Robert Jeffrey Oliver

September 18, 1954-December 10, 2025 Robert Jeffrey "Bob" Oliver passed away peacefully at Fairmont Village Assisted Living in Peoria, Arizona, on December 10, 2025, at the age of 71. Bob was a travel agent and a lifelong student of history. Auspiciously, Bob was born in the Hague, Netherlands, to Robert Sheldon Oliver and Joan Lee Oliver, who were living abroad at the time. There he was given the nickname "Bimbo," after a popular song about a toddler who loved candy. After returning to the U.S., Bob lived with his family in Yuba City, California, until the age of 8, when the family moved to Tempe Arizona, where his father became a professor of architecture at ASU. The family traveled extensively in California and Mexico during Bob's childhood, often with a travel trailer hitched to a station wagon. The family also spent summers in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where Bob learned Spanish, tin-making, and papier mache. Bob famously got bitten by a dog in San Miguel while carrying home a papier mache tiger head he had just finished. In 1969-1970, the family spent 15 months camping through Europe and living in Barcelona and London. Bob's encyclopedic memory meant that he could later recall for family and friends every detail of all these trips. For example, for his father's 90 th birthday party, Bob created a chronological list of all the places the family had camped or stayed during that 15-month trip. Bob graduated with awards in History from Arcadia High School in Phoenix in 1973 and then received his Bachelor's Degree in History from Arizona State University. During college, Bob worked at Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor Restaurants, where he met Sara Welty, whom he later married in 1979. Much like the Weltys had done, Bob brought his younger siblings into the Farrell's family business. Bob and Sara had two children, Alex and Jane, of whom Bob was very proud. He encouraged them in their academic and artistic endeavors, especially Alex's acting and singing and Jane's sports and music. Bob had a long career as a travel agent, most of the time working for Sundance Travel in Phoenix. His detailed knowledge of Europe and Mexico, plus his background in history, made the trips richer for his clients. Bob also loved military history. In recent years he made a point of visiting many key European battlegrounds from World Wars I and II, accompanied by his son Alex, and visiting Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, with his daughter Jane and all his siblings. Bob was a true character--witty, intelligent, and droll, with an abiding interest in politics and a gift for trivia. Though he suffered from dementia in the last years of his life, he kept cracking jokes and making wry faces well into that period, and he was well-liked in his memory care facility.
Bob is survived by his children Alex (Jamie) and Jane (Alyssa); by his granddaughter Frankie; by his siblings Linda (Nick Frigo), Scott (Margarita McGrath), and Tony; and by his ex-wife Sara. The family will hold a memorial service for Bob in Peoria on February 6. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to Hospice of the Valley or Arizona PBS. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Robert Jeffrey Oliver, please visit our floral store.