Robert James Worral

Robert James Worral, a life-long Oregonian, educator, teacher advocate, and talented jack-of-all-trades, passed away peacefully at home from complications after a brief illness on April 22nd, 2025. He was 79 years old.

Rob was born in Salem, Oregon on July 30th, 1945 to Bob and Margaret Worral. He was a graduate of South Salem High School, studied agriculture at Oregon State University, and gained a graduate degree in teaching from Portland State University. He came from a long line of farmers and teachers and took up both pursuits as an adult. Rob taught biology and marine biology at McNary and South Salem High School and served in leadership roles with the Salem- Keizer teacher’s union while also managing the family cherry farm where he grew up. That farm is now the home of West Salem High School and a beautiful little park that is shaded by trees that Rob planted.

From an early age, Rob became a talented pen and ink illustrator of wildlife and botanicals, a sculptor of wood and stone, and a watercolor painter. His homes were filled with his artwork and collections of beautiful objects, antique tools, sea shells, and rocks. A lifelong lover of the outdoors, Rob enjoyed fishing, spending time at the coast and mountains with his family, and the simple art of sitting and appreciating a good view and watching the critters come and go.

After retirement, Rob became a collector and restorer of antiques and ran an antiques shop and art gallery with his wife Linda for many years before relocating to Bend. There, Rob developed an increased interest in music and singing, gardening, deer-watching, tinkering in his barn and woodshop, and riding his tractor amongst the junipers and sage brush.

In the spring of 2024, Rob moved with Linda to an assisted living community high in the west hills of Portland to be closer to their children. For the past year, Rob lived in the moment and was immersed in a community filled with music, art, and beautiful views, with plenty of opportunity to commune with the trees and flowers and take walks in amongst the vineyard, greenhouse, frog ponds, waterfalls, and deer-filed grounds. His wonderful community of caregivers were exceptionally fond of him and he kept them on their toes with his charming wit, dry sense of humor, and endless energy.

Rob’s immediate family includes his wife Linda Worral-Poole, also a long-time Salem educator, his three children (Scott, Molly, and Craig) and two step-children (Lindsey and Cory), son-in-law and daughters-in-law, six grandchildren, brother Steve, and late sister Pat.

A celebration of life gathering on Saturday, July 26th, will be hosted from 10:00 a.m. until noon in the Riesling Room at Chemeketa Eola - Northwest Wine Studies Center in Salem (215 Doaks Ferry Rd NW). Please use the following link to RSVP: https://tinyurl.com/rob-worral-rsvp