Robert "Bob" Cummins

Bob was born March 27,1949, in Everett where he grew up. As a freshman at the University of Washington, Bob was a Husky crew walk-on, discovering a passion he had his whole life. His legacy lives on in the Lake Stevens Rowing Club he helped found 25 years ago. Situated on the lake’s North Cove, the club is poised for the next 25 years as the boathouse undergoes an expansion on a new site in partnership with the city of Lake Stevens. That relationship with the city speaks well of Bob’s commitment to the larger community and the club’s place in it.

Beyond the building and the boats which the master boat builder meticulously maintained and repaired, Bob’s legacy lives on in the rowing practice and passion of LSRC’s members. He was a coach devoted to fundamentals, plying novice students with charts and videos, diagnosing and treating a rower’s developing bad habit from his launch and helping youth rowers learn to feel the boat. Fundamentals matter, but Bob also would wax philosophically about the transcendent quality of rowing. He believed that each person’s rowing could have a profoundly positive impact on their life. A gathering of rowers at the boathouse Saturday bore that out, as member after member recounted how rowing helped them through a divorce, grief over a lost loved one, respite from caregiving, the pandemic and more.

Bob’s quiet humility belied a life of achievement as a leader, coach and mentor, both on the water and off. He served on USRowing’s National Governing Board and was a founding member of the Northwest Rowing Council. He also was a longtime USRowing referee, honored with the organization’s 2004 Julian Wolf award, given annually to a rowing official who "stood apart in making contributions to the sport."

In his first career, Bob was a chiropractor in Bellevue and was a leader in that profession too. Gov. Booth Gardner appointed him to the Washington Chiropractic Quality Assurance Commission. He was also the founding president of the Washington State Chiropractic Association, which emerged when three separate associations combined.

He retired his involvement in chiropractic after 22 years and delved into the world of rowing. He became a master boat builder for Pocock Racing shells, until 2020.

Bob is survived by his wife of 49 years, Barb Lagozzino Cummins; three children: Angie Sievers (Pat), Bob Cummins Jr. (Anna), and Jo Koshelnik (Kurt); and 12 grandchildren.

A celebration of Bob’s life will be announced at a later time. Memorial contributions may be made to the Lake Stevens Rowing Club Bob Cummins Memorial Fund (LakeStevensRowing.org) or the Cancer Foundation of your choice.