Bob was born at home on March 25, 1926 to Claude & Helen Isenberger. He had two brothers and four sisters. He attended country school until the 8th grade, then he went to Gillette for a year. He helped on the ranch after he left school, and worked with his father building spreader dikes around the country, many are still there. While at the ranch Bob started breaking horses for himself and the neighbors. This is when he was bitten by the roping bug, nothing was safe from his loop.
Bob joined the Navy in 1944, serving on the submarine USS Berghall. While in the Navy he received his diploma. He was honorably discharged in 1945. After the war he went to work on many area ranches, including Nine Mile, Ogallala for the Moore families, and Burt Reno ranch. While at the Ogallala he met his future bride, Patty Eikenbary, she was a local school teacher. They were married in November 1949, to this union 2 sons were born Mike in 1954, Lee in 1956.
Bob bought his first bunch of sheep from a neighbor of his father. The Moore’s let him run the sheep on their ranch until he went into a partnership with Bill Gibbs on some more sheep. They ran the sheep on the old Beeson place at Recluse in 1955. In 1956 they moved back south to work on the Moore ranches. That fall their dream of having a place of their own came about when Ollie Kane offered to lease her ranch to them. The ranch is still in the family with Lee & Peg living on it today.
Bob competed in all the rodeo events except bull riding. They say he could ride & rope anything. In 1960 he even roped a black bear out of the back of a pickup at the ranch. Bob won the wild horse race at Cheyenne in the late 40s. He won numerous ropings & rodeos, the first Bill Eaton Days Steer roping, the All- Wyoming team roping in Casper, and single steer roping in Miles City, Montana. One of his biggest wins was a go-round at Cheyenne in 1968, the money he won there along with his other winnings for the year qualified him for the RCA National Finals in McAlester OK. He finished the year in 13th place.
Bob was an excellent trainer and trained all his own horses for ranch work & roping, plus many more for family & friends. He was always well mounted. Bob helped form the Wyoming Steer Roping Association, along with Bud Tillard, Jim Roush & Bob Moore. The association is still going today
Bob’s life was cut short by a pickup wreck in 1972, but his legacy still carries on today.