Dr. Carl "Bob" Robert Kohlmann DDS

Dr. Carl Robert "Bob" Kohlmann, DDS, 93, passed away peacefully in his home July 8, 2019, due to complications of having too many birthdays. The product of 13.1 billion years of cosmic evolution, Bob was born to Dr. Edward, also a dentist, and Etta Marie (Losche) Kohlmann on Jan. 11, 1926, in a home overlooking Garfield Park.
Bob was active in Boys Scouts for more than 70 years and became a Eagle Scout when he was 15. He was Scoutmaster of Troop 499, and one of his proudest moments in Scouting came when two of his grandsons, Jason and Eric Kohlmann, achieved Eagle status. Known as "Doc" to most of his Scouts, he played an important role in shaping the lives of more than 1,000 boys. He was presented the Silver Beaver Award, the highest honor bestowed upon a Scout leader. 
Bob graduated from Tech High School after seven semesters and enrolled in the Naval ROTC Program at Indiana University. After graduating from dental school and serving as class president, he was commissioned in the Navy Dental Corps. He was stationed in Norfolk, Va., and was deployed on the USS Missouri to the Korean War. He met his future wife, Mary Guilford, while on active duty, and they were married May 15, 1950, returning to Indianapolis to start a dental practice and a family. He served in the medical department of the Naval Reserves until the mid-1960s, retiring as a lieutenant commander. 
Bob is survived by his children, Wade (Carol) Kohlmann, Nan (Dave) Edwards and Larry (Marilyn) Kohlmann; grandchildren, Barry, Jason, Lindsey, Eric and Michael Kohlmann and Allison, Kali and Kendra Edwards; and two and two-thirds great-grandchildren, Andrew and Maddie Kohlmann and an unnamed boy on the way.
Bob retired from his dental practice when he was 79 in 2005 and had held a faculty position in the radiology department at Indiana University School of Dentistry until 1965. He enjoyed traveling, watching birds with his wife until she died in 2007 and avidly worked crossword puzzles. 
A late thrill in his life came last year when going on an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., to view war memorials with other veterans. Upon his return to Indianapolis International Airport, he was greeted in a touching event by his family and many of his former Scouts. 
A lifetime member of the Indiana Dental Association, Bob also belonged to the Southport Masonic Lodge, Scottish Rite and Murat Shrine.
Bob was always interested in natural sciences and organizations that devoted their efforts to conservation. He played an active role with his children and grandchildren in the Feast of the Hunters' Moon - a yearly program that re-enacts the fall gathering of French and Native Americans that took place at a fur-trading outpost in the mid 1700s on the banks of the Wabash River in West Lafayette.
Per Bob's wishes, there was no service. Following a cremation handled by N.F. Chance Funeral Home, his remains and his wife's will be scattered at sea by the Navy. Memorial contributions may be made to Troop 499, c/o Rosedale Hills United Methodist Church, 4450 S. Keystone Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46227. 
Perhaps Alan Slightom, one of Bob's fellow Scoutmasters, put it best: "Doc was a great man and a good friend. Troop 499 has lost a true leader and a maker of men."
 

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