Robert Edwin Amos

Robert Edwin Amos died Thursday at home, peacefully and surrounded by love. He was 80 years old.
He was born in Portland, Oregon, the son of Robert and Elizabeth (Chapman) Amos. He grew up in Cedar Mill, Oregon and Helena, Montana. His mother would often share a story of losing him in the middle of the night, only to find him outside, fully dressed, having snuck out to look at the stars. Throughout his life, he never lost his passion for stargazing. Later in life, he built multiple telescopes, including a backyard observatory in Grants Pass, Oregon. He devoted his career to science education.
Bob joined the United States Army in 1964 and married his high school sweetheart, Sharron Lowe, the same year. He was stationed for a time in Massachusetts and then was transferred to Fukuoka, Japan, where he served in the Army Security Agency as a Cryptanalyst. He was promoted to the rank of Specialist Six and received a commendation medal for his work teaching English to Japanese people in the community. He enjoyed traveling in Japan and was deeply impressed by Japanese culture, landscapes, and food.
Bob attended Lewis and Clark College, graduated from Portland State University with a Bachelors in General Studies, and earned a Master of Science in Teaching from PSU in 1972. In 1970, during the Apollo 13 mission, NASA asked him and the rest of the Portland State Optical Tracking Group to help track the spacecraft after its explosion during its early return.
He began his teaching career in Gladstone, South Australia in 1972. Bob loved living in Australia, where he and Sharron began raising their son Erik Amos. He would often tell Erik that he was deeply appreciative of the opportunity to view the constellations in the Southern hemisphere. He shared with his son his love of music, camping and exploration of the outdoors, and his wit. He was a strong and caring role model for his son.
Bob moved back to Oregon with Erik and Sharron in 1977. He taught physics, chemistry, astronomy, and computer science in Grants Pass at North Valley High School, Illinois Valley High School, and Rogue Valley Community College. He inspired many students in science education for over 25 years. Sharron passed away in 1994, and Bob retired from teaching in the late 1990s.
Bob met Sandy Tate in fall of 2000, discovering they shared an irreverent sense of humor, among many other things. They began a long distance relationship that led to his eventual move to Missouri. Together they worked to restore a 130-year-old house that became the home they loved. They also renovated another old house with a beautiful view of the surrounding hills in tiny Ethel, MO, in hopes of placing an observatory there for stargazing until the plan was sidelined by illness.
Bob and Sandy married on July 19, 2010. They logged many miles pulling their little Casita trailer west to Oregon, south to Texas, and east to upstate New York to see family and friends, with many side trips on scenic backroads to explore the country and state and national parks. Bob continued to share the night sky with Missouri friends as he showed them the magic there through his telescopes. He and Sandy also made many midnight runs to the local city lake during solar flares in hopes of seeing the Northern Lights with some success.
Bob was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2010 and had a successful surgery to remove it with a plan for routine scans to check for spread. Life slowed for them until Sandy's daughter, Melanie, was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer in 2011 immediately after the birth of her son Tate. Her battle became the focus for the next three years. Bob provided essential emotional support to Sandy as her daughter struggled with cancer. He was a steady, calm, loving presence for Sandy, even through the loss of her daughter and his own battles when the kidney cancer was discovered to have spread to Stage IV the same month they lost Melanie. Bob endured all of these difficulties without complaint and with his characteristic sense of humor, defiance, and love of life. Bob spent the rest of his life with Sandy, who was with him to the very end of his life.
Bob was known and loved by family and friends all over the world. He was a humanist who cherished the writings of Carl Sagan, and believed in progressive politics. Bob was deeply intelligent, multilingual, and had remarkable abilities to recall details and code-breaking skills. Bob was also a skilled artist and craftsman, creating dozens of works of pottery, wood carvings, and countless illustrations. He was a kind, gentle, empathic and fun dad, husband, grandpa, teacher and friend who will be remembered for his talents, his comforting presence, and his great sense of humor.
Bob is survived by his wife Sandy, his son Erik Amos, his grandchildren Julia Amos and Tate Saccaro, his brothers Richard and Alan Amos, and his pets Varmint, Jingles, Little Britches, and Rascal, and the squirrels and possums he helped to rescue and raise. Military services will be held next summer with burial at Willamette National Cemetery, Portland, Oregon. Memorial contributions in his honor may be made to Saving Every Victim, a local charity assisting cancer patients.