Robert Dwyne McGaw

ROBERT D. MCGAW May 27, 1948 ~ July 25, 2011 Robert D. McGaw, 63, the second of three boys born to Roy and Doreen (Kapp) McGaw in Kansas City, MO, moved to Vancouver, WA at the age of four. He attended Ogden Elementary and Lewis Jr. High, graduating from Hudson's Bay in 1966. He excelled in math, loved playing football and Little League baseball, and delivered newspapers as a kid. As he got older he also had summer jobs picking berries and beans and working in the hay fields. While still in high school, Bob used some of his summer earnings to buy his folks a new washer and dryer. After high school he worked at ALCOA for a year before entering the Navy where he became an airplane mechanic assigned to the Aircraft Carrier U.S.S. Hancock. He served in Vietnam, the Philippines and Guam. He was proud to be a veteran, but his exposure to Agent Orange played a big role in determining the length and quality of his life. After coming home from the service, he returned to ALCOA and also worked with his brother, Stan, in his auto body shop. He married Jeaneen Quinby and they were blessed with their daughter, Lori. Bob worked in the cable mill at ALCOA for 20 years and then with ACPC for 10 years, becoming a production manager, splitting his time between the plants in Vancouver and San Leandro, CA. But his love of mechanics got the best of him. He purchased a truck for on-call, on-site truck repairs and became the diesel mechanic for Schram's Trucking Co., West Coast Sand & Gravel, as well as Stan's Trucking, a business he co-owned with his brother. Beyond his love of automotive work, he was a very hard-working, dependable jack-of-all-trades. He enjoyed golfing, riding horses, deer hunting, camping, fishing, boating, and playing with fireworks, country music, NASCAR, watching westerns, and the Oregon Coast. Other favorite pastimes were doing word search puzzles, playing solitaire and cribbage and solving mind teasers. Bob also became an art collector, buying prints of various artists' works. He had acquired a nearly complete set of prints by Bev Doolittle. Back in the day of CB's, his handle was "Quick Draw McGaw". He was a junk food junkie, with pizza and cheeseburgers being among his favorite vices. Although dogs had always been his preference in pets, he loved his childhood pet monkey, cat "Olivia" and his terrier, "Trouble" who kept him company in his last years. A man of his word, he stood tall with a sense of pride that was carried by modesty, blunt honesty, and a heart as big as the oceans he sailed. His personality was ornery, full of jokes and pranks and as stubborn as much as he was generous and playful. Bob always made a lasting impression on those he met, and a spot in the hearts forever of those who knew and loved him. Bob and Sandra May were married in 1995. A couple of years later, their granddaughter Kiarra, with whom he had a special bond, was born. Over the years, they opened their home to six foster children. In 2005, they sold their home in Vancouver and moved to property they owned in Arkansas. In July 2006, Bob suffered a debilitating stroke. The following year he beat a bout of cancer that cost him a kidney, but then was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer early this year. On April 13th, Sandy moved them back here to be closer to family for his final days. Survivors include his wife, Sandy; his daughter, Lori; step-daughters, Denyse, Julie and Tara; grandchildren, Mariah, Kasandra, Nicholas and Kiarra; nieces, Toni and Teri; nephew, Jessie; and a foster sister, Candy; special friends, Jim, Loren, Danny, the Modrall's, Randy, Shawn, Mickey, Missy, and Troy; as well as his extended family and many more good friends. Bob was preceded in death by his mother, Doreen (1976); father, Roy (1987); brothers, John (2009) and Stan (in May of this year). A full military graveside service honoring Bob was held on July 27, 2011 at Park Hill Cemetery. Family friend, Rey Reynolds, sang the National Anthem. The family thanks the wonderful staff at the hospice wing of the Vancouver Veterans Administration's Center for Community Living for their compassionate care of Bob and his family during his time there.

Robert Dwyne McGaw

May 27, 1948 - July 25, 2011