Robert “Bob” Stephen Durdan, 81 years old, of Grand Ridge, passed away into eternal life with his family by his side, on Monday, October 5, 2026.
A prayer service will be held at 9:45 a.m. on Saturday, October 10, 2026 at the Mueller Funeral Home, Ottawa followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30 a.m. in St. Mary of the Fields Church, Grand Ridge with his grandson, Rev. Jacob Martini, officiating. Burial will follow at St. Stephen’s Cemetery, Streator. Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, October 9, 2026 at Mueller Funeral Home, Ottawa. Additional visitation will be from 9 to 9:45 a.m. on Saturday morning at the funeral home.
He was a devout Catholic and prayed the Rosary with his wife daily. He was a member of St. Mary of the Fields Church, Grand Ridge.
After graduating from Marquette High School, he joined the Army Reserves, farmed in Grand Ridge and began his own electrical business, Durdan Electric.
He loved his faith, his family, fishing, Marquette and the Chicago Cubs. His family often joked with the nurses and doctors that he bled Cubbie blue. If people didn’t know him by his name, they knew him by “Wrigley Field West”. With the help of many others, Bob and Cheryl built their own field of dreams in 1969. In 2005, they added a second diamond for T-Ball. Bob and Cheryl affectionately named this one “Rachel Field” after their granddaughter who had passed. Bob also made his love of the Cubs known at the Friendly Confines. He often took his garden vegetables to his hero, Ron Santo.
Not only was Bob an exceptional ball player, he used his skills to serve the community. He combined his love of cooking and fabricating to produce pieces of catering equipment to fundraise for many local organizations.
Bob was also an awesome cook. He volunteered his time and cooking equipment to raise money for many local organizations and fundraisers.
If you didn’t know him by Durdan Electric, his love of the Cubs, or as a huge Marquette supporter, you knew him by his humor. Even at the very end, he never lost his wit. You never knew what he was going to say next. He could put a smile on anyone’s face, even in their worst moments.
He received many awards, including the John Pocivasek Hall of Fame, Marquette Hall of Fame and Red Wultzen Booster Award. He was inducted into the Old Timers Baseball Hall of Fame.
He was a member of The Knights of Columbus, past member of the Farm Bureau and Marquette’s Advisory Board. He was an honorary member of the Grand Ridge Volunteer Fire Department.
Bob was born March 25, 1945 to Steve and Edna Durdan. He married the love of his life, Cheryl (Vogel) 60 years ago. He is survived by his wife and children Tim (Amy) Durdan, Christie (Eugene) Miller, Sherrie (Tom) Martini, Karen (Chris) Conness and Paul (Mandy) Durdan. Also surviving are 15 grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and a sister-in-law, Phyllis Durdan. His fifth great-grandchild will be here soon!
He was preceded in death by his parents and siblings Mary (Lyle) Nichols, Jim (Marilyn) Durdan and Bill Durdan. He was also preceded by a granddaughter, Rachel Miller.
The family would like to extend a sincere thank you to Ami Dose, Pat Duffield, Pleasant View Lutheran Home in Ottawa and Flawless Family Home Care in Pontiac for the great care they gave him.
Memorials may be directed to the Grand Ridge Volunteer Fire Department or Marquette Academy.
You may sign the online guestbook and share remembrances at www.MuellerFH.com. Mueller Funeral Home and Crematory 800 First Avenue, Ottawa, IL 61350 815-434-4433