I counted Bob among my friends
Robert “Bob” Mills passed away unexpectedly December 12, 2021 at his home in Sequim, Washington. He was a stoic man who could be intimidating at first meeting but made friends everywhere he went. Bob had many interests — hunting, bicycling, ham radio, cooking, wine, and Irish whisky, but most of all he was a world-class story-teller.
Bob was born on January 22, 1946 in Barstow, California, and grew up in Rockford, Washington. He attended Eastern Washington College where he met his future wife Audrey Saldin, and after graduation in December 1968 he was commissioned as an officer in the US Army. Bob and Audrey eloped in January 1969.
He spent 1971 – 1972 in service during the Vietnam war. After returning home Bob’s career started working for the Department of Justice and those opportunities took the family first to McNeil Island, Washington, then a decade in California before returning to Seattle, where he would work until he retired in 2001. After he retired, Bob and Audrey built a home on the hill in Sequim where Audrey could get her water views, overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
While in Sequim, Bob worked for a local bike shop, conducted training for the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and was active with Clallam County emergency operations as a ham radio operator working from the Sequim Fire Department. He was named Volunteer of Year 2011 by the Clallam County Sheriff’s Department.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents Dale and Betty Mills, and his wife Audrey. He is survived by his daughter Margaret Keppeler (husband Paul), his son Richard (wife Leah), and grandsons Reece and Sawyer. All will miss him deeply.
Bob will be interred in the Rockford Memorial Cemetery next to his wife and parents.”