Robert Patrick "Bob" Maguire

1944 - 2011

Our beloved Robert "Bob" Patrick Maguire, 66, left us suddenly while at his "church" - the great outdoors - on March 14, 2011. He was at his cabin on the Chatanika River, with his beloved granddaughters when he suffered a massive heart attack. He lived life to the fullest and died doing what he loved most - spending time with his family, surrounded by nature.
He was born Nov. 6, 1944, to Hugh and Irene Maguire and raised in Lake Chelan, Wash. He played on the Lake Chelan football and baseball teams and later played college baseball at Washington State University. He earned his bachelor's degree at Washington State University and later his master's degree in education from University of Alaska Fairbanks.
He came to Alaska in 1965, at age 21, with his college buddy, Sandy Hamilton, so they could teach in the Bush and experience wild Alaska adventures. He was a principal-teacher at Hughes, Georgetown, Huslia, Allakaket, Nikolai and McGrath. He first retired in 1998 after 30 years of teaching. After his first retirement the family moved back to Fairbanks, where he worked for Denakkanaaga, then the Doyon Foundation, and retired again in 2005.
When he was younger he was a pilot and owned an airplane, but after his first child was born, Cora didn't want him to fly with their daughter so he sold the plane. He kept a dog team and mushed dogs and loved being outdoors, hunting, fishing, camping and sledding. He was a carpenter and loved building anything out of wood. He built the family homes in Allakaket, in Fairbanks at Murphy Dome and his latest projects were a steam bath and an addition to his cabin on the Chatanika River.
Bob was a gift to our community. He was the McGrath High School girls' basketball coach for many years and took them to state where they won the 2A State Tournament.  In 1993, he was named Coach of the Year for the state of Alaska by the Alaska Legislature. When asked to volunteer he never said no. He volunteered at the FNA GRAF House, Fairbanks Correctional Center, cultural camps, countless basketball tournaments, and salvaging roadkill moose for nonprofits. He volunteered as a coach, adviser, teacher and science fair judge at Effie Kokrine Charter School. He was the first to come up with the idea of starting a charter school based on Alaska Native culture, so he took a special interest in the Effie Kokrine Charter School.
In 1967 his friends told him he had to meet a young lady named Cora Moses who worked at the school in Allakaket. Soon after, they fell in love and were married in 1968. The Moses family and the Native people on the Koyukuk River took him in as one of their own and after that he was Native in his heart. Bob and Cora lived in Allakaket for three years before moving to Nenana and then lived in various other communities around the state for teaching. They lived a wonderful life together for 42 years.
Bob filled many roles as a grandfather, father, uncle, coach, mentor, confidant, volunteer, hunter, and drum keeper for the Soaring Eagle drum group. Recently, he had been drumming with his group at the Fairbanks Correctional Center to work with inmates as part of an effort to provide activities in hopes of rehabilitation.
He touched so many lives throughout Alaska and had a special love for young people. He saw no color in people and treated everyone equally. He adopted the Native American views and religion and was deeply spiritual. His wife would say, "I swear he was a Native American in a past life."
Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Hugh and Irene Maguire; brothers, James and Larry Maguire, two infant siblings, and niece Karen Stamps of Chelan, Wash.; mother-in-law Bertha Moses; in-laws, Bertha Sherrie Moses, Johnson Moses Jr., Norman Beatus, and Dan Bailiff.
He is survived by the love of his life Cora (Moses) Maguire; daughters, Jennifer Maguire, Gail and husband Jeremiah Vanderpool, and son, Jeremy Maguire; his sisters, Doris Jean and husband Jim Stamps and Mary Bailiff; his beloved granddaughters, Navonne Benally, Jazlin Vanderpool and Aralin Vanderpool; father-in-law Johnson Moses; brothers-in-law, Bergman Moses, Rudy Moses, Ross and Shirley Ann Moses; sisters-in-law, Virginia and Stan Ned, Kathy and Morris Moses, Barbara Beatus, Brenda and John, Sr. Erlich, and Shirley Mae Moses.
He also is survived by the following nieces and nephews in the Lower 48: Jeff, Chris, Peter, Gary, Joe, and Pat Maguire; Steve Stamps, Linda (Stamps) Reister; Sue, Mike, Tom, David, Kerry, and Ruth Anne Bailiff; and sisters-in-law, Anita and Jan Maguire, as well as, nieces and nephews in Alaska: Peter, Jason, Greg, Christy, Martha, Jack, John, Timothy, Bobby, Alan, Melissa, Mandy, Jody, Tanya, Jessica, Cherise, Genevie, Stotlin, Lavonne, Conrad, Kaitlin, John Jr., Alex, Cheryl, Brittany, Reanna, Amy, Hailey, Alana, and Lila.
We were lucky to have had such a special person in our lives and will miss him dearly. We take comfort knowing he has started a new and everlasting life with the Great Creator.
A fundraiser will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. today, March 18, 2011 at the Chief Peter John Tribal Hall.
Viewing will begin at 11 a.m. with a memorial service starting at noon Saturday, March 19, 2011, at Chief Peter John Tribal Hall. A potlatch will follow at 5 p.m.