April 30, 1943 - October 24, 2016

 

Bobby Vee
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Mass of Christian Burial will be on Wednesday, November 2nd, at 12:00 Noon at St. John’s Abbey Church in Collegeville, for Robert T. “Bobby Vee.” Velline, age 73, of Big Watab Lake, who died on Monday, October 24th, at Wellstead of Rogers Care Facility in Rogers. The Greg Miller OSB will officiate. Burial will be in the parish cemetery. Friends may call on Tuesday, November 1st, between 4:00-8:00 PM at St. John the Baptist Parish Center in Collegeville (on Fruit Farm Road) and on Wednesday one hour prior to services at the Church.

Robert was born April 30th, 1943 in Fargo to Sidney and Saima (Tapanila) Velline. He married Karen Bergen on December 28, 1963 in Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Detroit Lakes. He became known as “Bobby Vee” and embarked on a worldwide music career. In 1980 he moved back to Central Minnesota to raise his family with his wife Karen. They were so very proud of their involvement with the “Rock around the Clock” fundraiser for Cathedral High School in St. Cloud for 24 years. Eventually this evolved into “Joe Town Rocks”. Bob was awarded the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider award in 1999. Karen and Bob were awarded the Paramount Theatre’s Life Time Achievement Award for their contribution to the Arts in Central Minnesota in 2011. He was inducted into several Rock n Roll Halls of Fame including the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame. He was a member of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Collegeville. In the last seven years, Bob fought the early onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

Survivors include his children, Jeffrey Velline (Cindy Abercrombie) Avon, Tommy Velline (Kathy) St. Cloud, Robby Velline (Mary) Prior Lake and Jennifer Velline Whittet (Barron) Buffalo, grandchildren, Bennett, Liam, Alison, Saima and Calianna Velline.

He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Karen on August 3rd, 2015, brothers, Sidney Jr. and William Velline.

Memorials are preferred to Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (www.alzfdn.org) or St. John the Baptist Parish in Collegeville.

The family would especially like to thank the staffs at Wellstead of Rogers and Ridgeview Medical Center for the great care given their dad near the end of his life.

 

 

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