Robert David Alton

Robert Alton Obituary

Alton, Robert David
62, of Phoenix passed away on January 12, 2013. Bob to all that knew him, was the eldest of three children. Bob was a loving father of five and a father figure to many. He was an extraordinary man to who was well liked, respected and admired among all who knew him. Bob touched many lives over his 62 years of life. He excelled in all things he set his mind to, among them were playing sports and staying active. He created many friends and memories while enjoying the sports he loved. Bob was a dedicated man who took pride in his work. He was the General Manager of Mail-Well Envelope from 1978-2004. There he fought for fairness and equality in the workplace as well as attending to the company's needs. Bob lead a full life and was grateful for it. He will always be missed but never forgotten.

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Published by The Arizona Republic on Feb. 3, 2013.

Memories and Condolences
for Robert Alton

11 Entries

March 1, 2013

Meant to sign my entry for Bob a minute ago. Again, God Bless you Bob, and I will ALWAYS remember licking those 50,000 stamps for those envelopes & how grateful I am to this day to your Dad and you for making it possible.
Peggy Secaur - Scottsdale, AZ

March 1, 2013

Bob's Dad, Tom, hired me as receptionist for Southwest Envelope in 1967 - Bob worked now and then as a teenager and we got acquainted. Loved his wonderful personality and laugh. I will never forget this memory: I was engaged to be married in 1978. I mentioned to Mr. (Tom) Alton that we didn't have money to buy wedding bands. Bob was in later that day and said his dad wanted to talk to me - AND that I should get right in there because I would love what he had to say.

Mr. Alton told me he had a "little" extra job my finance', Paul, and I could do and upon finishing it he would buy our wedding bands. Now, the job - SW Envelope had 2 contracts to make envelopes AND add postage via a postage meter before delivering them to clients. The postage meter was broken and Mr. Alton said he needed regular postage stamps put on those two orders. Bobby was grinning ear to ear to see me so excited. It never occured to me to ask how many envelopes were envolved. Well--- turns out there were 50,000 envelopes my love and I had to lick 10,000 stamps per night for 5 nights straight!(no sleep just lick eps. and get on the road to work next day)
Six days later - Bob told me he was thrilled that we got it accomplished AND that his dad had the check to buy the rings. Of course I think of Bob and his Dad a lot when I've looked at those wedding bands for the past 45! years!
God Bless you Bob - you were the best.

phil petersen

February 18, 2013

It will be hard to add to all the great things that have already been said about a true wonderful friend and a very remarkable guy. There is very little in my life that does not remind me of some adventure, thrill, or just hanging out with the guy. He had some hard times in his too short a life but he always came through it all smiling. He was always there for his friends (whom he treated like family). I'll miss you brother. til we meet again.

February 6, 2013

WOW - I just found out about Bob! I thought of him just the other day. I was thinking of re- connecting with him. I joined Southwest Envelope in 1979. Bob took over the company for his Dad. He was my inspiration and a great friend. A great listener! He told me about a Plant Managers job in Hawaii, which I took. He welcomed me back with open arms and I left with all the rest when the company closed. I sure will miss him. Rick May ( Glendale, AZ ). If you want to talk email me your phone number at rmay4 @ cox.net

Doug Bohm

February 5, 2013

Wow where do I start. Bob Alton, my dearest friend and truly the only brother I ever had. While estranged the last several years, rarely a day went by that I didn't think about Bob and what an incredible person he was.

I'll never forget my first meeting with Bob. Our friend, Gary Branham, who I met while intending California Lutheran College, said that I needed to meet this friend of his. He felt that he and I would really “hit it off”. That could not have been further from the truth. While slightly out of context, it was truly “love at first sight”. I knew this person I was meeting for the first time would in fact become my best friend, and truly a friendship and bond that words could never express, and that would literally last a lifetime.

Bob hired me at Southwest Envelope for a summer job. Little did I know that that would develop into a 28 year career with that incredible company started by his father. Well, sure, anybody there at that time saw us as trouble with a capital “T”. What 18 year olds don't raise some hell, right! But with Bob as General Manager, and me as his right hand man, we went on to turn that company into a major player in the mail order industry.

But I think Bob's greatest legacy is first and foremost as a father. He loved his and all children. And while dealing with second families as is so common these days, Bob's children were always his priority. And he also extended that father role on to his employees of Southwest Envelope Company. With 250 employees, he truly viewed them as his extended family. Many times we were at odds over my business mindset, he always kept the human element at the forefront. That is where I learned the most from Bob. That is his essence. A true humanitarian and I can honestly say that his outlook truly changed my life and made me a better person. Thank you so much for that, Robert David Alton.

Bob, thank you for the contribution you made in your time (too short) on this planet. You had a positive impact on so many people. I truly don't know anybody that didn't think you were a truly remarkable person. And to his fabulous children, your father was bomb! And don't forget it!! RIP my brother. We all love you!

Bonnie Nelson

February 3, 2013

Bob was an exceptional Man to work with and a wonderful person, he cared for his employees and treated them as friends.

Jay Himelstein

February 3, 2013

The picture above says 1000 words.
The Son of a World War II hero, Bob was Strong, smart, self-assured, handsome, generous and solid. Bob grew up on North Central Phoenix Baseball Diamonds, where he was always the "Captain" of his team. He was a natural leader, with an ecletic group of friends.
He exuded charisma and confidence.
At the Ball Yard, Bob earned the respect of his guys, and of the opposing team as well. Bob was a "gamer", who LOVED life and lived life with exhuberance and abandon. He was a guy who just loved to PLAY, and play hard. Bob was fiercely competitive with enormous skills. He would beat your brains in all day long...and then, after the Game, would take everybody out to lunch! His generosity was legendary. Eventually, his exemplary Baseball skills earned him a Baseball scholarship to Cal Lutheran. After College, Bob went to work for Southwest Envelope, starting, at the bottom, as a delivery driver. Bob, literally, learned the business from the ground up. He was a quick study, mastering every facet of the business, and eventually became the General Manager with thousands of employees reporting to him. His "Maverick" management style raised eyebrows. But,nobody could argue with his vast record of accomplishments and enormous profits. Check this out...Before it was vogue, Bob promoted woman and minorities to executive positions. Bob believed in PEOPLE..Bob did NOT care about their color, religion, background or gender.. Bob was a fair and honorable man. All that aside, by far, the most important thing to Bob was his family. 5 beautful children were the true love of his life. Talk about an awesome DAD! He never missed a game, recital, soccer match or school play. I can still see him coaching 3rd base during a "coach pitch" game...OMG...Bob loved those kids...his dream was to make a life for THEM...his dream was to give them a good start, and a great life..Well, Bob...once again YOU did it! Bob, when it comes to YOUR kids...YOU hit it out of the Park! RIP.