Robert D. “Bob” Striffler, Sr., 73, of Rayland, OH, (Rush Run) passed away unexpectedly at his home on Friday, August 7, 2026.

Bob was born November 23, 1952, in Rayland, OH, (Rush Run), a son of the late John Edward and Georgia Virginia (Littleton) Striffler. His roots ran deep in the hills of Ohio, and although life would take him across the country more than once, those roots had a way of continually pulling him home.

In addition to his parents, Bob was preceded in death by four siblings, Eddie Striffler, Alva Striffler, Trisha Dawson and David Striffler.

You might say Bob had “carny blood” in him from the beginning. He was drawn to big equipment, trucks, hard work and a life that rarely stayed in one place for very long.

As a young man, Bob proudly served his country in the United States Navy. He joined with visions of getting behind the wheel of big trucks and operating heavy equipment. The Navy, however, apparently had other plans and assigned him to laundry duty—not exactly the heavy equipment adventure he had envisioned. It became one of those stories that fit Bob perfectly: life handed him something different than what he expected, and he found a way through it.

Following his military service, Bob returned to Ohio and spent much of his working life behind the wheel of a truck. He worked a variety of driving jobs over the years, including hauling for Gamble Amusements and later Bates Brothers Amusements. The carnival life suited a part of him—the trucks, the equipment, the constant movement, the characters you met along the way and the satisfaction of getting the job done. He became known as a dependable and hardworking man who understood that when there was work to be done, you simply did it.

But Bob was never one to stay idle for very long.

Over the years, he ventured west to Oregon in search of new opportunities and new chapters. Yet, no matter how far he traveled, Ohio always seemed to call him back. He also spent a couple of years in San Antonio, Texas, where he had the opportunity to live close to his son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. Those years allowed him to be nearer to family, but ultimately Bob knew where he wanted to spend the rest of his life.

Home was Ohio.

And eventually, he came back to Rush Run—to his family, to familiar ground and to the place where his story had begun more than seven decades earlier.

Wherever Bob lived, one thing remained constant: he was always puttering around.

Sitting still simply wasn’t in his nature. If there was a shed that needed built, a wall that needed put up, concrete that needed poured or a bridge that needed constructed across the crick, Bob would find a way to do it. Sometimes it didn’t even seem to matter whether he actually owned the property. If Bob saw something that could be fixed, built, improved or made more useful, chances were he was going to work on it.

In many ways, that may be one of the simplest descriptions of how Bob lived his life: he tried to leave things a little better than he found them.

Bob could also be hardheaded—something those who knew and loved him would probably agree didn’t become any less true with age. He could wear the shell of a grumpy old man particularly well. But underneath it was a man who never met a stranger.

There wasn’t a person in the world Bob seemed afraid to talk to. He could strike up a conversation just about anywhere, with just about anyone. More often than not, before long, there would be a joke, a story, a little good-natured aggravation or a laugh involved. That combination of stubbornness, humor, hard work and genuine interest in people was simply Bob.

He will be deeply missed by his son, Robert D. “Rob” (Melanie) Striffler II of Palm Desert, California; his five siblings, Sandra Duke of Mingo Junction, Ohio, Dolores “D” (Eric) Bates of Wintersville, Ohio, Johnny Striffler of Bloomingdale, Ohio, Larry Striffler of Rush Run, Ohio, and Leah Dawn Striffler of Wintersville, Ohio.

Perhaps one of his most important titles, however, was “Pop Pop.”

He was affectionately known as Pop Pop to his five grandchildren: Trace Striffler, Mackenzie Striffler, Evan Brenner, Logan Brenner and Violet Brenner.

Bob’s life took him from the hills of Ohio to the United States Navy, down countless highways behind the wheel of a truck, through carnival lots and amusement midways, west to Oregon, south to Texas and eventually back to the little corner of Ohio that had always been home.

He worked. He traveled. He built things. He fixed things. He puttered. He joked with strangers. He occasionally drove his family crazy. And through every chapter, those Ohio roots remained firmly planted.

In the end, Bob came home.

And if somewhere around Rush Run there’s a shed standing a little straighter, a wall a little stronger, a patch of concrete that didn’t used to be there, or a bridge stretching across a crick that somebody once thought didn’t need a bridge at all, there’s a pretty good chance Bob had something to do with it.

In accordance with Bob’s wishes, he will be cremated and no services will be observed.

Condolences may be offered at www.wheelerfuneralhomes.com.