Robert Elling Monson

Robert (Bob) Elling Monson died June 26, 2026, at home in Salem with his wife, Patricia (Pat), by his side. He was 87. To the end Bob insisted he was feeling good, and oh how we wish that were true. What is true is that Bob passed peacefully, with music and laughter in the background and the smell of flowers wafting in through the open bedroom windows. He was where he wanted to be and we are thankful that Pat was able to bring him home for his final week.

Bob was born August 24, 1938, in Toledo, Washington, to John and Mabel (Steinberger) Monson. He was one of nine children, seven of whom lived to adulthood. The family moved to Silverton, Oregon, when Bob was young. His father passed away in April 1945, leaving Mabel to raise the children who remained at home. Bob’s older brother, Bruce, became the man of the family at age 12, taking on extra paper routes and other jobs before and after school to help support the family. Bob often spoke of Mabel and Bruce’s sacrifices, as well as the good times the whole family had despite their modest circumstances.

Following graduation from Silverton High School in 1956, Bob attended Willamette University, but he was not quite ready for college. After his brother Ralph graduated from high school a few years later, the two enlisted in the United States Army and were sent to what is now known as the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in Monterey, California, where both learned to speak Czech. From there they both became spies (Really!) and were stationed in Tirschenreuth, a town in northeastern Bavaria, Germany, near the Czech border. When not protecting the free world from the threat of communism, the brothers drank in the local culture (with an emphasis on beer) and formed lifelong friendships with the other spies.

During his time in Germany, Bob met Doris Hoffman on a blind date, and they married in 1961. The couple had two daughters, Diane and Stephanie. After returning to Oregon in 1962, Bob re-enrolled in Willamette University. This time he was ready for college. Bob earned nearly perfect grades, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in English, and from there embarking on a teaching career. His first position was at Santiam High School in Mill City, Oregon, where he also coached baseball. During the summers he worked in the woods as a logger or on a friend’s farm. All the while Doris made every dollar stretch and took amazing care of Bob and their young daughters.

The family moved to Albany in the late 1960s after Bob got a job teaching at West Albany High School where he worked full time until the mid-1990s and part time for several years after. During his career, Bob had a major influence on hundreds of students, instilling in many a love of literature and in others the desire to pursue careers in fields that did not require reading books like Moby Dick. Bob was also active in the Albany Education Association, serving several years as union president. His tenacity in advocating for better pay and working conditions vastly improved the lives of teachers and their families.

In early 1993, Doris died after a long illness. Prior to her death, Bob and Doris saw both daughters graduate from college and begin to make their way in the world.

In late summer 1994, after a courtship that saw the twinkle return to his eyes and the pompadour for which he was known seem a little taller, Bob married Pat (Palmer), then a vice principal at West Albany High School. The couple was married for nearly 32 years. During that time, they traveled to Europe many times, visited as many professional baseball stadiums as they could, explored National Parks, remodeled their bungalow in Salem where they hosted many memorable events, and excelled as active and loving grandparents to Olivia and Joseph. Both continued to work in education until their retirements, inspiring a new generation of teachers and administrators.

Bob also wrote poetry and fiction and in 2002 received the first-place prize in the New Poets category from the Oregon Poetry Association. Bob’s poems often reflected the serenity and joy he found in everyday life.

In addition to his first wife and parents, Bob was preceded in death by his sisters, Jeanne Enbusk, Norma “Marge” Shears, Peggy Monson Mattox, and his brother, Jack, who died in childhood. Another sister died at birth. Bob is survived by his wife, Pat Monson; daughter Diane Monson and her husband John Letovsky; daughter Stephanie Lynch and her husband Kevin Lynch; and grandchildren, Joseph and Olivia Lynch. Survivors also include Bob’s brothers, Bruce and Ralph, and his sister, Karen Seifer, as well as numerous nieces and nephews and grandnieces and grandnephews, all of whom will miss their Uncle Bob.

Bob also leaves friends too numerous to count. We are thankful for neighbors who helped Pat by keeping Bob company while she ran errands, even though he said he was just fine on his own. We are also eternally grateful to Ron and Carol Stenson, and Cheryl Burbank and Connie Larson for being a constant presence and support for Pat during Bob’s final days.

True to his nature, Bob requested that there be no service, but a party instead. To that end, plans are in the works for a proper send-off.

To honor Bob’s lifelong support of public education, the family welcomes donations in lieu of flowers to the Albany Public Schools Foundation, which plans to create a scholarship in his name. The Foundation’s mailing address is P.O. Box 1772, Albany, OR, 97321. Donation information is also on the Foundation’s website at www.albanypsf.org.

At Home …

With a chilled glass of Pinot Gris and a sharp cheddar cheese in

the garden with finches and chickadees

beyond the lavender alive with bees and gardenia in the breeze,

I put my feet up and take my ease shamelessly rhyming.

-Bob Monson