Hundreds of poems by Tom Wobker, under the pen name The Bard of Sherman Avenue, appeared in The Spokesman-Review over the past 14 years. Wobker died Saturday of cancer. He was 71. His light verse was published on The Spokesman-Review blog Huckleberries. More than 600 of his works appeared online and in blog creator Dave Oliveria’s weekly print column since 2002. Wobker kept his identity secret until February. His friend, Tod Marshall, a Gonzaga University English professor and Washington’s poet laureate, said the Bard reminded readers how poetry needs to have a broad appeal. “His poems aren’t just witty and clever, they’re also well made. He has an obvious sense of rhythm,” Marshall said in a February interview. Wobker’s most recent poem, “Spring Grass,” can be seen in Sunday’s Huckleberries column/Scott Maben, SR.