Robert Edgar Westbrook

1929 - 2017

Robert Edgar Westbrook

Robert Edgar Westbrook was born in Nampa, Idaho on March 29, 1929 and died of Alzheimer's disease on August 9, 2017 surrounded by his family.

Bob attended Puyallup High School and went on to earn his BS in Police Science at Washington State University in 1951. He joined the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and enjoyed playing trumpet for the Cougar marching band and in dance bands. After leaving Pullman, Bob worked for the Seattle Police Department for a short period of time before enlisting in the Army. He was assigned to the Army Security Agency and stationed in Hawaii until 1955, then joined State Farm insurance and ran his own successful agency in Richmond Beach for over forty years. He attributed his work ethic to growing up in the country where he started working as a farm laborer at the age of twelve, earning 75 cents an hour. Other early jobs included janitorial work at a tavern and canning string beans for Hunt Brothers Cannery in Puyallup earning $1.14 an hour.

Bob raised children Mike, Ann and Beth in the Shoreline area with former wife Jean McPhail Westbrook. He was an active volunteer in Rotary and Kiwanis. Many Shoreline area high school kids will remember Bob from the years he taught insurance classes as part of their driver's education training. Skiing was a lifelong passion and he taught his kids to ski as soon as they were out of diapers and able to hold onto a rope tow. Ski lunches often included his signature peanut butter, bologna and Miracle Whip sandwich concoction, topped with iceberg lettuce and a sprinkle of pepper.

In his "retirement", Bob and wife Barbara were constantly on the go, hiking, skiing and traveling. When he developed Alzheimer's Disease, Barbara devoted herself to his care and kept him at home as long as possible. His last years were spent at Royal Manor in Bothell where he was lovingly cared for by Sue and Gordy Gill.

Bob is predeceased by parents Ed and Edna Westbrook, wife Aaren Parrot Westbrook, and sister Margaret Faraone. He is survived by wife Barbara Bonsack Westbrook, sister Patricia Miller (Ted), son Mike (Lea Ann), daughter Ann (Dave), and daughter Beth (Dale), seven grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Please sign Bob's online

Guestbook at www.Legacy.com.