Bobby Robbins

Bobby "Bob" Charles Robbins, born Aug. 9, 1946, loving father and grandfather, passed away at his home in Coupeville, Washington, on Dec. 21, 2014.

Bob had battled stage 4 pulmonary hypertension, a rare and complex disease that restricts the blood vessels of the lungs.

Bob was preceded in death by his dear parents, Byron and Cuma Robbins. He is survived by his three children, Shannon Davidoff, Aliea Peabody, Brandon Robbins and by his four grand girls, Ashton, Grey, Sydney and Jade.

A native of Ozark County, Missouri, Bob was an accomplished high school athlete and earned a full scholarship to attend Southwest Missouri State University (now MSU). During the Vietnam war, Bob took four years to proudly serve the United States Navy on the destroyer "USS Richard E. Kraus," on which he received the rank of first class petty officer, earning the rank faster than any sailor on that vessel before him.

Bob returned to SMSU to earn his Bachelor's in Agriculture. He had a lifelong love of both agriculture and fishing, but fishing was far and away his favorite pastime. Bob was able to go professional when he became Champion Boats' pro bass tournament fisherman, and won many awards and trophies for his efforts.

Business was another arena that Bob enjoyed, and he was a successful entrepreneur. RLH Sanitation, based out of a Mountain Home, Arkansas, was a local sanitation and landfill business that would grow to serve a large region in southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas for decades. Bob would also be one of the three founding members of Air Evac Lifeteam, which has grown to become of the largest and most preeminent air ambulance companies in the country.

Great focus and energy through much of Bob's life was Sheek's Land & Cattle, located in southern Missouri. He resided on the ranch in Cabool, Missouri, and as head manager he built the ranch until it peaked at one time to be the 19th largest cattle ranch in the nation. Bob, the ranch, and the hydraulic corrals he designed were featured in the publication, "American Cattleman."

Retiring from the ranch, Bob went on to purchase farming ground in both Iowa and South Dakota. He is the majority owner, with two other friends and partners, of the "Diamond Ring Ranch" of central South Dakota.

Bob was a great man, both professionally and privately. He made friends easily and kept them for life. Bob was a master storyteller, and his stories and jokes could bring a room to tears with laughter. He absolutely loved to laugh.

All his life, Bob Robbins worked hard, and he succeeded. His proudest titles, however, were those of Dad and Pappaw. He loved his family and was happiest when surrounded by them. He will be forever loved and remembered.