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.
Robert Dale Williams, age 80, died at home in Moxee, Wash., on Sept. 10, 2018, from complications related to kidney cancer.
Robert, aka “Bob,” was born April 8, 1938, in Stevenson, Wash., the second child and only son of F.L. “Bud” and Kathleen (Reynolds) Williams. The family moved to Goldendale, Wash., in 1944, where Bob attended school. He later joined the Air Force.
Bob married Colleen Kluth of Selah, Wash., in 1964 and they had two children, McKinley and Robin. They divorced after several years.
Bob held various jobs over his lifetime. He worked as a draftsman at Boeing Aircraft Company in Seattle, Wash., for several years. He returned to Bingen, Wash., to work with his father in a ready-mix cement business. Later he moved to Dallesport, Wash., to help his parents on their farm and worked at Harvey Aluminum in The Dalles, Ore.
In 1983, Bob married DeeAnn Pavey of The Dalles, and they had two children, Keenon and Kelsey. They moved to Vancouver, Wash., for several years, then returned to the family farm. Bob and DeeAnn eventually divorced.
In 2016, Bob retired from farming and moved to Moxee to be near his son, McKinley, and family.
Early on, after spending some time in San Francisco, Calif., Bob developed a love for folk music and learned to play the guitar and banjo. “I just wanted to play, I didn’t want to practice,” he said. Bob loved all-night radio where he learned about a wide variety of obscure topics.
Bob was intellectually gifted and could follow complex subjects in detail. He enjoyed playing cribbage and pool, and he was a stickler for the rules!
Bob was a favorite uncle to his nieces and nephews. He taught them about folk music and was the quintessential “hippie.” His long hair and beard were his trademarks.
Robert is survived by sons, McKinley (Renee) Williams of Moxee and Keenon Williams of Pendleton, Ore.; daughter, Kelsey Williams of Pilot Rock, Ore.; three granddaughters, Elisabeth, Ava and Annamarie; grandson Jacob; two great-grandchildren; five sisters, Juanita (Dave) Neitling of The Dalles, Sharleen (Joseph) Stroyan of Oak Harbor, Wash., Marsha (Russ Haydon) Williams of Gig Harbor, Wash., Leslie (Edmund) Washuta of Belvidere, N.J., Linda Foley of Seattle, Wash.,; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by daughter, Robin, and his parents.
Bob was a descendant of the Cascade and Cowlitz Tribes and an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation. Special thanks to Compass Care of Yakima and to Colleen Stephens who helped make Bob’s life comfortable at the end.
Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday Sept. 22, 2018, at the Cascade Cemetery in North Bonneville, Wash. He will be buried beside his ancestors, followed by a celebration of Bob’s life at the Hegewald Community Center in Stevenson, Wash.
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