Robert Washburn

Robert Washburn, age 89, our dear husband, father, and grandfather, passed away peacefully on October 13th, 2017 at Gasseling House in Yakima. Bob was born on May 5th 1928 in Tacoma to George and Frances (Zelinsky) Washburn. Born of a Washington pioneer family, Bob graduated from historic Stadium high school in 1946 and went on to graduate from College of Puget Sound (now UPS) with a degree in geology. After graduation he served 2 years on Guam with the Naval Reserves. Upon returning Bob began working for the US Geological Survey. Soon after, he met his future wife Nancy Lindbeck at the iconic Busch's Drive-In. The couple was married on June 3rd 1955 in Tacoma. They soon moved to Vancouver WA., when he began his career at WSDOT. It was there that their three sons- Jeff, Jim, and Jerry were born. In 1964 Bob transferred to Yakima as he was offered the position of Materials Engineer for District 5, which stretches from Snoqualmie summit to the Idaho border. When the family got to their new house in Terrace Heights, Bob went to work- planting a lawn, hauling slate from White Pass to build retaining walls, building their cherished deck and refinishing the daylight basement. During this time the interstate system was expanding and Bob was the Project Geologist on the I-82 link between Ellensburg and Yakima. He told of climbing 90 ft. underground to inspect the footings for the Fred G Redmon bridge- the longest concrete arch span bridge in North America. After 30 years with the WSDOT, Bob retired. In his early 40's Bob became a serious runner. As a member of Yakima's Hard Core running club, he competed in top races around the northwest-placing 3rd of 800 in his age group at Spokane's Bloomsday run and running a Boston Marathon qualifying time. He transitioned to cycling and was a common sight on the roads around Terrace Heights and Moxee. Bob also cared about his community. He was a former president and 50 year charter member of the Lions Club, which entailed raising money for the blind during White Cane days and spending many cold days at the annual Lions Club/Boy Scouts Christmas tree sale. He was also a board member of the Terrace Heights Civic Center, captain of the block watch and driver for the volunteer Sheriff’s patrol. He received both a Community Leadership award and the Maggie Kulik award for his outstanding 18 years of work with the East Valley School District. Bob enjoyed travelling. Whether camping with the family or annual trips with Nancy and a basset hound to the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Festival or Mazatlan, Bob was always on the go. "Pops" Washburn is survived by his wife of 62 years Nancy, sons: Jeff (Lori); Jim (Jennifer) and Jerry. Grandchildren Nick, Blake, Samantha, Rachael and Jordan. The family would like to thank caregiver Carlene and also the loving staff at Gasseling House. There will be a Celebration of Life at the Terrace Heights Civic Center on November 5th from 1:00 pm until 4:00 pm. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Robert Washburn, please visit our flower store.