Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death.
In 1942, Bob moved with his family for one year to Virginia while his father was in boot camp during World War II. When his father left for active duty in the Navy, his mother moved her boys to The Dalles, Ore. After the war, Bob's sister, Sandra, was born.Â
Bob married Dawn Bryan in 1955 and they had two daughters, Charla and Karen.
In July 1955, Bob was hired to The Dalles Police Department as a police officer and worked there until 1964. He was recruited by Ray Schultens and worked for him as a sales manager until he became an insurance agent for Farmers Insurance. Eventually he became an independent insurance broker and owner of Columbia Gorge Insurance Agency. Bob still owned three commercial properties downtown The Dalles: The buildings are all located on W. Second, and they are Columbia Gorge Insurance Office, Qwik-Change Lube Center, and Zim’s Restaurant and Sports Bar.
Bob was a pilot and owned two airplanes for several years. He was also an accomplished water skier. In his early years, he raced stock cars. He took up snow skiing in his mid-40s. He met Susan Roberts in 1992 and she became his long-term partner until he passed. Bob and Sue enjoyed dancing, traveling in their motor home and went on several cruises. They lived in Lyle, Wash., on High Prairie until 2019, where they both enjoyed the peaceful prairie with their beloved dogs. Bob built a huge shop there and enjoyed tinkering with his tractors and projects in his retirement years.
In November of 2019, he and Sue moved to The Dalles to be closer to family. On Jan. 24, 2021, Bob passed away with his family by his side.
He is survived by his brother Donald and sister Sandra; daughters Charla Fraley (Rick Farris), and Karen Frank (Brian Frank); grandchildren Jackie Tharp (Leroy Tharp), Carrie Herman (Seth Gray), Oscar Farris (Jordan Flores), and Max Farris; and great-grandchildren Kirsten Dawson (Bruce Dawson), Madison Troutt, Abigail Cummings, Jamusin Gray, Samuel Gray, Isaiah Farris. Bob is also survived by Sue Roberts and her two sons, Troy and Ryan, and Ryan’s wife Sarah and their twins Josh and Sadie.
Per Bob’s request, any service will be private.Â
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
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Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.