Many recall Bob Tschirley’s smile, sense of humor

Robert Tschirley’s smile can be seen in many photographs taken over the years, evidence of his slightly quirky sense of humor.

That smile was mentioned in almost every one of the dozens of cards the family received after his death, said his son, Craig Tschirley. “Almost without exception, everybody said they’d miss his smile and his sense of humor,” he said. “He had a wonderful sense of humor.”

Robert Tschirley died Nov. 9. He was 84.

The Tschirley family arrived in the Valley in 1907. They owned a farm at what is now Eighth Avenue and Tschirley Road. The property remained in the family until 1957, when it was donated to the Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society. Good Samaritan Village, a retirement center, now stands on the site.

Robert Tschirley was born in Spokane and graduated from Lewis and Clark High School and the welding department of the Spokane Trade School. He worked at the Seattle-Tacoma Shipyards before being drafted into the Navy.

Tschirley and his wife, Melba, met in 1942 before he left for training at Farragut. Melba’s friend was dating Tschirley’s friend, and the couple met at a dance. “Bob asked me to dance,” his wife said. “He called me up several days after.”

The two exchanged letters while he served in San Diego and later on the carrier Bunker Hill. Then one night she was sitting at her kitchen table listening to the radio when there was a news report that the Bunker Hill had been hit by kamikaze planes, suffering 500 casualties. There was no word for three weeks about Tschirley’s fate. It was a tough three weeks.

The two married in 1946 after he was discharged from the Navy. He worked at Valley Equipment for many years and also worked in construction.

If Tschirley was known for his smile, he was also known for being meticulous. He paid as much attention to mowing the lawn just so, as he did to his work. “Everything had to be just right,” his wife said. “He often said, ‘Haste makes waste.’ It just had to be perfect.”

He and a group of friends would meet at the Veterans of Foreign Wars every Tuesday for lunch. He also loved to golf, though he wasn’t into high-tech drivers. “He still used his old golf clubs,” she said. “None of the golf clubs match.”

He was a good dad, his son said. “He was trying to bring us up as best he could,” his son Craig said. He remembers one instance when his father was in charge of a building crew. When severe winds came, he pulled his crew off the job. Only a few hours later, the roof fell in. His actions likely saved lives, his son said. “He watched out for people instead of things.”

“He was a hard worker. He was a very principled man. He also had a whimsical side,” Craig said.

Toward the end of his life Tschirley began having problems with his blood clotting. He had surgery twice to remove clots, his wife said. “He was alert up until the last two days,” she said. “I kept thinking he would get better until the very last.”

But he didn’t get better. His ashes were interred in the Tschirley family area in the Saltese Cemetery. “I miss him,” his son said. “I miss him every day.”