Sturm

SPRINGFIELD — The City of Springfield and the area lost a baseball icon on Nov. 19 when Bob Sturm passed away at the age of 83.

Sturm was a big part of the Springfield amateur baseball program, serving on the board in all capacities including President, Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer.

He also did the announcing at Riverside Park.

Dale “Lumber” Lindmeier said that when he was growing up watching Tiger baseball, Sturm was his Harmon Killebrew.

“He was a heck of a good ball player and a heck of a person,” Lindemeier said. “He was a wonderful person and I did not think that he had an enemy in the word. He was nice to everybody. When you watched Bob, you wanted to emulate him.”

Lindmeier said that Sturm was on the Springfield Baseball Board from 1975 until 2007.

“I served with him for 13 years in the concessions stand with his son Randy and when Randy got out of it, Bob and I took it over,” Lindmeier said.

Lindmeier, a 2025 inductee into the Minnesota State Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame, said that Sturm is a legend as far as Springfield baseball goes.

“He had his own spot on the plaza at the park — he sat in that same corner all of the time — and he had Bob’s Burgers that was a big special,” Lindmeier said. “He did that for town events and he was so good at organizing things for the community too.”

Steve Helget, who manages the Tigers’ amateur baseball team, said that Sturm was an unbelievable man.

“He was super nice to everybody, he was always encouraging, and he would go out of the way to say hi to people and help people,” Helget said. “He was very involved in the community. And he did a lot for the baseball program here. He got me started — he was on the board when I joined it. He was a great leader and always there for everybody and always there to help.”

Helget also said that Sturm’s “Bob’s Burgers” was his favorite thing to do.

“Bob always ran that stand and he loved it,” Helget said. “And I think that maybe down the road we will probably dedicate that spot to him.”

Helget echoed Lindmeier’s comments that Sturm was very well-liked.

“He really enjoyed high school sports and he was very family-orientated,” Helget said. “He will be missed.”

Lindmeier said that Sturm was elected to the Minnesota State Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010.

“He was a great gentleman and he is a legend as far as Springfield baseball goes,” Lindmeier said. “He was a great family man, great husband, great dad, grandfather and it was an honor to call him a friend.”

Lindmeier said that it will be strange next baseball season not to see Sturm sitting at his traditional spot on the plaza watching a baseball game.

“I said that we need to do something with his spot that he always sat at and his son Ryan said that it will be tough to look at that spot next baseball season and he is not there,” Lindmeier said. “But I know that he will be there in spirit.”