Robert "Bob" Prochnow

Robert “Bob” Prochnow, with family and friends by his side, peacefully passed away on September 25, 2026, following a hospitalization for pneumonia.
Bob’s life will be celebrated and remembered on Sunday, October 18th from 1:30-4:00 pm at Great Theatre Headquarters (710 Sundial Drive Waite Park, MN 56387). At 3:00 pm, there will be music and a time to share memories.
Bob was born on June 26, 1938, in Menomonie, WI to parents Dorothy and Ray Prochnow. He met the love of his life on a hayride when they were 14. When Joanne later spotted him in a play, the rest was history! Bob and Joanne were married on June 21st, 1957. They celebrated the 72nd anniversary of their first date the day before he passed.
Bob was the eldest of three brothers, followed by Pete (Shirley) and Donny (Barb). While growing up, he enjoyed working on his family’s farm, especially liking time spent caring for the horses. Bob’s lifelong interest in education led him to work and teach in a variety of educational settings and locations. He had students, colleagues, and friends in Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Texas, and Minnesota. After obtaining a Doctorate in Psychology, Bob began a teaching career at St. Cloud State University that lasted for over 25 years. This job gave him opportunities to teach internationally in Denmark and England.
Following Bob’s retirement, he and Joanne moved to New Mexico, where they enjoyed more than 30 years. Bob spent his retirement doing a significant amount of travel–both domestically and internationally–visiting all 50 states and over 100 countries. He and Joanne volunteered in an English immersion program in Spain, logging over 100 weeks over the course of 14 years. They walked the Camino De Santiago, a 500-mile homage across Spain, 3 times. They took many cruises, choosing their cruise line based on the onboard lectures about the places they were visiting. Through these travels, they made friends around the world. They loved discussing their travel adventures, which inspired a love of travel in many of their family and friends. In addition to being an avid traveler, Bob was a voracious reader who exhibited a true love of learning. Before switching to an e-reader, his backpack and suitcase were always full of books. He could be counted on to have a book with him anywhere and was always eager to discuss the new bits of knowledge he collected.
Bob also loved to dance with Joanne! They loved square dancing in Minnesota and country western dancing in New Mexico. They joined a dance camp in France and could be seen getting out of their chairs to dance at any musical event. Bob’s white beard and kind smile made him a perfect mall Santa, a role he played with great care for many years. He was known to don his Santa suit on special occasions, and his great grandchildren even called him “Santa” rather than “grandpa.” Bob has been described as a constant calm presence in a room, leading through the example of an even temper. Even in his 80s, Bob was approached by former students who remembered his classes at St. Cloud State and felt lasting impacts from his teaching. His grandchildren and nieces remember him as being full of laughter and quiet jokes, introducing humor to prevent life from being too scary.
Bob is lovingly remembered by his wife of 69 years, Joanne (Kelling); daughter, Marianne Arnzen; grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Ben Arnzen (Kaylie Kizer), Brittany Spah (Adam, Owen, and Eli), Tia Weatherz (Brandon and Wally), and many other family members, friends, and students. He was preceded in death by his son, Jeff.