Robinson, population 70, recently lost its mayor, its president of the Lions Club, as well as a firefighter and an volunteer EMT for the Kidder County Ambulance.

And at the exact same time, in January, Bismarck Public Schools lost a computer specialist assigned to oversee the computer systems of four or five of its schools. A position that the district has been trying to fill since.

All this because one man left, Bret Mars, 42.

Mars - who had taken on all those jobs in the 11/2 years he lived in North Dakota - and his wife Pam Mars, 42, moved back to the Philadelphia area in January after giving North Dakota life a try.

Bret Mars said if he were single he'd still be in North Dakota, that he loved his job, the people in Robinson, and the weather - but his wife became increasingly frustrated at her inability to find a decent-paying job despite her significant business skills.

And Bret Mars said he was making a third of what he could make in other states with his computer skills.

"I really don't understand how people make ends meet there," he said. "I've got a degree and skill that pays well in most places in the country."

When he moved to North Dakota, he had hoped to stop having headaches and be less tired, so he could do more in his spare time than just watch television - and that happened. Mars sold his stressful computer networking company, which had grown to 24 employees, to move to Robinson. And then, almost immediately, got involved in the community. And no more headaches.

The couple couldn't believe they had been able to buy a house in Robinson and 1 acre for $35,000. They said they loved their backdoor view of rolling farmland and appreciated the little things - turning off the car and just sitting and watching the setting sun drop behind a herd of grazing cows.

And Bret Mars told the Tribune in 2005, about six months after their move to Robinson, "We're not leaving."

But eventually that changed as Pam Mars, who said she had never planned to just stay home in Robinson and eat ice cream, was finding it hard to replicate what she had in Pennsylvania. There, she had been making $19.50 an hour, after 15 years of customer service agent and management experience at Amtrak.

In North Dakota, she couldn't find management positions and ended up in positions such as data entry and collection agent, making $10 or less an hour.

"I couldn't find a decent position for me to sustain myself,"she said.

In addition to low pay and the lack of employment opportunities, she was concerned about the number of co-workers who held down two and sometimes even three jobs to make ends meet. She also was concerned about the workaholic mindset of a number of people she worked with.

"In talking with people, it was like, yeah, it's just what you do … because it was good for their parents, their grandparents, it's just what you do,"she recalled from conversations.

She remembers one co-worker - who typically worked 12-hour days - once took a vacation day to clean her house.

Pam Mars said she doesn't mind working a 50- to 60-hour week sometimes, but not constantly.

"That's not what your life is supposed to be," she said.

And if you have little left from your paycheck for "play money … that's pretty sad," she said.

She said living in Robinson was like being on vacation, "because of the beauty outside of my window … I lived in a very beautiful area, very scenic."

On the not-so-good side, she said it was disconcerting how people in small towns seem to know everything about you.

She remembers going to the bank a day or two after getting a job and the people there already knew "too much about the job I got … I was kind of taken aback."

"It's almost like you can't even surprise someone," she said. "They're already knowing your full background. It's whispered down the lane."

The couple is missed, people in Robinson say.

Carol Steichen, owner of Carol's Kitchen in Robinson, said when she burned her fingers during preparation for a Lions dinner, Bret Mars was the first responder and "very professional" while helping her.

She said they were nice people, and she said she was really surprised when she heard they were leaving.

"He liked it here, liked the community,"Steichen said.

Cindy Trautmann, secretary-treasurer of the Lions Club, said Bret Mars' president spot hasn't been filled yet, and he will be really missed on the Kidder County ambulance crew.

"Whether he was on call or not, if he heard the call, he was there,"she said.

She said he had big-city ideas for improving the small fire department's equipment and was always looking for "different ways to get grants."

"He was a very good community person,"she said.

Mars, mayor since June, had worked at improving the city's drinking water, doing some road improvements and replacing old stop signs.

Now he's back in Philly and has headaches again. He's not sure why. Maybe environmental reasons, maybe stress. He's now an employee at the company he once owned.

But he said he's glad to be back because his wife is happy, back at Amtrak - and he can be an uncle again, now that family's close.

Roger Nelson, Robinson's postmaster - who can't recall anyone else moving into Robinson in the last year - was surprised that Bret Mars had left. "He seemed to really enjoy it here."

So was Alicia Eslinger, Bret Mars' boss in her role as tech support supervisor for the Bismarck Public Schools.

"Oh yeah, he's missed,"she said. "He was always willing to learn something new, always researching to find the best solution. … He always liked to try new stuff in the tech world, the latest and greatest gadgets."

Philly 2, North Dakota, 0.

Game, match, set, experiment over.

Maybe.

"I don't know that for sure … that's the reason why I'm kind of keeping the house," said Mars, about not putting their Robinson house on the market.

He wants to come back. But he's not sure if his wife would ever consider it.

"It may be wishful thinking on my side,"he said.