Robert Farrer Zeidner

1923 - 2016

1923 ~ 2016
St. George, UT - Robert Farrer Zeidner's long and many-faceted life ended on May 29, 2016 following a period of declining health. He was born in Portland, Maine to Samuel Israel and Jenatte Farrer Zeidner on February 5, 1923.
Robert, more commonly known as "Bob", was born into the family of a career U.S. Army officer. His early years were occasioned by frequent moves to new homes and schools as his father Sam was transferred to far-flung military posts in the 1920s and '30s. These included two years at Fort William McKinley in the then-U.S. Commonwealth of the Philippines. Bob retained fond memories of his adolescent time in the Far East, including family trips to pre-war China and Japan. He also discovered his ability to quickly adapt to and learn foreign languages, an aptitude that he would rely upon and develop in later years. The family returned to the U.S. and Bob graduated from Lake Forest High School in the Chicago area in 1941 before proceeding to The Citadel military college in Charleston, SC. He received a congressional nomination and appointment a year later to the U.S. Military Academy and graduated amongst the West Point class of 1945. That year's cadet yearbook describes Bob: "With his great determination and attentiveness to detail, he had no trouble with academics. Very methodical and thorough in his studies, he liked to argue and was very assertive".
Bob began his own military career at the conclusion of World War Two, amid the geopolitical tension and intrigue that were to become the Cold War. As a newly-commissioned Second Lieutenant, he was dispatched back to the Philippines before joining the U.S. occupation force in postwar Japan. Later stationed in Turkey early in its membership as a NATO ally, his talents in foreign language and affairs became apparent to the Army which subsequently assigned him to Turkish studies at Princeton University and what was to become the Defense Language Institute (DLI) in Monterey, CA. Bob would be stationed in Turkey for two additional tours of duty, between which he would serve in a military intelligence role at the Pentagon. He completed his MA degree in International Relations at American University in Washington, D.C. and graduated from the Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, KS before returning to DLI as its Director of Instruction. Following a year in Iran advising the Iranian Field Artillery School, he would assume command of an artillery battalion within the 82nd Airborne Division based at Ft. Bragg, NC. Bob was awarded the Bronze Star for action with the 82nd during the U.S. intervention in the Dominican Civil War of 1965. His last assignments in the Army would be as a Professor of Military Science in Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) detachments at the Universities of Oklahoma and Utah. Bob's 29 years as an Army officer saw him advance to the rank of full Colonel. An Airborne "Master Parachutist", he completed more than 65 "jumps" from military aircraft. Bob would spend more than seven years serving within countries of the Middle East in support of the United States' often tumultuous engagement in that volatile region of the World.
Bob retired from military service in 1974 and committed himself to academic pursuits. He completed his Ph.D in Ottoman History at the University of Utah, with his dissertation later being published as "The Tricolor Over the Taurus: The French in Cilicia and Vicinity, 1918-1922". A lifelong learner, he loved to read and frequently had a book in hand. He amassed a substantial library, the bulk of which has been donated in his name to the Marriott Library at the University of Utah. In addition to being fluent in Turkish, Bob could communicate to varying degrees in Farsi, French, Italian and Spanish. Of all of his pursuits in life, he remained most proud of his military service and affiliation with the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY.
Bob's life as husband and father began as he was introduced to a sister of a West Point classmate, Christine Jean Mann. They were married in Junction City, KS on October 29, 1949 and would become parents to four children, two of whom were born in Turkey. Having grown up in small town Kansas, Christine's marriage to Robert added adventure to her life as she accompanied him to military stations around the United States and abroad. They both loved to travel the world and continued to take lengthy trips to exotic locales into their 80s. Bob and Christine would be married for 66 years, until her death on December 23, 2015. Their final home was in St. George, UT.
Bob is survived by his sister Helen Zeidner of Menlo Park, CA, by his four children: Jan Busey and husband David of Tulsa, OK; Robert Christian Zeidner and wife Jennifer of St. George, UT; Thomas John Farrer Zeidner and wife Lydia of Carmichael, CA and Philip Mann Zeidner of Las Vegas, NV. Surviving grandchildren are Sean Busey, Jillian Zeidner, Iris Zeidner, Roland Zeidner and one great grandchild, Alexander Busey.
The family would again like to thank the staff of the Retreat at Sunbrook in St. George for their compassionate care provided over the course of Bob's and Christine's final months and passing.
A family memorial service is planned for October 14, 2016 on the grounds of the Presidio in San Francisco, CA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Bob's name to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), www.aspca.org. Friends and family are invited to share condolences online at www.SerenityStG.com