Bascum "Bob" J. Denton, 81, of Grinnell, died peacefully at home with his wife by his
side on Wednesday, December 21, 2022, under the care of Hospice of the Midwest.

Per his wishes, he was cremated, and no services will be held.

Bascum "Bob" Joseph Sells, Jr., was born on March 17, 1941, in Wichita Falls, Texas to
Evelyn Sells. He was subsequently adopted by his stepfather, Robert J. Denton. His
father was a Master Sergeant with the United States Air Force and the family traveled
for his position, living in places as diverse as Amarillo, Texas; Okinawa; and Havelock,
North Carolina. Bob graduated from Havelock High School in 1959, and then from the
University of Maryland with a bachelor's degree.
After graduation, he joined the United States Air Force in Biloxi, Mississippi and was
stationed at various bases, including Homestead, Florida; Denver, Colorado; Rome,
New York; Wiesbaden, Germany; and Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland until his
retirement in 1979. Most of his career was spent as a special agent in the Office of
Special Investigations (OSI), which he loved. Early in his Air Force career, he played on
the base softball team. He coached his son's baseball and football teams in Wiesbaden,
Germany.
After his retirement from the military, Bob took a position as a special agent in the
Security Department of General Telephone of the Midwest in Bloomington, Illinois. In
1984, he transferred to Muskegon, Michigan, and in 1985, to Grinnell to assume the
position of Security Manager. Bob retired in 1993.

On September 5, 1992, Bob married Mary White Yount in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Bob
enjoyed golfing with friends, spending winters in Alabama, and working in the yard at
the acreage southwest of town that he and Mary loved.
He cared deeply for his family and cherished every moment with them; he had a special
relationship with great-granddaughter Lila and great-grandson Nolan.

Bob will be forever beloved and remembered by his wife, Mary Denton, of Grinnell, and
by his children, Stacy (Robert) Hall of New Bern, North Carolina, and Bob Denton of
Sadorus, Illinois, and stepchildren, Jo Pearson of Marion, Iowa, and Mary Beth (Gerald)
Mueller of Columbia, Missouri. He will be missed by his grandchildren, Amberlei (Ryan)
Ressler, Emily (Phil) Coonrod, Philip Pearson (Ari Vance-Borland), Lane (Phillipe)
Cunningham, Andei Keough, Maddy Mueller, and Audrey Mueller; and his great-
grandchildren Lila and Nolan Coonrod, Hayden and Henry Vance-Pearson, Maggie
Pearson, and Sloane Ressler.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his stepson Douglas Yount, his sister Patricia
Frye, his cat Molly, and his dog, Booger.