Robert Theodore Disney Jr.

Robert Theodore Disney Jr., aka Bobby and later simply Bob, was born on January 8th, 1948 in Denver, Colorado to Robert Theodore and Dorothy Belle Disney (nee Henderson). Dad was the second child, behind Ann (who we loved dearly but never got to know very well as she escaped to Texas with the love of her life) and before everyone’s favorite Disney uncle, Greg Disney.

Dad graduated from Lakewood High School and spent time studying at Colorado State & Northeastern Jr. College in Sterling. However, realizing that his girlfriend Peggy Irene Wiley was fantastically beautiful and smart, he jumped into being a husband and a father the first chance he got. Looking back, that was probably the smartest decision he ever made. They would go on to spend more than half a century devoted to each other.

Heather Lynn was the first born to Bob and Peg. Precocious and too smart for her own good, Heather enjoyed being an only-child until her parents had to go and ruin things by having a baby boy, who they named in family tradition, Robert Theodore Disney III. Much to Heather’s chagrin, the baby boy was perfect in every way. She learned to love him nonetheless.

Sometime during my sophomore year, Dad went through a midlife crisis leaving his 20+ year career working for divisions of the Woolworth Corporation to become a union carpenter. The union part was important to Dad. I suspect it was a place where he found camaraderie and a greater sense of purpose. Just a few years into his time with the Carpenters Union, he earned the title Journeyman and went on to direct the state apprenticeship program where he helped many young people find that sense of belonging that he cherished.

There was just one thing that was more important to Dad than being a union man and that was being there for his family. Heather and her husband, Sean Dugan, gave Bob and Peg three grandkids: twins Rafe & Tessa, along with Jackson. Heather willingly gave up our family name to become a Dugan–a real sign of what a good man Sean is.

Dad was there every step of the way for the grandkids. He cheered at their baseball games and music recitals, made pancake breakfasts, and taught them all to fish and love the beauty of Colorado. Upon hearing of his passing, Tessa remarked that she’d lost a central figure in her life and didn’t know what to do. That grief was heart wrenching to hear but let me know just how much love Dad put into their relationship.

Twenty thirteen was a big year for Bob and Peg. On a visit to their favorite son, I informed them that my partner, Joe Bowers, and I were planning to adopt. In the most dramatic fashion I could muster, I told them that they’d better love our boys as much as they did Rafe, Tessa, and Jack. Not to be outdone with drama, they told me that this was a karmic blessing for them as my mum had been forced to give up a baby very early in their courtship.

Less than a year later, our family added my two boys, Joseph and Theodore, and found our long lost daughter/sister, Kristen, her amazing husband David, and two kids, Brent and Tracie. A navy man, Brent fit right into the family and his sister Tracie, looking like Peg’s doppelganger minus a few decades, became much loved by Dad. He was tickled to have Kristen as a daughter and loved David and their kids. A recent blessing brought Brent’s wife and their two beautiful kids Charlotte and Graham into our crew which Dad counted as yet another blessing.

Just as he had done with Heather’s kids, Dad relished the role of Pop Pop to my boys Joseph and Theodore. Among his life accomplishments was teaching them to fish. One of my favorite photos captures the moments after Theodore and Dad pulled in a keeper at the Monument Lake. He made sure that they felt unconditional love and perhaps most importantly, a sense of unwavering belonging to our clan.

That love extended to Sean’s kids from a previous marriage, Mandy and her husband Johnnie Krien, Ryan and his wife Kasey, & Collin and his wife Robin Dugan, along with their babies Bailey, Addison, Levi, and Keira.

Dad passed away on December 8th, 2021 at the University of Colorado Hospital due to complications from a life well lived. He is survived by his wife, Peggy, and his younger brother, Greg. In our last conversation, Dad was in a lot of pain but he smiled when I told him that his Australian Shepherd, Bindi, and his cat, Toppy were keeping Mum company and being their typically crazy selves.

Dad was an anchor of stability for our entire family. He loved us all and was supportive of our dreams–even when they weren’t in line with what he thought we should be doing. And while we’ve lost something very special, I have zero doubt that Dad is now putzing around with his dad in a well-equipped garage in the sky. I look forward to a time when I get to join them.