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- Obituary:
Seward resident Robert "Bob" Donald Wilson, 75, died July 8, 2008 at the home of his sister in Anchorage shortly after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
Robert was born July 5, 1933, to the late Charles "Whitey" and Emma Wilson in Hanford, Calif. In the early 1940s, he traveled with his parents and younger brother by steamship to Seward and then north to Eklutna, where his father worked at the hydroelectric plant. The family later moved to Third Avenue in Anchorage and then to Clay Street, which is now West 25th Avenue, in Spenard. Although his youth was spent, at times, in California, Washington and Oregon, his love of the outdoors and all it had to offer came from his years at Eklutna and Spenard, where he was allowed to freely roam, explore and indulge in boyhood adventures. When he graduated from Anchorage High School in 1951, he spent a summer in Whittier working for the railroad. After deciding that Whittier was not the place for him, he attempted several ventures trying to fulfill his dreams. One of the more notable attempts landed him and his partners at Trapper's Den for a brief time in the mid-1950s. The venture proved to be a bust but the adventure was priceless. Some other places of employment were Sunshine Market, Piggly Wiggly, SandF Foodland, Market Basket, and Peterkin Distributors. While working at Piggly Wiggly, he met his first wife, Judy Finke, whom he married in 1959. The union produced two children, Roberta and Randall. Family life gave him an opportunity to share his love of the outdoors and the wilderness of Alaska with his children. When Anchorage became too populated and no longer held its appeal, he moved to the Kenai Peninsula. In the early 1970s, after years in the grocery business and after marrying his second wife, Eddie Mae, the two moved the family to Seward and put their resources together to become partners in a venture called "Bob's Market." The store site was located a few miles north of town. Although that original store building was destroyed by fire not many years after its opening, the couple's determination and resolve led them to keep and restore the business. Soon after the fire, a smaller version of Bob's Market was operating out of the Brown and Hawkins Building on Fourth Avenue in downtown Seward. A second store was eventually built at Mile 1.5 of the Seward Highway and was also operated by Bob and Eddie until its sale in the mid 1990s. The Brown and Hawkins location continued to thrive and proved successful until its closure in 2000. In retirement, Bob shared happy times with his wife enjoying their home on Bear Creek. The beauty and seclusion of their surroundings gave them many opportunities to indulge in their love of nature and animals. Family pets were always a part of their menagerie and over the years included dogs, birds, chickens, rabbits and a turtle named "Speedy." Bob was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Eddie Mae, in November 2005.
He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Roberta and Harold Ryden; son, Randall Wilson; brother, Charles Wilson; sisters, Maxine Ford and Rose Korpi; brother-in-law, Doug Hamlin; and special friends, the Sherry Perry family and the Rick Hoogland family of Seward. Memorial donations may be made to the Seward Senior Center, P.O. Box 1195, Seward, AK 99664 or to the Pioneers of Alaska, Igloo #9, P.O. Box 571, Seward, AK 99664. The Anchorage Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements. Visit the online memorial at legacy.com
(Published in The Anchorage Daily News on September 30, 2008)
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1933 - 2008 (75 years)
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