Going through old mails, I found this:
“Hi Rick,
I want to thank you again for meeting me at the airport. You were such a big help under the circumstances. Sure enjoyed my visit to Koln even though it was to short. I left Koln about 11:00 AM on Thursday and drove to Frankfurt, took my time and enjoyed the drive. I arrived home on Saturday evening, just in time to tell Sally happy 39th. aniversery. Always your friend and brother-in-law.
Bob“
That is a mail Bob sent me dated May 22, 1997 after his business trip to Germany. I met him at the airport in Frankfurt, helped him buy new clothes because they’d misplaced his luggage, and a week later he drove across Germany to visit me in Cologne. It wasn’t a really long trip compared to what he was used to - driving all over Oregon, Idaho and Washington - but to me, it was special: one of the rare occasions that somebody came to visit me in Germany. My family has mostly been used to me doing the traveling.
We had a great visit, and I got to know Bob all over again as a curious and open-minded traveler.
What now stands out in my mind is his generosity. One example: I used to - sometimes foolishly - think that I could do anything if I set my mind to it. Once I tried, at Mom and Dad’s house, to repair a sink drain but soon realized that a little plumbing experience would have been useful. I was helpless. Bob then came over and finished the job, explaining everything to me in the process.
Whatever he turned his hand to, it seemed to work. Both of us were among the earliest users of PCs, back in 1983, both Kaypro fans. We exchanged tips and software at a time when few people knew what software was. Through that, I observed that Bob didn’t take the easy way, but neither did he ever give up. They don’t make them like that anymore. And I’m not talking about Kaypro computers. I’m talking about guys like Bob.
He was the kind of person you’d want to have around. Good-natured, family-oriented, always time for a friendly word. Successful. And he knew how to have fun. His natural cheer and diplomacy clearly served him well in his business dealings. But I wouldn’t have wanted to be a business partner who’d crossed him. I think he was tough as nails, something you might not have suspected about him at first.
My memories of Bob go back to early childhood in fact, and they are all attached to a good feeling about family. He and Sally were part of that family that seemed so wonderful and so far away, they living in Oregon and we in South Dakota. Meeting them every couple of years in one place or another was always a festivity. And after Mom and Dad and I moved to Oregon, I could just drop into their place any time unannounced. They always made me feel welcome. And after Mom died, Sally and Bob opened their house to Frank and me when we visited.
I’m glad to have saved all the e-mails he sent and forwarded to me over the years. Some really funny, some corny, some I disagreed with, and some that Sally didn’t approve of! But always demonstrating an independent spirit and a person who knew his feelings and convictions.
I am grateful to Bob always for the support, acknowledgment and encouragement he gave me. A very kind man.
“Always your friend and brother-in-law….”
Rick