Robert Bjorklund Obituary

Robert William Bjorklund

Robert William Bjorklund passed away suddenly at the age of 41 on February 25, 2011 at his home in Lacey, Washington. He came into the world with love on Valentine's Day in Boise, Idaho in 1970. Robert later married the love of his life and best friend, Dani Marie Myers, on February 4, 2005 while overlooking Lake Union in Seattle. His memory will live on with his wife Dani, their feline "daughter" Lilly, his mother Christina Olson, his loving sister Jennifer and her husband Luis Guillen, his aunts and uncles Gueneth and Rick Johnson, Kati and Mark Eckenrode, Jeff Omeron and his partner Kathy Castricone, his cousins Bryan Johnson and Rudy Nunez, his grandfather Art Hunter, his father and mother-in-law Joe and Patty Myers, his brother and sister-in-law David and Jamee Myers, his niece MaKinzie Myers, his grandmothers-in-law Naomi Harris and Ruth Myers, and countless friends, colleagues, former students, clients, and others who had the honor of knowing him. Robert was preceded in death by his father Norman Ladwig, his grandfather Darphus Omeron, and his grandmother Ann Hunter.
Robert's heart was even bigger than he was. At six feet and five inches tall, the "sturdy Swede" was frequently mistaken for a former linebacker, but loved to point out that he much preferred a night at the opera with Dani to a football game and was actually a vegetarian and a poet. He was extremely kind and went out of his way to help others. Even after his death, he generously gave of himself and helped approximately 40-50 people by giving them what he no longer needed. His gift of words was irrefutable. Robert's prolific writings included a long list of published peer-reviewed journal articles, academic book chapters, policies and procedures, grants, bill analyses, poems, love letters, greeting cards, and even post-it notes and grocery lists.
Robert's CV could easily consume an entire newspaper edition. After retiring his lucrative lawn mowing business that he started in Boise as a teenager and completing his education, he had a highly successful career in social work. He is remembered for his contributions at the Evergreen Clubhouse in Spokane, Spokane Mental Health, NAMI Spokane, Eastern State Hospital, the Washington Institute for Mental Health Research and Training, the Washington State Institutional Review Board, Lewis-Clark State College Coeur D'Alene, Eastern Washington University, Bridgeways, and the Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery with DSHS. Robert's work ethic and drive were never satiated by just one full-time job. He also maintained a thriving clinical supervision and consulting practice to help individuals obtain licensure, served as a grant reviewer for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, reviewed manuscripts for publication in prestigious professional journals including Psychiatric Services and Social Work, and was selected to write national licensing exam questions for the Association of Social Work Boards. He was well respected as a clinician, supervisor, mentor, administrator, researcher, author, speaker, instructor, advocate, and human being.
Although he was self-effacing, to say that Robert had an impressive "alphabet soup" of credentials would be a dramatic understatement. He was a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, held membership in the National Association of Social Workers and the Academy of Certified Social Workers, and held both a Master's in Social Work and Master's in Public Administration from Eastern Washington University. Robert also graduated from Boise State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and an Associate of Science in Marketing.
Prior to relocating to Western Washington from Spokane in 2005, Robert was an adjunct instructor and permanent part-time faculty member with the Psychology and Social Science Departments at Lewis-Clark State College Coeur D'Alene and the Eastern Washington University School of Social Work in Cheney and Spokane. He inspired and fostered innumerable careers in the field of human services. His student evaluations were consistently glowing, to say the least. Perhaps his greatest distinction, however, was earning the coveted red chili pepper endorsement of "hotness" on www.ratemyprofessors.com. Dani would like to express her profound gratitude to their mutual friend and faculty colleague, Matt Mattila, for making a "Fiddler on the Roof" worthy introduction that changed both of their lives forever.
Many knew Robert as an intense intellectual and serious professional. After all, his self-professed personal hero was Frederick Taylor, the father of scientific management. Robert was "scary smart," knew his way around an Excel spreadsheet, understood that "data" is the plural of "datum," loved the word "perspicacity," and was quite literally a walking thesaurus. Robert was also incredibly funny. He had a sharp, witty sense of humor that kept loved ones laughing to the point of tears and often caught those who did not expect his perfectly timed jokes off guard.
His list of personal accomplishments included owning an original Evil Knievel Stunt Cycle as a kid and surviving his little sister's "torment" without any possibility of fighting back since she was A) a girl and B) so much smaller and cuter. He had the battle scars to prove it and loved to remind Jennifer of this at every opportunity, but the two of them formed an unparalleled sibling bond that lasted a lifetime. He was the "pun war" grand master champion, proudly dethroning his mom, but we all (including Robert) knew that she totally let him win. He had watched every single episode of "Seinfeld" no less than 10 times, ate at every Qdoba Mexican Grill in the Pacific Northwest at least once, and practically had the T-4 tofu special named after him at New Sushi and Teriyaki in Lacey. Robert also had to be one of the only men whose iPod contained music from the artists Nightwish, Iron Maiden, Savatage, Avantasia, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Devo, Enya, and Sarah Brightman on the same playlist. He had absolutely no sense of direction and was unable to drive between two locations without getting lost (even in his hometown), yet refused to accept a navigation system as a Christmas present from his mom, preferring to "keep it cool" and call the first available family member for directions instead.
Robert thoroughly enjoyed cycling and logged countless miles along Capitol Lake and the Chehalis Western and Yelm-Tenino Trails. He took impeccable care of his beloved Cannondale touring bike, but likely hauled it down to Old Town Bicycle so frequently for the companionship with the guys just as much as for the service and parts.
With the outpouring of calls following the announcement of his unexpected death, it's clear that we could easily fill a stadium with mourners to honor him. Out of respect for Robert's wishes, however, a memorial service will not be held. We hope you will instead join us in a celebration of his life by keeping him and his family close in your thoughts and remembering his many contributions to the world. Please consider supporting Bridgeways – a private non-profit organization that helps bridge the gap between mental illness and individual recovery. Robert served as their Clinical Director prior to joining DBHR and continued to support their tireless efforts to promote the recovery of individuals with mental illness long after his transition from Everett to Olympia. More information about charitable donations is available on their website at www.bridgeways.org. If you would like to share your memories and pay tribute to Robert, please consider signing his online guest book at www.theolympian.com or www.tuellmckee.com.
While we will attempt to take a small measure of comfort in knowing that Robert's "unquiet mind" is finally at peace and that his pain has come to an end, ours has only begun. Our hearts are broken by his tragically premature departure. It is simply impossible to comprehend a life that doesn't include our gentle giant. In the words of Richard Bach, "real love stories never have endings." Our collective love for Robert is endless and so is he.

Published by The Olympian on Mar. 4, 2011.
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Memories and Condolences
for Robert Bjorklund

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Dearest Rob,
I miss you every day. How you brightened my life and made me such a proud and happy mother. Your kindness and empathy was so very evident. Your sense of humor and intelligence made people laugh and be aware that you actually knew when to use those five, six and seven syllable words. Thank you for all you gave to Jennifer and Dani and me. I will never stop loving you and thinking about how you gave me purpose and allowed me to love and be loved in abundance.

Christina Olson

February 26, 2023

I miss you so much, Rob.

Christina Olson

Mother

December 30, 2020

How I love and miss you Rob, every single day.

Jennifer Guillen

Sister

April 18, 2020

Robert will always hold a special place in my heart. His dedication to his work was unparaleled. He will be greatly missed and I wish him peace and joy in his quite space.

Bridgeways CEO

Donna Konicki

March 9, 2011

My dear friend Chris,
I will always remember Rob from the brief visit we had - was it Moscow? You wanted so much for me to meet him. It is no wonder you were so proud. He impressed me that evening and I have thought of his accomplishments many times since. What an incredible person, such a special gift.

Mary Kuskie

March 7, 2011

I am so very sad to hear of Roberts passing. He was such an amazing man with great wisdom and insight. I have learned so much from him and I am so grateful to have met and learned from him. He will be missed so very much by the entire mental health community. Thank you Robert for all you have done.

Sindi Saunders

March 7, 2011

Christina, I am so sorry for your loss. I know how proud you were of Rob and what an incredible mom you were to him during his life. My heart goes out to you and your family. My thoughts are with all of you.

Sara Fish

March 7, 2011

From a friend from France. I will never forget Rob kindness and happiness. All my thoughts to his family. Bon courage à toute la famille face à cette adversité.

CECILE ET FABRICE RUDE

March 5, 2011

Search Light Moms wants to tell you how sorry we are for the passing of your Robert. We as mothers understand the day to day pain as we search for answers. If you need anything please let us know.
Love and Blessings,
Search Light Moms
www.slmoms.com

Also on Facebook

Kathy Davis

March 4, 2011

As a coworker, I found Robert's work exceptional in its integrity and diligence. He was profoundly supportive of the underdog and had a quiet way of affirming the value of other's work. He was so deeply sincere in his passion about protecting vulnerable adults. His collaboration, honesty and transparency were refreshing in a place where these traits were rare. His lose is too great to adequately express. Caroline (formerly of Olympia WA)

Caroline Wise

March 4, 2011

What sad news. I enjoyed Robert's sense of humor and kindness. It was always a pleasure when he come into the medical records office at Eastern State Hospital to sign charts and collect data to help care for his patients. My thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones.

Elie James

March 4, 2011

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