday, August 1, 2026 at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. He was born May 15, 1938 in Holdrege, Nebraska to Robert S. and Evelyn I. Palmer Eldridge, the firstborn to be followed by his brother Donald and sister Jody Ann. On May 6, 1961, he married Claudia Oberman in Winfield, Iowa. She preceded him in death on May 18, 2026. They had two sons, Erik and Darrick.
Robert attended elementary school in Holdrege, as well as a rural one room country school. He was a 1956 graduate of Loomis High School, Loomis, Nebraska. He attended Bethany College at Lindsborg, Kansas, graduating with a B.S. Degree in Biology. From 1961 – 1963 he worked at the University of Minnesota Mayo Hospital as a research technician in the Department of Ophthalmology. He taught biology and chemistry at East Buchanan High School in Winthrop, Iowa from 1963 – 1967. In 1967 he earned his Masters Degree from the University of Northern Iowa. From then until his retirement in 1997, he served as high school counselor and a junior high football coach at Benton Community Schools, Van Horne, Iowa. While employed at Benton, he started the Benton Foundation and Scholarship Program.
He was a past president of the Iowa School Counselor Association and served on many Eastern Iowa and Iowa State Counselor committees. He worked several summers for Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapids, where he served on several Kirkwood advisory boards. Throughout his career he remained a loyal Nebraska Cornhusker, joking that he was so loyal that if he was cut he would bleed red.
Following his retirement, Robert and Claudia moved from their home at Keystone, Iowa to an acreage south of Yarmouth. He was a member of the Faith Lutheran Church in Mt. Pleasant where he served as an elder and worked on several church committees. He was an avid hunter and fisherman, and was a member of the Yarmouth Gun Club.
Survivors include his sons Erik (Katie) of North Liberty and Darrick (Amy) of Riverside; seven grandchildren, Lexi, Hope, Faith, LilliAnne, Kahlan, Kameron and Magdalena; two great-grandchildren, Cooper and Mayburry; sister Jody Sprague of Philadelphia, PA.; and several nieces and nephews. Besides his wife, he was preceded in death by his parents and brother Donald.
Visitation will begin at noon on Tuesday, August 4, 2026 at Faith Lutheran Church, Mt. Pleasant, where the family will receive friends from 5:00 – 7:00 pm. Funeral services will be held at the church on Wednesday, August 5, at 10:00 am, with Pastor Michael Scudder officiating. Burial will follow at Shinar Cumberland Cemetery, Pleasant Grove Township. Elliott Chapel is assisting the family and online condolences may be left at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com.