Robert O. Iott

Col. Robert O. Iott died October 20, 2011 at Yakima Regional Medical & Cardiac Center with family beside him. He was known as Bob to most, Ollie to some, and Pop to his children. Bob lived in Yakima for the last 20 years after a long and distinguished career in the United States Air Force. He was born in Junction City, Kansas on April 272, 1938 to Gladys and Charles Iott. He had one brother, Marvin Iott. The family lived in Kansas until Bob’s senior year of high school, when they moved to Livingston, Montana. Here, he gained a life-long appreciation for the outdoors and Yellowstone National Park, working with the Forest Service fighting fires and maintaining recreation sites.

After graduating from Park County High School, Bob returned to Kansas for college, graduating from the University of Kansas with a degree in pharmacy. He then joined the U.S. Air Force and began a life-long career in service to his country. He became a member of the Medical Service Corps, the military branch that provides health care and medical services to the forces. His career took him first to Nebraska, and then on to Turkey and Wiesbaden, West Germany. Bob often reminisced about his time in overseas, where he made life-long friends and experienced many new foods and cultures.

During his stay in Germany, Bob met his wife Joan, a Canadian nurse who was traveling Europe with friends and who worked at the same hospital. The two were married in 1965 and had a daughter, Susan, the next year before returning to the United States. Back stateside, Bob moved with his growing family to Texas and Montgomery, Alabama, where his son Johns was born. The family moved to New Haven, Connecticut in 1971, where Bob attended Yale University. He graduated at the top of his class with a Master’s in Public Health in 1973. With his new degree in hand, Bob began a new phase of his career designing and managing health centers in the Air Force. This took him to Washington D.C. and then on to Illinois and back to Germany. While in Germany, Bob managed the health care services for all the American forces in Europe.

Bob’s last – and favorite – duty station was the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. As the hospital administrator, he worked tirelessly to renovate the Academy Hospital and turn it into a model of efficiency and service. He was recognized with a Commander in Chief’s Special Recognition for Installation Excellence. He also took time to enjoy all the sports the Academy athletes offered as a season ticket holder for Academy football, basketball, and other sporting events. He also took to the outdoors, hiking both Pikes Peak and Long’s Peak, and several other 14, 000 plus peaks.

Bob retired from the Air Force in 1992, moving to Washington State to work with the Department of Energy’s Hanford Environmental Health Foundation. He then became the Executive Director of Group Health Northwest, continuing his career in providing health care services and moving to Yakima.

At home, Bob took great pride in his carefully manicured lawn and garden, tending many rose plants and fruit trees and plants. He made the most of the fertile soil of the Valley, growing many types of fruit. He particularly liked to turn his home-grown grapes into grape juice to share with his family and to freeze fresh raspberries and cherries to eat throughout the cold months in Yakima. Late summer months found Bob picking fruit and grapes that Joan turned into delicious jams to share with friends and family.

Bob is survived by his wife, Joan, his children Susan and John, their spouses Roger and Polly, his sister-in-law Marilyn, his niece Cindy Abbatiello and her family and his devoted dog, Lady.

A Memorial Service will be held at 1:00 p.m. Thursday, October 27, 2011 at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, 4105 Richey Rd., Yakima, WA. Funeral arrangements are under the care and direction of Keith and Keith Funeral Home.