Robert Conrad Cloose, 40, of Jamestown, ND passed away on Monday, June 8, 2026.

Visitation Friday, June 19, 2026 5:00PM – 7:00PM at Evangelical Covenant Church, 5405 Hart Lane NW, Bemidji, MN 56601

Celebration of Life, Saturday, June 20, 2026, 11:00AM at Evangelical Covenant Church 5405 Hart Lane NW, Bemidji, MN 56601

Rob was the kind of person who instantly put you at ease and made you feel welcome. He was quick with a joke – terrible dad jokes were one of his passions. His family was incredibly important to him. His wife of almost 19 years, Alicia, and two beautiful girls, Everlee and Cadence, will forever remember all the fun moments just hanging out at home playing games, watching movies, taking walks, enjoying nature, SO many belly laughs, and all the important life milestones they celebrated together.

He wasn’t a man of many hobbies. Alicia always told him he should get some, but he was always content just hanging out with his girls. He did enjoy cooking for them. They will miss his epic “monstrosity” breakfasts and his delicious dry rub ribs. He enjoyed simple activities like watching football and Nascar, going to the county fair, the Kite Festival, pumpkin patches, family Halloween costumes, dancing at the Arts Park, Father/Daughter dances and yearly family trips to Storybook Land in Aberdeen.

Rob and Alicia were great at purchasing houses with way more projects than they could handle. They lived in 4 different homes over 18 years. Alicia had lots of house renovation ideas and Rob was forced to learn skills he didn’t really want to learn. He completed the tasks but oftentimes with many curse words and a bruised ego. We were always thankful for Alicia’s dad who on many occasions stepped in to help pretty up our attempts.

Rob loved his extended family and in-laws very much. He had 14 nieces and nephews. He was the” fun” uncle. Leg wrestling was a family event at get-togethers (Rob was undefeated). He loved swinging the kids around and messing with them to make them laugh. Dressing up as the Grinch at Christmas was his favorite. He was totally in character (he was a talented voice impersonator too). He had nicknames for many close to him and had special ways to say hello to them too. Some tattoos will be created to honor his quirky sayings. Rob would be shocked & thrilled if he knew Alicia, his mom and siblings were getting inked.

Rob was born on September 26, 1985 in Coon Rapids, MN. The family moved to Pinewood when Rob was 2 years old & started dairy farming in a rented barn in Solway. He & AJ would sleep on hay bales during the evening milking. In 1990, the family bought a farmstead in Eagle Bend, MN. The driveway was long and provided a great raceway for Rob and his siblings to ride bikes and trikes. He was notorious for how much he hated his thick puke colored glasses and would put them in his backpack and swing it over his head on the walk down the driveway after school hoping they would fall out and get run over by the bulk truck. This did, in fact, happen several times, but thanks to duct tape he had them back the next day! Rob loved playing Nintendo (he just recently introduced the girls to vintage Mario), trolls were a passion, and he loved roughhousing with his siblings. He was Amber’s babysitter during evening milking and Sue would frequently come back in the house to find Rob and Amber asleep on the couch with her in his arms. He and AJ found adventure on the farm, like sliding off the roof of the chicken house into a snowdrift in the winter, and attempting to “ride” the heifers (which ripped a hole in his knee). They enjoyed jumping off the hay bales in the loft, once falling through the floor. His fall was broken by the wheelbarrow his Dad was using to feed the cows – quite a surprise for them both! He cherished his early childhood friends from Eagle Bend. Hank, his very best friend, tragically passed at 9 from a farming accident. Rob kept a photo of Hank in his top dresser drawer for many years so he could say good morning to him. It truly shows the love and care he had for his friends and family. Rob attended Eagle Valley Elementary through 4th grade when Rod & Sue bought the Moe family farm, built a new barn and returned to Solway in 1996. Rob attended 5th grade in Solway, then continued his education in Bagley.

He was raised on a dairy farm which meant early morning and evening chores, including milking, his primary responsibility. He was known for his strength and Popeye arms. Because of the farm life he wasn’t able to do a lot of school activities, but he reminisced often about his glory days on the football and wrestling teams. He was also very talented in shooting sports and was involved in the Student Council. If you knew him then, you may remember his Sweet Tart shirt and coconut bra – his usual attire for school dances. Amy and Rob would run the farm on days when their dad was delivering milk each week. They would request songs on the radio and dance in the parlor. Rob was the family tutor – helping his siblings with their homework, studying for tests, or teaching them things he thought would interest them. He was also the family cook when Sue was busy. He’d grill for the family too, sometimes burning off his eyebrows and eyelashes. Amber remembers endless piggyback rides that lasted into high school. Once while Amber was running the mile Rob ran up behind her, picked her up and ran with her on his back the rest of the way. He was a daredevil – he pretended to be Tarzan in the barn, swinging from rafter to rafter. On his first attempt he discovered one of the rafters was too short by a couple of inches. He fell and passed out. The doctors were sure he shattered his hip, but because of his strong bones he just heavily damaged his hip tissues. And yes, after he healed he continued swinging in the rafters for years. Rob was known to be a fainter. Since he was accident prone in addition to fainting at the site of needles, blood or other injuries, it happened frequently – and he was a big guy to carry!

Rob and Alicia started dating in the spring of their senior year in 2004. They went to prom together and they were best friends from then on. Alicia loved how he made her laugh and he thought she looked pretty cute in her hot pink pants. (Rob would recall those often). After high school graduation Rob worked summers with Mastec and traveled around the country, including Alaska, doing hard labor such as digging ditches. He went on to get an Associates Degree in Telecommunications from Wadena Tech. He graduated with honors and scholarships. Rob and Alicia had a long distance relationship, but they were dedicated to making it work. His first job after college graduation was with JCS Inc. as a fiber optic and NID splicer. He was well known for his speed and accuracy and he loved what he did.

Rob and Alicia were engaged in 2005. They were married August 4, 2007 at her family farm near Shevin. They bought a trailer house and moved it onto a lot on the farm next to Alicia’s parents. Alicia was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes immediately after their wedding, so they waited until the following summer to take their honeymoon to Ely, MN. Since Rob worked on the road, when he was home he was exhausted, so they often spent time relaxing, hanging out with family, or catching up on home projects. They enjoyed camping, seeing friends, and gardening. They even got to take two trips to Mexico. In 2013 they decided to buy a home near Bagley. In 2014 he started a splicing business called CR Data Solutions. He had his own splicing trailer and traveled around the midwest. In 2014 their first daughter, Everlee, was born. Their second daughter, Cadence, was born in 2016. He was officially in his “Girl Dad Era”.

Eventually Alicia had enough of the single mom life and Rob also wanted to see his girls every day. In 2016 he started working as a cable and broadband internet technician in Jamestown, ND at Cable Services (CSi). He loved his job there and enjoyed making the office a fun place to work. His best friend, Nate, or “Uncle Nate”, was a fellow tech for CSI.

Rob and Alicia moved as a family to Jamestown in 2017. They really enjoyed the Jamestown community. He was well known in town for his friendly nature and willingness to give a helping hand to whomever needed it. He told anyone who would listen about his wife and daughters, their accomplishments and what activities they were currently involved in. Alicia and Rob made a great team – they loved parenting together. Alicia, Everlee and Cadence loved “Dad” so much and are not sure what life will be like without him. They will cherish all the good times and will carry on his memory.

Sadly, while working on the road he developed some bad habits, including alcohol, which he had an incredibly difficult time quitting. He was such a good man at heart. Alicia tried to help him any way she could. In the end he didn’t want to leave, but he also didn’t know how to stay…

Rob is survived by his loving wife, Alicia Cloose, and their 2 daughters Everlee (11), and Cadence (9). His mother, Susan Cloose (Moe) and father Rodney Cloose. Siblings: Andrew (Carrie) Cloose, Amy (Ryan) Roller, Amber (Dwight) Wendorff, and Max (Ashley) Cloose. Grandparents Donald and Elvera Cloose. Father and mother in-law David and Pamela Edevold, sisters-in-law Jessica (Jarrod) Whaley, Tessa (Seth) Wiegele, fourteen nieces and nephews, and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Ole and Hazel Moe.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Bemidji Covenant Church of Bemidji

5405 Hart Lane NW

Visitation will be Friday, June 19th from 5-7:00 PM

& Saturday, June 20th at 10:00 AM, Service at 11:00 AM with lunch to follow.

Internment to be at Solway Cemetery.