Robert “Bob” E. Weiler, age 77, of Batesville, passed away Saturday, February 7, 2026, at his home, surrounded by his family. He was born on December 16, 1948, in Batesville, the son of Anna (née Estes) Weiler. Bob married the love of his life, Carleen Walterman, on September 8, 1972, at Huntersville Church in Batesville.
Bob graduated from Batesville High School in 1966 and went on to proudly serve his country in the United States Navy as a Boiler Technician aboard the USS Johnston (DD-821). Following his military service, he began his career at Batesville Casket Company washing trucks. Over the course of 37 years, through hard work and dedication, he worked his way up to Director of Maintenance at Hillenbrand Garage, where he oversaw the company’s entire fleet of trucks and vehicles.
Bob was a respected and active member of the Truck Maintenance Council and led numerous seminars on fleet maintenance and evolving technology within the trucking industry. In addition to his professional accomplishments, Bob and Carleen owned and operated the Hobo Hut in Batesville for nearly forty years, where they built lasting friendships and became a familiar and welcoming presence in the community.
Bob enjoyed the outdoors, going to yard sales and auctions, and taking trips to the casino with his wife. He had a love and compassion for all animals and enjoyed many pets over his lifetime. Bob was an avid Cincinnati Bengals fan from the team’s very beginning. He also loved attending his children’s and grandchildren’s school and sporting events, nothing made him more proud than his grandchildren. Bob never knew a stranger and could strike up a conversation with anyone. He would often walk away from a long exchange smiling and saying, “Dang, I just couldn’t get away from that guy.”
Bob loved to tinker and could fix just about anything. Whether it was auto and diesel mechanics, auto body repair, home remodeling and construction, electronics, wiring, plumbing, welding, fabrication, appliances, heating, or refrigeration, Bob could do it all. He loved taking broken things apart, remote controls, radios, even a few laptops, just to see how they worked, and he almost always found a way to fix them. While at Batesville Casket Company, he even wrote his own computer programs, which were later adopted as part of their system. There truly was nothing beyond his capabilities. Much of this he learned from his Grandpa Estes, who was also a brilliant man, and who was like a father to him. He was always sharing stories about his grandpa, and the things that he had taught him.
Bob loved anything with an engine and was quick to educate you on the difference between an “engine” and a “motor”. He worked on and rebuilt many of both. He enjoyed Corvette and Harley rides with his wife. He rode in the Goodyear Blimp with his family, drove an Indy car, and even co-piloted an F-14 once. He would often say, “I can drive anything…a two-by, four-by, six-by, eight-by, even a mean mother that bends in the middle and goes pshhh pshhh pshhh (semi)”.
Bob was very witty and coined many phrases over the years that his family adopted and will forever remember him by. Including: “I’m finer than a frog hair split four ways”, “I’m four thirds crazy, and working on the fifth”, “Mess with the bull and you’ll get the horns”, “Don’t start no sh*t and there won’t be no sh*t”, “I’ve been better, but then again, I’ve been worse”, and “Like my ol buddy down in North Carolina used to say…..Well golllllllly”.
Above all else, Bob loved his family more than life itself. He was completely selfless and would drop everything to help his wife, sons, daughters-in-laws, or grandchildren whenever they needed him. It didn’t matter where, when, or what the situation was, he was there, without hesitation and without complaint. His life revolved around his family, and to him, they were the only thing that truly mattered.
Bob endured sleepless nights, long drives, and harsh weather to help his family through difficult moments, never asking for recognition or thanks. You always knew he would show up. He sacrificed more for his family than most could imagine and was a shining example of what it means to be a devoted husband, father, father-in-law, and grandfather.
Bob will be deeply missed by his wife of 53 years, Carleen of Batesville; sons, Robert Jr. (Chantel) Weiler of Batesville and Christopher (Carey) Weiler of Batesville; grandchildren, Cody (Kara) Haakinson, Molly (Alex Smith, fiancé), Bobby and Lance Weiler of Batesville; Emma, Addyson, and Carson Weiler of Batesville; and great-grandson, Brody Haakinson.
Survivors also include his mother, Anna Weiler of Cincinnati, Ohio; brother, Rick (Linda) Weiler of Virginia Beach, Virginia; sister, Becky Brewer of Cincinnati, Ohio; goddaughter, Tosha Harrison of Greensburg, Indiana; best friend, Tim Woods of Batesville; family friend, Melissa Vandergriff; and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Elmer and Flores Estes; sister, Anne Weiler; brother, Michael Weiler; and uncle, Eugene “Buddy” Estes.
Visitation for family and friends will be held on Thursday, February 12, 2026, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Meyers Funeral Home in Batesville. A funeral service will be held on Friday, February 13, 2026 at 10:00 am at St. John’s UCC Huntersville with Rev. Joey Feldmann officiating.
Memorial contributions can be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital by bringing to the services or mailing to Meyers Funeral Home, P.O. Box 202, Batesville, IN 47006.
Please feel free to leave a memory or message of comfort for Bob’s family in the online guestbook at www.meyersfuneralhomes.com.