Robert James Alter

Robert (Bob) James Alter, 70, of Fishers by way of Carthage, IN, passed away peacefully on Monday, October 24, 2022. He was born on May 15, 1952 in Indianapolis to the late Charles Alter and Florence Laverne (Jackson) Alter Brown. Bob grew up in Carthage, IN, where he attended Carthage High School. He spent his childhood and teenage years fishing up-and-down the Big Blue River and working on a myriad of American muscle cars; his most beloved being a ’64 Coronet and a ’70 Super Bee. In the early 70’s, Bob started working for Philco-Ford in Connersville, but soon decided for a change of pace and took up as Barkeeper at Rue’s Tavern in Carthage. It’s here that he started to hone his “wordsmithing craft” and picked up many of his famous one-liners, along with countless stories and tall tales. During this time, he was also a (former) Master Mason of the Masonic Lodge (Rush Lodge 580) and served as the lodge’s Master & Secretary in the mid-70’s. After about 3 years at Rue’s, Bob started working on the manufacturing shop floor at Rollcoater, which is where he met the love of his life, Monika. They wed shortly thereafter on October 4th 1980 and then had their son, Chris, in 1987. Bob continued to work his way up the ranks at Rollcoater; moving from shop floor to front office and taking on leadership roles at their Greenfield facility, then at their plant in Kingsbury, and ultimately at their Corporate HQ on the northside of Indy. After 35+ years at Rollcoater, Bob retired as the Head of Scheduling for all 4 plants and 5 coil production lines. In retirement, he was fortunate enough to call both Port Charlotte, FL and Murphy, NC home for 6 years, prior to returning to Noblesville in 2019. Outside of work, Bob loved tinkering around the house; whether that be crafting things out in his workshop (Wally’s Workshop), fixing his cars, putting up custom fences or building out entire additions to his homes. He was a true handyman and craftsman. He was also a lover of the great outdoors, taking every opportunity to go on hunting and fishing trips around the Midwest and Canada. Starting in High School, Bob went annually to Canada for week+ long fishing trips; primarily to Lake Windermere in Northern Ontario, but also to Lake of the Woods and Trout Lake. He was a tried-and-true outdoorsman. Bob will be remembered as a charismatic, gregarious man of many talents, who never let things get him down. Regardless of health issues or the trials-and-tribulations of daily life, he preserved and fought hard for the betterment of his and his family’s life. Bob is survived by his devoted wife of 42 years, Monika (Nietzsche) Alter; son, Chris Alter; siblings, Charles Michael Alter & Kathy Sue Rummel; Chris “Tileman” Morrison; canine companions, Cindee & Ranger. Bob was preceded in death by his parents; his mother, Florence Laverne Brown; his father, Charles Alter; his stepfather, Alva JR Brown; Sister, Ann Margaret Brown-Campbell. A celebration of Bob’s life will be held on Saturday, November 5, 2022 at 2pm at the home of Steve and Marion Summers: 4739 Northwest Shafer Dr. Monticello, IN 47960. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are encouraged to the Hamilton County Humane Society.