Bob Oke

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Former state Sen. Bob Oke, a Republican known for battling the tobacco industry and promoting a new Tacoma Narrows Bridge, has died. He was 66.

Oke, a 16-year veteran of the Senate, died Monday night at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Seattle after a three-year battle with multiple myeloma, a rare form of cancer that targets plasma cells and weakens the bones, the Senate Republican caucus said.

His death occurred weeks before the scheduled July opening of the new bridge linking Tacoma and the Kitsap Peninsula he represented. Oke championed the bridge even though the $800 million toll project nearly cost him re-election.

Oke was a favorite with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle before retiring in January. He had been open about his struggles with the disease.

He underwent stem-cell transplants twice, as well as chemotherapy and radiation therapy that kept the disease at bay for part of his final four-year term. He missed part of the 2005 session.

Oke was born in Spokane. He served in the Navy for 26 years, retiring as a senior chief petty officer. He was elected to the Senate in 1990 and re-elected three times.

Oke was best known for his staunch support for the new Narrows bridge and for his efforts to combat youth smoking.

His proudest accomplishment was pushing through a ban on free tobacco samples, a bill that was later overturned by a federal judge.
Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press