As Bobby's little sister, I had the privilege of growing up with him as a child, and as an adult, raising our own children together. When we were kids, I think Bobby's favorite hobby may have been picking on his sisters! But I can tell you that this led to some of my absolute favorite memories of Bobby, because even though he teased us, he was our brother, and there's no way he could hold in his love for us. So I'd like to share some stories of Bobby's love shining through to me.

One night in December when I was little, my parents had gone out Christmas shopping and left Bobby to babysit Crissy & I. He had made us dinner & I wasn't feeling good. Bobby was upset with me because I wouldn't eat my food. My tummy just kept feeling worse & worse, until all I was doing was laying on the couch crying. Then Bobby was worried, he kept waiting for my parents to get home. Finally they got home and ended up taking me to the doctor, who took me straight to the hospital. They told my parents if they had brought me in any later, I probably wouldn't have made it to the doctor alive. I remember Bobby being so scared. After I had surgery & was in my room, Bobby came in and gave me a hug & kissed me on the cheek & told me he loves me. I remember even back then thinking that this was going to be a moment I will treasure for the rest of my life.

Another time I like to think about often was when I was about 8 years old, I got my first bike for Christmas... but I didn't know how to ride it. Bobby took me out to the top of the hill on Country Lane and tried to teach me, but I was scared because of all the bumps in the road, and I kept falling in the dirt & gravel. So he took me down the road to Brandi Court, and dead-end street with hills, where he could get me on the bike, the hills could get me going, and the street was nice & smooth. So he put me on my bike, got me balanced, and gave me a little push. I could feel the wind on my face & felt so free and happy! ...And then I remembered I didn't know how to steer. I glided to the side of the road & Bobby called to me to steer back. I steered too much, went right off the road, then landed. Me & my new bike, tangled into a barbed wire fence. Bobby ran to  me as quick as he could, pulled me out of the fence, and checked me over. He grabbed the bike and said "I'll be back for you, I'm going to take the bike home first. If I take you home first somebody might steal the bike, but if I take the bike first nobody's going to take you." I sat there crying on the side of the road thinking "thanks a lot!" But he came right back for me & carried me all the way home!

This last story was just a couple years ago. Bobby had come over to my house to drop Dylan off after spending the night. When he got to my house, he saw that I had made an entire turkey dinner, with all the fixin's. He looked at it & said "Did you do that by yourself?" I said yes & waited for a joke to come from Bobby. He said  "I know I don't say what I feel very often, but I'm working on that and I want you to know how proud I am of you. I'm still learning to be a good parent, and when I need to look for inspiration on how to raise my boys, I always like to look at you and see what you do. You've done a great job with your kids." I was speechless. Not only was that the nicest thing Bobby had ever said to me, it was the nicest thing that anybody had ever said to me. All I could think was "Don't you know I am the one who looks up to you for everything??!" I did tell him that, but I don't think it came out as genuinely & strong as how he had just made me feel when he said that. After that day, I think we both looked to each other for inspiration on how to be a better parent for our children. He taught me to slow down so we can enjoy the moments with our kids, and to do special things with them to create lasting memories... And I will never forget this advise that he gave me: He said that our dad didn't have much growing up, but that our parents made sure to give us more than what they had, and his goal as a parent was to make sure he gives his boys more than what we had, and he hopes that they will do the same for their kids. That if all of us give more to our children than what we had, our families can just keep getting better, and we will all have been a part of making our family become so great.

I am so proud to have been a part of helping my brother become the amazing father & uncle that he was, and there aren't enough words to express the appreciation I have for him for teaching me how to be a better mother, and better me. And most importantly, how much I appreciate him reaching out to my children and being there for them when they needed a man in their lives. His love for my children was immeasurable, and I know that my kids felt that love from him and will never forget that.

I love you Bobby, thank you everything. You are the best big brother ever!  

I am the baby sister, so of course my early childhood memories with Bob include him teasing me and telling on me.  I thought he was so mean when I was a little girl!  But now as I reflect back on those days I realize that I am fortunate and Blessed to have Bobby as my big brother.  What I thought of as “teasing and telling on” actually led to my personal growth and the development of who I would become as an adult, he was really just watching out for me .… like the time he was going to tell on me for wearing something to school and then he found out that I didn’t go to school, so he told on me for that instead, I learned a big lesson that day ;) He also taught me one of the most important things about life, that it is important to have a sense of humor!!  I still sometimes tell my kids that I am going to go “Shake a Tower”, when I am going to go “take a shower” and I regularly refer to my kids’ dog stuffed animals as “Dee-Oh-Gee”, which was a cute idea for a name for one of my dog stuffed animals when I was a kid – but when I asked him how he thought of that name, he said D-O-G..and I of course didn’t get it…and he said “how do you spell dog?”, I thought about it and just started laughing, I’ve thought it was funny ever since!

Growing up with Bobby as my big brother also meant that most people in Yelm already knew me before I knew them, I regularly heard “Oh, you’re Bobby Hahn’s little sister?!” and all of sudden it was like I was welcomed into some exclusive club!

As we grew up and became adults, Bob and I became close friends.  I could count on him to entertain me, to teach me something new, and to inspire me.  As a father, the way he raised his boys is the model I refer to for raising my own boys: Matthew, Tyler, and Braydan.  When I first met my husband, Jordan, I couldn’t wait to introduce him to Bob. They became friends right away, as most everyone does when they meet Bob.  Jordan and I, and our boys, loved to visit Uncle Bob – or “Uncle Sponge Bob”, as the kids refer to him!  His home was cozy and welcoming, we loved spending time there.  Bob would stay up talking and laughing with us into the late hours of the night, even though he got up to go to work so early in the morning; I know this was because he loved and valued family so much. 

My husband & I and our 3 boys made a list of all things we love about Bob.  That list included that he is kind and caring, that he loves to play basketball – and many other games, that we loved watching him play the guitar, and that he was adventurous!  I pray that our boys will have Bob’s caring qualities and adventurous spirit. 

Bob and I didn’t talk as regularly as I would’ve liked, but I tried to keep in touch with him throughout the years, and he was always available to listen when I needed advice.  As we have grown over the years, our conversations have matured and I am so proud of who Bob matured into.

I anticipated many more days and many, many more memories with Bobby.  Thankfully, our family was able to spend a couple weeks together this past summer – as a family we spent time in Tucson, AZ, Las Vegas, NV, and SD, CA.  I think about that time and I am extremely grateful we were all able to spend it together … but I am also saddened to think that those were our last moments together… in my mind I had already anticipated more family trips together.  I can’t believe that I will never again go to the beach with my brother, or that when my family and I will come to WA to visit family my kids will not get tickled by Uncle Bob, or play basketball with him or chop wood with him, or ride four-wheelers with him.  I am so thankful for the times I have shared with Bob – as I am sure you all are too.  I will treasure those times forever and I honestly look forward to seeing my big brother again one day, welcoming me at the gates of Heaven.

There is something I think I should share with you all today, a conversation that I recently went back and looked at between Bob and I on Facebook.  I made a joke to Bob and then I said “…we have a LOT to be grateful for!!” and Bob’s response to me was “indeed we do.”

I believe God has a plan for all of us, and I am glad to say that I have shared this with Bob.  He knew us before we were born and He has already recorded each day of our lives in His book.  Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end”

All we can really say is, We love you Bob.  Thank you for the light you have shone in our lives…as a son, as a father, as a husband, as a brother, as a cousin, as an uncle, as a nephew, as a co-worker and as a friend.  You will never be forgotten; you may be gone from this world, but your legacy will live on in the hearts of those who knew and loved you.