Robert Elmo Lewis
May 17, 1940 - March 2, 2022
Obituary
Bob passed away March 2nd. He was born May 17, 1940, the son of Elmo B. Lewis and Ann E. Buty. He had one younger sister Patricia (Jones). He attended Seattle Prep Highschool, and graduated in 1958. From there he joined the Army and served his time, post war, in Korea as an army clerk. He met the love of his life, Gloria, in 1962 on a blind date and married in 1964. They spent 53 years in wedded bliss.
Bob worked for Boeing for 35 years. He started in the print shop as a blue print runner. He eventually worked his way up to print shop manager, also known as “Print Shop Bob”. A title he was very proud of.
In addition, he worked nights as a delivery driver for his Uncle Frank at Purolator Courier. He did this to put his 4 children through 12 years of private school; something he was also very proud of. Friday nights he got to do the airport run; a route he truly enjoyed, because this allowed him to bring home large potato sacks of airline peanuts. Along with putting them in his kids lunches, he would make his “famous” natural peanut butter, which he loved, his kids did not.
He retired from Boeing in 1995. Since Gloria was still working for US Bank, Bob started feeding his travel bug. He would take train trips all over the country. He often would say that he didn’t think there was a train line he hadn’t traveled. Road Trips were another passion of Bob’s, traveling down to see his daughter in San Diego and his nephew in Texas. The open road was his playground. With Gloria still working, traveling gave him something to occupy his free time. At the same time, Bob’s travel time afforded Gloria some alone time to redecorate the house, free from any unsolicited input.
Once Gloria retired from the bank, the two of them decided to see the world via the sea. Cruising was their new favorite past time. They befriended so many people, staying in touch with many over the years. They stopped at so many ports along their way, it would be challenging to find a port they didn’t set foot on. Bob often would talk about his favorite trips. One particular adventure that stood out was their trip to Spain they took with their neighbors. On more than one occasion, he would say Spain was his favorite trip. Italy, however, was a close second, the land where his mothers’ family came from, not so many years ago.
Bob was a dedicated Seahawk fan. He enjoyed taking each of his kids to one game per season, while the rest were reserved for his regular football buddy, Gloria. He liked to note that he had been a season ticket holder since the beginning, through the thick and the thin. Unfortunately, he never made it to see a Super bowl in person, which his children knew was a disappointment. Those of us who had the privilege to go with dad when we were younger, and later as adults, will fondly remember the many early breakfasts before the games, getting our pre-funk on.
Bob was predeceased by his wife Gloria in 2017. He is survived by his daughters, Cheryl (Marc) and Karen (Mike), his sons, Brian (Mai) and Jeff (Katy) and 16 grandchildren.
On a personal note, Bob was so many things to so many people. He was a Dad, an Uncle, a Son, a Cousin, and a Friend. But to his children and grandchildren, he was Superman. And he will be missed.
The visitation will be Monday, March 14th & Tuesday, March 15th at 1 – 4pm.
The funeral mass will be held at St. Bernadette Catholic Church in Burien on Wednesday, March 16th at 11:00am.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Parkinson Foundation – parkinson.org or the Dementia Society of America – dementiasociety.org
My deepest condolences. Bob left an warm space in every room he entered. I was grateful to have danced with him at my wedding! To my dearest friend Cher and family, I love you.
Every time your dad and I crossed paths, it was with big hugs and love. He was a big hearted teddy bear – How very blessed we have been.
Miss you “Old Buddy” You have been like a Bro over the past 72 years. Uhrah!
Sorry to hear of your loss, sending prayers and lots of hugs Cher and to your family. May your dad Rest In Peace in Heaven🙏
Cher, Brian, Karen and Jeff, The world has lost one of the good guys. Your Mom and Dad were very special to me, and so are you. Your Mom loved him very much. Together they worked hard to raise a family to be proud of. Please know that I love you all and wish I could be there for you.. May Gods love surround you and bring you peace. Love, Mary Jo and George
Bob and I lived in the same neighborhood and went to Saint Mary’s elementary school and kept our friendship during high school. We did get together and had some times.
Sorry to hear of Bob’s death. We were neighbors for many, many years. My sympathy to his children.
I have very fond memories of Uncle Bob when he would come and visit us in Houston when I was a little girl. I always remember his smiling face and us eating grilled corn on the cob outside on our deck on a warm summer afternoon. May he rest in peace and I send my biggest condolences.
My dear cousins, my sincere sorrow in the loss of your hero/father. My mother shared stories when I was young of her ‘big brother’. I have fond memories of our time together as children during holidays celebrating as only Italians can….Your father was a great part of those precious memories. Sending much love…I so wish I could be there in person to give you each a big hug.