Obituary: Olson, Robert J. “Bob”
“Bob” 1922 - 2015 Bob went peacefully to his Lord after a short illness.
He joins his wife of 62 years, Lillie Mae; son, Mark; granddaughter, Kristy and brother, Don.
Bob was born in Missoula and he, his sister and brother grew up in Montana.
His father was in charge of the replanting of the Bitter Root range after the “Big Burn” of 1910 and Savanac nursery became his much loved playground.
He attended Parochial School and then began his University studies in Lincoln, Nebraska.
The war intervened and while waiting for transport to Europe in Brenham, Texas, he met a beautiful blonde girl named Lillie Mae.
Throughout Lillie’s long life, he always referred to her as “his yellow rose of Texas”.
Bob served his country in WWII and fought in the Battle of the Bulge under General Patton.
It took him 50 years to tell his kids that he hadn’t actually “only peeled potatoes” when he was in the Army.
He attended Stanford and then graduated from WSU.
He then followed his father’s path into Forestry and Soil Conservation.
Bob and Lillie Mae were married in 1948 in Brenham in the presence of more relatives than he had ever imagined could exist.
They moved to the Pacific Northwest and raised four children.
They loved to dance in the living room and kitchen, sang very loudly on road trips and made their entire backyard into an ice rink every winter ensuring their kid’s popularity in the neighborhood.
Bob was an avid outdoorsman.
He was an accomplished swimmer and played tennis almost every day for 50 years.
He was a classically trained violinist and excellent woodworker who attended woodworking classes of every kind into his nineties.
He resided at Fair winds Retirement in the last 11 months of his life and made many new friends as well as catching up with some old ones.
He was funny and so kind and a deeply spiritual man.
He was a 56 year member of Messiah Lutheran Church.
Bob is survived by his children Susan DeLine (William), Ken Olson (Margo), Catherine Olson (Ron); and daughter-in-law Medea Olson; and by his sister Marion; and sister-in-law Eleanor Olson.
He had eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
He is also survived by Shirley Ann Walters, his dear friend, confidante, out to dinner partner, sweetheart and baseball buddy.
She brightened his last years immeasurely.
A Celebration of Robert’s Life will be held on Saturday, November 7th, two o’clock at Messiah Lutheran Church, 4202 North Belt Street, Spokane, WA with Pastor Laura Olsen presiding.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice House of Spokane, Messiah Lutheran Church or Alzheimer’s Research.