ROBERT WOJDA

Robert "Bob)" Wojda, 77, a resident of Salem, OR, passed away Oct. 31, 2010. Bob was born in Chicago, IL to Rose and Hank Wojda. Along with his two best buddies, Bob Head and Ron Omland. Bob took a road trip of a lifetime, across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. They realized their dream in April, 1952, taking five months to complete the trip. These amigos went through two sandstorms, a forest fire, a flash flood, and an earthquake, all providing them with enough experiences for a lifetime of storytelling. Upon returning to Chicago, Bob enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1952. Bob was selected to receive specialized anti-aircraft training, after which he was sent to Germany. This sojourn in Germany provided Bob the opportunity to explore other countries and cultures further whetting his appetite for travel. Returning home, Bob graduated from Illinois Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Chemistry, after which he worked for both IBM and Mystic Tape. He decided to focus on teaching and entered the Chicago Public School system where he taught Chemistry, Physics, and Math. While teaching, Bob met his future wife, June Cullen, who was also a teacher (of English) in 1963. June & Bob wed in 1964. Bob received grants to work at Argonne National Laboratory and the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory over consecutive summer months. In 1965, their first son, Peter, was born in Chicago and Bob received a Fulbright scholarship to teach for two years in England, where their second child, Anne, was born in 1966. In 1970, Bob accepted a position with the American International School in New Delhi, India, where Bob taught chemistry and mechanical arts. After extensive travel through India and Kashmir, Bob and family returned to Chicago where he resumed teaching in the Chicago Public High Schools and he received his Masters Degree in Mathematics from Roosevelt University. In 1975, Bob accepted a position with the American International School in Ahwaz, Iran where their third child, John was born. Bob and family managed to narrowly escape the coup in Iran in 1976 and returned to Chicago, where Bob participated in the family business, Cullen Trucking. In 1978, Bob & June had their fourth child, Paul, who unfortunately only survived 3 months. In 1983, Bob returned to the Chicago Public High Schools and taught for 10 more years before retiring; over the course of his teaching career, he received many awards and citations for excellence in teaching. Bob and June decided to retire in 1993, moving to Southport, North Carolina. They stayed for seven years during which time Bob became a Master Gardener and joined the Coast Guard Auxiliary. After the children moved west to Oregon, Bob and June followed, arriving in Portland in 2002, where they bought a home and settled for the next 7 years until 2009, when they moved to Salem, Oregon to be closer to their son John, his wife Shannon and new grandson, Jake. While in Oregon, Bob became an active member of Veteran's For Peace, helping with their peace garden in Portland and he took on a personal mission of distributing literally hundreds of free copies of General Smedley Butler's book, 'War is a Racket' to nearly every high school library in the state of Oregon. Bob's health declined rapidly in 2010 and he passed away October 31, 2010, after a long life as a loving family man, a fine teacher and a dedicated traveler. Bob is survived by his loving wife June; his sons Peter and John, daughter Anne; daughters-in-law Sharon and Shannon; son-in-law Scott Thomas; grandson Jake and faithful dog, Ranee. He is also survived by his brother Charles, and Charles'; children, Michael, Vicky, Kathy and Billy; as well as his Aunt Georgia, Uncle Wally, Aunt Wanda, Uncle Don, Poonie, and many cousins in California and Chicago. He is also the loving uncle of dozens of nieces and nephews on the Cullen side of the family. A family celebration of Bob's life will be held privately. Donations can be made in Bob's memory to veteransforpeace.org or to oregonfoodbank.org Thanks for the memories, Bob.