Robert Hosto, 80

Robert M. Hosto, 80, of Alhambra died on Friday, Dec. 18, 2015 at Hitz Memorial Home in Alhambra.

Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 22 at Dauderman Mortuary in Alhambra and from 9 to 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 23 at Highland Hope United Methodist Church in Highland. A funeral service will be at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 23 at Highland Hope United Methodist Church in Highland, with the Rev. Dr. Beverly Wilkes Null, pastor, officiating. Burial will be in Salem Cemetery in Alhambra.

He was born on Dec. 18, 1935 in Highland to Milton and Freida (Wegman) Hosto. On Nov. 22, 1955, he married Ruth Marie Suhre. She survives in Alhambra.

Mr. Hosto grew up north of Alhambra on the family farm, which has been in his family since 1889. He attended Gehrig School and graduated from Highland High School in 1953. He attended Indiana Institute of Technology at Fort Wayne, where he received a degree in mechanical engineering.

He had worked at Emerson Electric in Washington Park, Basler Electric in Highland, and Kaiser Chemical in Alhambra. He devoted all his time to farming in the late 1970s. He retired in 2000.

He enjoyed taking his grandchildren to county fairs to show cattle. He liked making crafts, wood working, tending his garden, and antiquing with his wife.

Mr. Hosto served from 1974 to 1993 on the Highland Community School Board. He also served as treasurer on the Alhambra Ambulance District and Alhambra Fire District for 20 years. He was a former member of Salem United Church of Christ and served as church council member and Sunday school teacher there.

He was a member of Highland Hope United Methodist Church. He was also a member of Madison County Farm Bureau.

He moved to Hitz Home in Alhambra in April 2015.

Other survivors include a son, Mark R. (Brenda) Hosto of Alhambra; daughters, Terri L. Hosto of Brentwood, Mo., and Kim A. (Alex) Shimkus of Grayslake, Ill.; grandchildren, Andrea L. Hosto of Alhambra and Robert R. Hosto of Alhambra; and sisters, JoAnn (James) Kijewski of Lansing, Ill., and Betty J. (Olin) Zweck of New Douglas.

He was preceded in death by his father, who died on May 30, 1996; and his mother, who died on June 26, 1994.

Memorials may be made to Highland Hope United Methodist Church, the Alhambra Fire Protection District, or the Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Washington University School of Medicine.

This story was originally published December 21, 2015 at 5:32 AM with the headline "Robert Hosto, 80."