Obituaries

Bob was born July 1, 1946 in Bakersfield, California.  As his father worked as a geologist for an oil company, his family moved around quite a bit.  When he was two, they moved to Altadena California.  When Bob was 10, his family moved to England for 5 years, where he attended the American School in London and developed a lifelong passion for British railroads, especially the London Underground.   At age 15, his father was transferred to Nigeria.  In order to obtain a better education, Bob was sent to a boarding school in Rome, where he graduated from high school.  Bob lost his mother to cancer around this time.

Bob graduated with his bachelor’s degree from UC Pomona and received his master’s degree in physics/computer science from the University of Washington.  After graduation, he worked in computer science at the University of Washington BioStatistics department doing data analysis on various clinical trials until his retirement 36 years later.  He enjoyed his work and his co-workers.

Bob and his wife, Sue Stewart,  met as volunteers at the Northwest Railway Museum.  Bob volunteered there from 1972 until about a year before his death.  He worked as  crew on the trains, trained new crew members in operations,  did mechanical work on the engines,  worked on track repair and helped at all the Railroad events including Santa Train, Halloween Train, and Day Out with Thomas.  He was on the board of the Museum and held various officer positions for many years. Sue volunteered along with Bob at the railroad with going to the museum in Snoqualmie for most weekends being the expected activity. Their son Michael also loved trains and volunteered at the Museum.  They enjoyed working on a project or being on crew together.  Even vacations were often spent visiting other railroad operations around the country.  Often on these trips, Sue and Bob would travel by car (or train) and enjoy exploring backroads and small towns along the way.  Camping, especially with family and friends was an activity they also enjoyed together.

Music was also important to Bob, Sue and Michael.  They listened to an eccentric collection of music, and attended many concerts and festivals featuring local artists.  Memorial Day weekends were spent at Folklife Festival.

Bob was quiet, with a “quirky” sense of humor, and could find a  Monty Python or Fireside Theater quote for most any occasion.  He found fun, and a quiet laugh, in most situations.

Memorial information:

The memorial will be held at the Northwest Railway Museum’s Railway History Center at 9320 Stone Quarry Road in Snoqualmie, Washington on Saturday, July 28th from 5:15 PM-7:30 PM.

Guests are encouraged to meet at the Snoqualmie Depot at 38625 SE King Street in downtown Snoqualmie and ride the train to the Railway History Center. You will be joined by Bob, who will be in the cab one last time. The train will depart the Snoqualmie Depot at 5:00 PM and will return to the Depot at the end of the memorial. Guests may also drive to the Railway History Campus but parking is limited.

Appetizers and refreshments will be provided. If you would like to bring a dish to share with everyone, that would be greatly appreciated.

Please bring your memories and stories about Bob to share.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Alzheimers Association , the Northwest Railway Musuem or a charity of your choice.