Obituary: Failing, Robert Atwood
Robert Atwood Failing was born in 1936 to Kendrick and Angeline Failing.
He is preceded in death by his parents and brother Ken.
He leaves his wife of 56 years and high school sweetheart, Maggie, four sons, Bradford, Matthew, Keenan and spouse Therese, Perry and spouse Lisa and his youngest, a daughter Elizabeth Larkin and spouse Don.
Bob has 10 wonderful grandchildren; Lauren, Perry, Madisyn, Kooper, Marshall, Maxwell, Megan, Corey, Ryan, and Heather.
His sister, Sandra Sutherby, resides in Westchester, OH.
Bob graduated from Flint Northern High in 1954.
He played basketball, football, ran track and was quarterback for the state champion Vikings in 1953.
He attended Michigan State University on a football scholarship until he married in 1956.
He worked as a foreman at Flint General Motors for many years until he went back to college in the early 70’s.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in 1977 from Northern Michigan University; his master’s degree in 1979 from Central Michigan University.
Bob worked for ESD 101 in Escanaba, MI as a Job Placement Specialist from 1977 to 1979 when he came to the Community Colleges of Spokane as the Occupational Specialist in the vocational area and where also taught Career Planning until 1994.
Bob loved being in the woods taking photographs of virtually everything in which he saw beauty.
He and his sons spent many hours fishing and hunting from the time they were young boys up to adulthood.
His passion from his 40’s until his health no longer allowed was golfing.
He and Maggie spent many enjoyable times together traveling to play golf and especially enjoyed Wandermere where they have wonderful friends.
The family has chosen to have no service.