Robert Charles Musser

Robert (Bob) Musser was born in Lebanon, PA in 1938 to Florence Katherine (McMahon) and Clark Charlton Musser. He grew up in Harrisburg, PA. His father passed when he was twelve years old, and he and his mother remained in Harrisburg where he was introduced to music, which became his passion. Bob attended Lebanon Valley College and the University of Michigan where he earned degrees in conducting, performance, and music education. He performed his senior recital on five woodwind instruments. He is a member of the American Band Masters Association and a recipient of the Sudler Order of Merit of the John Philip Sousa Foundation.

After teaching high school band for two years in Littlestown, PA, he moved to Hawaii to play in the symphony. After three years, he returned to the mainland and taught high school in California, where he met and married Loretta Klink and they raised their sons Clark and Blake. They moved to Wichita, KS where he taught at Wichita State University until 1971, when the family moved to Tacoma, WA and he taught at the University of Puget Sound until his retirement in 2005. He served as Director of Bands, Chairman of Winds and Percussion, and Professor of Conducting, Woodwinds, and Music Education. He loved the Puget Sound area (except for the rainy winters).

As an educator, he taught music at every level from grade school to college. His high school bands received superior ratings. While at UPS, he built the University Wind Ensemble into one of the finest in the Northwest. He conducted amateur and professional orchestras and bands throughout the United States, Canada, China, Russian, and Ukraine. As a professional performer, he played oboe in orchestras in Harrisburg, Honolulu, Wichita, and Tacoma and “free-lanced” as a woodwind performer in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Hawaii, California, Kansas, and Washington. He performed with the Tacoma Symphony as principal oboe for 25 years, and as a woodwind specialist and soloist throughout the Northwest.

In 1981, Bob founded the Tacoma Concert Band. He wanted to provide a place where good musicians in the area could play and create beautiful music. He created a family that remains alive and well because of his gift to provide expressive, artistic and varied programing to his audiences. The Tacoma Concert Band was his baby and he dearly loved the people who he was graced to get to know through the organization.

In the early 1990’s he met and then married Nancy. Their family has grown to include their five sons and daughters in law and nine grandchildren. They have traveled extensively, and lived with joy in the home they built on Lake Steilacoom. One of his last trips was to Nashville, TN, which was the only state he had not yet visited. Everyone knows how much he loved to travel! Together they have built a network of family and friends that have provided laughter, tears, fun times, support, and many blessings.

Bob was an excellent athlete. He enjoyed tennis, golf, water skiing and snow skiing. There are many happy memories with his friends and family engaging in these activities with Bob. Bob and Nancy made several annual destination ski vacations, traveling to most of the major ski resorts in the west. He also loved to dance and was excellent at that as well. Living on a lake gave Bob ample opportunity to go on ‘wine’ cruises with friends and family and play with the grandchildren.

Bob passed away February 7, of a glioblastoma that he had fought valiantly for 26 months. He is survived by his wife Nancy; sons Clark (Christine), Blake (Diedra), Mike (Becky), Bret (Gina), Gregg (Rachel) and his nine grandchildren (Alex, Jake (Emily), Ernie, Ethan, Sam, Avery, Ryann, Ian and Abi). A Celebration of Life will be held at the Tacoma Yacht Club on March 13, at 2:30 PM. In lieu of flowers donations are welcomed to the American Cancer Society, The Tacoma Concert Band, and to Franciscan Hospice.