Robert (Bob) Newell
10/4/57 – 10/13/11
Bob left us way too early after a sudden and unexpected illness. He was only 54.
Bob’s major passion was flying, and after graduating from Embry Riddle University, he went on to pursue his passion for aviation by working at Boeing, where he was employed for over 30 years as a Weight Engineer. All at Boeing mourn his loss.
Bob’s personal pride was the home-built high-performance aircraft (RV6) that he built with his good friend and partner, Ralph Jones. His flying adventures took him to many distant locations including Bryce Canyon UT, Oshkosh WI and Stehekin WA.. He talked with pleasure about bicycling from the Stehekin airport towards town to enjoy a pastry at the local bakery.
His other passions included geocaching (modern-day treasure hunting with a GPS) and S.O.D.A (Serve our Dog Areas) that has helped keep Marymoor park’s dog area active and well.
Bob is survived by a number of people who loved him dearly: his wife of 27 years, Cristy Johnson, mother Nancy Stanford, sister Rosanne Pollack-Newell, brother Chris Newell, and loving in-laws including George and Betty Johnson, Steven Pollack, Debbie Johnson Chris Amrhein, Dave Johnson and Linda Sewright. 
Several nieces and nephews including Marissa Pollack, Jarad Pollack, Heather Amrhein, Steven Amrhein and Katie Amrhein also mourn his loss as well as his beloved cocker-bassett, Dudley.
We are blessed that he was loved by so many.
A service/reception will be held at the Newport Shores Yacht Club in Bellevue starting at 2pm on Sunday November 6th. All are welcome to attend.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to either Guiding Eyes for the Blind or Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.
10 Responses to “Robert (Bob) Newell”
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I remember how much fun it was geo-caching with you both.
Misty and I totally appreciate all the work Bob did for S.O.D.A – we love that park.
Bob will be missed by all.
We so enjoyed stealing glasses at IFT, drinking the alphabet and your visit with us. I know we all thought there would be more. We mourn with you.
We so enjoyed stealing glasses at IFT, drinking the alphabet and your visit. We thought there would be more. We mourn with you.
My condolences to Cristy and Bob’s family. Bob was a great guy, and he will be deeply missed by all who knew him. I have fond memories of Bob from geocaching and my holiday parties. My thoughts are with you all.
We are very sad about Bob`s sudden death. We remember the visit in Germany of Bob and Cristy when we had a wonderful time together. We enjoyed the trip to alaska and we will never forget the flight with his plane over Seattle. We will always remember his open- heartedness,his boundless helpfullness and the fruitful discussions across the Atlantic Ocean. We will miss him very much.
I enjoyed working with Bob for a short time during the 1980’s and was very saddened to hear of his untimely passing. My sincere condolences to his family and friends.
One of the wonderful aspects of the geocaching activity that we share in common is the way that such a diverse group of people come together whose paths would otherwise likely have not crossed. And cross they did — sometimes in the strangest places.
I first met Bob and Cristy through geocache logbooks, sometimes in the most unexpected spots — an old farm gate in Nnorthern California, a suburban trail near their home, a pioneer cemetery in central Oregon. And then one day, the inevitable happened — I drove up to the closed gates of a business park in Spokane on a Saturday to see a couple furtively hiding something in the shrubbery. It was Bob and Cristy, trying to avoid detection from what they thought was a “muggle” — a non-geocacher. After a few awkward moments, we exchanged our geocaching nicknames and had a good laugh. It was there I also met Puppers, their beloved dog, for the first time, who was resting in a comfy nest of blankets and cushions in the back of their car. After a brief visit, we parted ways, off for our next stops on our respective geocaching journeys.
I know that Bob and Puppers are probably off in search of new geocaches now, with not a DNF in sight. Meeting Bob and Cristy, who were as fond of their four-legged “kids” as I am of mine somehow made the world a better place for me. I will miss Bob and his gentle spirit but it was a privilege and a joy to have crossed paths with him and called him my friend.
It was with trmendous shock and disbelief that we read about Bob’s passing. We loved Bob dearly and our mutual passion for Marymoor Dog PArk took us on a 16 year journey of friendship that will bind us together for eternity. Bob was one of the original Marymoor Dog Park volunteers – a S.O.D.A. member since 1995, volunteer since 1996 and S.O.D.A. Board Member and Vice president since 1998. Through the years Bob participated in most every project that made Marymoor Dog Park the wonderful place it is today. Thank you Bob!
Cristy – Sharon and I were saddened to hear of Bob’s passing. He will be missed.