Robert William Crumley, age 82, died at home on September 19, 2017 after a long illness. Robert "Bob" was born in Yelm, Washington on June 5, 1935 to Ralph J. Crumley and Nellie (Ellis) Crumley. He grew up in Vail, a Weyerhaeuser logging town. Bob was born during the Depression, so they didn't have much, but he loved the outdoors and his community. He spent his days swimming, hunting, and playing baseball with his friends.
Bob graduated from Rainier High School in 1953, where he excelled at sports and was involved in many clubs, student government, and was known and loved by all. After graduation, Bob joined the Naval Reserves and served for 8 years. During that time, he obtained his Associates Degree in forestry at Centralia College and went to work for Weyerhaeuser for six years. In 1961, Bob went back to school to earn his Bachelor's Degree -- it's a good thing, too, because that's where he met the love of his life, Karen Vannoy.
Karen and Bob were married in 1963 and moved to Ellensburg together to attend Central Washington University. Bob earned his BA in Education in 1965 and began teaching in the Tumwater School District as a 7th grade math teacher. He retired after 30 years in 1995. Bob had many part-time jobs while he was teaching in addition to growing Christmas trees on the family property.
His poor health after retirement prevented him from doing many of the activities he enjoyed. Nevertheless, he loyally followed the Seattle Mariners and other local sports teams. He took great joy in his 9 grandchildren, watching their sporting events and other activities when possible. He also took up reading late in life, enjoying various mysteries.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Karen, his son, Scott Crumley (Jennifer) of Tumwater, daughter Melissa Golan (Alex) of Bellevue, daughter Amy Laizans (Jeff) of Redmond, and nine grandchildren: Joe and Zach Crumley, Ben, Olivia and Carlos Golan, Mia, Sean, Kylie and Heather Laizans.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Ralph and Nellie Crumley and his sister, Reda Jensen of Yelm.
Services will be held at 10 am on Tuesday, September 26, 2017 at Mills & Mills Funeral Home located at 5725 Littlerock Road SW, Tumwater.
The family would like to thank Providence Sound Home Care and Hospice of Olympia for their compassionate care during this last year.
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