Robert “Bib” Winterberger will be celebrating his 100th birthday Saturday, March 5, in Norfolk, Va., with his family and friends. He was born in 1922 in Dunkirk to his parents, Ralph and Ethel Winterberger.
His childhood was spent in Dunkirk, Fredonia, Cassadaga, Junction, Illinois, and Greenville, Ky., where he graduated from high school in 1940. He worked in Greenville and St. Louis, Mo., before enlisting in the Navy in 1942. He married Dorothy O’Connor in 1945 and was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1946.
Winterberger graduated from Purdue University in 1950 with a bachelor of science degree in agricultural engineering. He worked for Bedfords then Kraft Foods, even managing a cheese plant in Vermont. In 1983, he retired from Kraft in Dunkirk after 33 years of service. While still employed at Kraft, he pursued his passion for agriculture and with his family owned and operated a grape vineyard in Forestville.
Up until recently, “Bib” lived on the farm near Forestville and continued to keep active in spite of his advancing age. He could be seen regularly mowing with his tractor, tending the shrubs and plants in the yard or creating woodworking projects in his barn. Today he is living in Norfolk near family and enjoys reading and sketching.
Winterberger had seven children, enjoys his 10 grandchildren and is blessed with 15 great-grandchildren. He was married to his wife, Dorothy, for nearly 69 years until she passed away in 2014. When asked about his secret to long life, he said, “You just have to keep moving!”
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