Robert Ferdinand Labbe

Robert (Bob) Ferdinand Labbe was an only child born to Ferdinand and Leona Labbe on November 12, 1922 in Portland, Oregon. He died on March 23, 2015 from complications of Parkinson’s disease (diagnosed in 2011) in Bellevue, Washington.

Bob graduated from Washington High School (Portland) and the University of Portland. He spent two years in the Navy during WWII, completing his college degree after his discharge.

Bob was interested in chemistry as early as high school which led him to a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Oregon State University. Bob joined the faculty at the University of Washington in 1958 where he spent his career in the Departments of Pediatrics and Laboratory Medicine.

Norma Lee Wiley caught Bob’s eye at a party in 1954 and they married on August 21, 1955 in Nampa, Idaho. They settled their family in Seattle where they had three daughters: Sherrie, Yvonne and Valerie.

Bob had many interests over the years: a love of travel and experiencing other cultures; a keen interest in photography; a great enjoyment of music, especially piano music; a concern for the environment that sparked a pioneering interest in conservation and recycling and volunteering at his church.

Family was very important to Bob and he enjoyed spending time with his wife, daughters and grandchildren. He is survived by his loving daughters Sharlene (James) Forbes and Yvonne (Wallace) Guptill, his grandchildren Brad and Lisa Forbes and David (Lisa) and Rachel Guptill as well as nieces and nephews. His wife, Norma Lee, and daughter, Valerie, preceded him in death.

An accomplished, gentle man, Bob never raised his voice, enjoyed a good joke and was a calm and reassuring presence to those around him. He was greatly loved and will be greatly missed.

Memorials in lieu of flowers may be made to The Sharehouse (an interdenominational support for people in transition from homelessness), 5706 Second Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98108 online or The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.