Robert “Bob” Engel Marugg died peacefully in his home on Jan. 31, 2016. He is survived in life by his wife, Margaret Louis Byer Marugg (Olympia) his loyal son William Charles Marugg (Olympia) and his wife, Donna Bliss, his daughter Jennifer Matthews Kidd and grandson (Little Rock, Arkansas), his siblings Barbara (Vancouver) and the twins Stanley (Vancouver) and Shirley (Washougal). He was preceded in death by his parents, Gertrude and Michael Marugg (Washougal), and his eldest brother, George (Sandpoint, Idaho).
Bob and Margaret were married in 1952 in Portland, Oregon and lived there until 1970 when they moved to Olympia, Washington to make their home.
Bob never met a stranger. Ever. He made friends with ease everywhere he went. Life was about the journey for him and he loved to tell stories and make people laugh. He often spontaneously invited many of these new friends home to meet his family, stay for dinner and perhaps spend the night. He loved to help people in need and often brought home day laborers even though he didn’t have much money to pay them. He lived vicariously through the stories these people would tell of their life experiences.
Bob was blind, but he didn’t want anyone to know that. In fact, he’s probably shaking his head right now over the printing of these words. His wife, Margaret, often fussed after him to take his cane when he left the house, but he preferred to “sense” his way through town instead. Bob loved to bowl! He played on a Services for the Blind bowling league and at least one year they won the state championship. While visiting family in Sandpoint, Idaho, one summer, Bob drove a car—yes, drove the car—while sitting in the driver’s seat and working both the pedals and the steering wheel, by himself, with his kids riding along, calling out instructions: “Stop here!” and “Turn left!” Margaret was not too pleased when she discovered who’d made off with her brother-in-law’s vehicle. He attended a school for the blind for a short time, where he learned how to make furniture. While there, he had the opportunity to meet then-President John F. Kennedy and visit with him over lunch. This was a memory he loved to share with people.
Bob loved politics and current events. He’d greet people with, “Well, what do you know?” or “What’s new today?” and hoped to learn something interesting he could share with someone else. He was active for decades in his local chapter of Common Cause, and volunteered for just about any type of political campaigning he could find as long as they were Democratic or even Socialist. He volunteered for numerous candidates like Washington state Congresswoman Jolene Unsoeld and the presidential campaign of former U.S. Senator Paul Simon. He was very proud of his campaign button collection. He believed in community service and civic duty. He also never shied away from a good political debate. His youngest brother Stanley, a once-solid Libertarian Baptist who home-schooled his children and lived on a farm, were famous for their after-dinner banter that typically lasted long into the night.
Bob listened to Paul Harvey on the radio every single day.
Bob delivered the newspaper for years and years. And not just one newspaper, but up to five on any given day and even more on Sunday. He enjoyed visiting with the same people at all of his favorite stops. He became legendary for this, a genuine downtown Olympia icon. He instilled in his children the same values and both kids started their own paper routes under his guidance each at nine years old.
Bob had a tremendous work ethic. He managed a cafeteria in the Old Marine’s Hospital (most recently known as headquarters for Amazon) in Seattle, Washington from 1971 until 1983. His children peddled newspapers there floor by floor with him. After returning to Olympia, he began managing a concession stand in the Public Lands building on the Capitol Campus and kept all of the legislatures and lobbyists on their toes and abreast of the issues of the day, as he saw them.
Before moving to Seattle, Bob was a professional masseur for the YMCA and even gave the late-actor Leonard Nimoy, of Star Trek’s “Spock” fame, a massage. He loved to tell the story that after quite a bit of bragging by Mr. Nimoy, he asked Bob, “well… don’t you want my autograph?” to which Bob chuckled and said, “no, but would you like mine?”
Bob loved being outdoors. Camping and hiking were among his favorite things to do. After becoming blind as a teenager, he no longer owned a car, but always seemed to find a way to take his family camping throughout the summer. Usually he did this by inviting folks who did have a car to come along. We were regulars at Millersylvania State Park. Once, after driving all the way to Silver Falls, Idaho and arriving long after dark, we realized we’d forgotten our tents. Rather than complain, he had us put our sleeping bags in a row on the ground. We fell asleep watching the stars and describing the constellations to him so he could see them too.
Bob was quite active in the LDS church over the years.
His son remembers him best for …
My father taught me about responsibility and how to do things. I remember when he bought me a candy vending machine. He put me in charge of buying the candy, filling the machine, keeping up with inventory and keeping track of the money. He also put me in charge of a pop machine that I had to manage as well. He also taught me that having a handicap like blindness doesn’t stop a person from doing the things they want to do. He was so adventuresome. He bought a tandem bicycle so we could go bike riding all over town. He brought home a canoe so we could go out in the water and float together. He took me cross country skiing. We went to the YMCA every Saturday and went swimming. I will always remember that he involved himself in my life at all times. Even now. And he always will.
His daughter remembers him best for …
My father taught me that as long as I had a roof over my head and food on my table, life was really good and worthy of gratitude. He taught me to read by bringing me along on his paper routes all over town and asking me to spell each letter and sound out each name on the street signs from every corner we encountered, including the numbers. He said I was his eyes and I loved that. He taught me how to strengthen my other senses, not just my sight. One of my favorite memories is of dancing with my feet on top of his to Lawrence Welk’s crooning on Saturday nights after a long day of swimming at the Y. Another favorite memory is of how every time it rained, he’d call out to me, “Hurry inside, sugar, before you melt!” He taught me to give back to my community, to fully participate, not by lecturing me—but by leading by example.
Contributions to the family to help cover the cost of his funeral arrangements would be gratefully appreciated. Please make your checks payable to Margaret Marugg.
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