Robert M. Hanlin

Robert, or Bob as he was known, was born in Tacoma, Washington to Georgia and Paul Hanlin. He was the oldest of four children. Two brothers, Warren and Don who have preceded him in death, and one sister, Pauli Riedel who resides in Lacey, Washington. He spent most of his young life in Southern Oregon. Klamath Falls and Medford were towns he grew up in. Graduating from Medford High School he enlisted in the United States Navy in 1941. Serving four years on the USS Enterprise during World War II shaped much of the rest of his life.

During one of the battles the ship was bombed and hit by Kamikaze planes. Bob was blinded by the flash of the bomb. He carried shrapnel in his body from the blast. After spending days in the sick bay with his head wrapped in bandages unable to see anything but darkness he cried out to God asking Him to spare his life and heal his body with a promise that he would serve God the rest of his life. When the day came that the doctor unwrapped his bandages they found that the flash had sealed his eyelids shut and they had to be surgically cut open. When he opened his eyes, he could see! He knew it was a miracle and spent the rest of his life telling others about it. With other sailors they began a Bible Study on board the Enterprise.

In the last year of the Navy he asked his girlfriend, Opal Frost, to marry him. They were married and moved to Georgia to finish out his service. Upon his discharge they returned to Southern Oregon where he became a pastor of the Apostolic Faith Church at Grants Pass, Oregon. For over 45 years he pastored churches in Grants Pass, Oregon; Chehalis, Washington; Los Angeles, California; Eureka, California; San Francisco, California; Vancouver, British Columbia. When he retired he returned to Grants Pass, Oregon and was an associate there until moving to Colorado in 2001. After moving to Longmont, he was known as Pastor Bob at Summit Four Square helping with the food bank and hospital visitations. For several years, he was a volunteer Chaplain at Longmont United Hospital visiting hospital rooms until they ended the volunteer program and hired full time chaplains. The true passion of his life was telling others about his Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Bob loved to golf and enjoyed taking parishioners and other pastors to the links for a morning or afternoon round. He took up flying during the 1950’s while living in Los Angeles, California, where he purchased his first plane, a 4-passenger Cessna. He piloted single engine planes for over 25 years.

Bob and Opal had two children, a daughter Barbara and a son Bill. They were both born in Southern Oregon. They now live here in Colorado with their spouses, Barbara’s husband Red Southern and Bill’s wife Pamela Hanlin. Barbara had two sons, Barry and Greg. Bill had a daughter Tricia and a son Jeff. Bob’s family has grown over the years to include 13 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren and 6 great-great grandchildren.

His first wife, Opal died in 2006 after 63 years of marriage. Last summer he asked Flora Johnston to marry him and they were married September 16, 2017. Flora and her two children, Roxanne Virgilio and Kirk and his wife Julie then joined his family.

His journey is over, and he is Home!