Robert Allen Fairbanks

The family of Robert Allen (Bob) Fairbanks is heartbroken to announce his passing on the morning of April 21, 2026 in Sun City Grand, Arizona due to injuries sustained on his motor scooter while returning from lawn bowling. Bob was born to Chester and Marie Fairbanks on August 20, 1943 in Lamar, Missouri.

Bob and his siblings, Larry and Janice, spent four years in the care of the Sisters of St. Francis Convent and Orphanage in Nevada, Missouri while their father worked on the railroad. Bob often joked about his experiences there. In 1950, the three siblings, Larry, Janice and Robert, moved out of the convent and back with their father and his new wife, Doris. They were later joined by the arrival of another sibling, Tom. Bob recounts his early summers spent with Doris’s father, David “Gramps” Thomas, fondly and with whom he attributed his passion for wildlife and archery.

Bob joined the U.S. Marines Corps in 1962 following graduation from Nevada High School and proudly served in Vietnam. He fondly told stories of his youth and of his adventures with lifelong friends to his grandchildren. He enjoyed coming of age in the mid-west in the 1950’s as it was a time that allowed him freedom and self expression.

Bob returned to California long after being stationed there as a young Marine. It’s where he met his late wife Katie. Bob and Katie traveled around the world and all the states in the USA. Having many adventures and wonderful stories. He enjoyed motorcycling and hunting around the west coast and mid-west. Bob developed a fondness for Paso Robles wine country and specifically Syrah Wine. He enjoyed many a feast with Katie’s family, including her son, Brain. Bob’s love of hunting and fishing carried throughout his life and led to finding his hideaway in Independence, California, where he could trout fish and take his Bronco and four wheelers up Onion Valley and Coyote Flats with Brian, family and a slew of host students Bob and Katie sponsored.

He and Katie retired to Sun City Grand, Arizona in 2005 to be closer to his brother, Larry. Along with the Arizona warmth, Bob developed a love of lawn bowling and was active in the Sun City Grand Lawn bowling Association. Bob’s neighbors often spotted him riding his scooter over to a match, even at eighty-two years young. After Katie’s passing in 2020, he spent his summers near his daughter, Cynthia, in upstate New York along with her husband and three kids. The heavy foliage reminded him of his childhood. He often recounted his early days in Missouri hunting and fishing with his sons, John and David, and as a child with his grandfather. Recently, he has been cherishing his son John who recently joined the ban of Arizona retirees. While he was waiting out his next adventure, Bob could be found listening to music at John’s home or by his own firepit listening to his favorite tunes. Bob had many friends was extremely active and enjoyed his favorite activities throughout his life.

Bob is survived by his children, John (Arlene), David (Cathy), Cynthia (Don Boyle), and Brian (Carrie)Frisch, and his grandchildren, Johnathan (Shruti), Nathan (Beth), Jessica (Tanner), Elizabeth, Isabel (Eric), Evan, Corinne and Elyse Boyle. Great Grand Children Johnathan III, Rohan and Curtis, Lakelyn and newly arrived Grant. He was preceded in death by Katie and his grandchildren, Ashley Alexander and great grandchildren David Fairbanks and Cooper Alexander; as well as all of his sibling, Larry Fairbanks, Janice Phillips and Thomas Fairbanks.