Robert A. von MARBOD

1925 - 2020

von MARBOD, Robert A. November 18, 1925 - July 16, 2020 Robert (Bob) was born in 1925 to Fritz and Katy (Riese) von Marbod in Manson, WA. He was the seventh child and third boy of twelve children. His father was an Austrian violin teacher who moved to the US before WWI to capture some of the romanticism of the American West. Bob grew up outside the small town of Addy, WA with twelve siblings and attended a one-room schoolhouse. He briefly quit school at 16 to become a horse groomer for a race track, before returning to Roosevelt High School to earn his diploma. It was 1944 and World War II was in full swing, so Bob proudly joined the Army Air Corps as a high-speed radio operator / gunner and served two years. He attended the University of Washington, majoring in military science and earned a reserve officers commission before attending Santa Barbara College where he learned about microfilming. In 1950, at the urging of his sister Margett, he became a member of the U.S. High Commission for Germany, where he was directly involved with the occupation of a conquered nation. He met his wife, Julia Schumaker, in April of 1952 while she was working for a German newspaper. The two married in 1954. After his work with the State Dept, not ready to leave Europe, Robert and a friend formed a company that serviced government contracts throughout Europe. He traveled extensively in Europe and enjoyed every adventure. In 1976 he achieved a life-long goal of living in a home in the legendary Bavarian Alps. A fan of history, Bob researched and he and Julia followed the travels of Prince Maximilian Zu Wied throughout Europe. In 1995 Bob and Julia, and favorite cat, Rosie, returned to the United States to build a home on Moses Lake after living for 45 years in Germany. Bob was an inveterate researcher and collector. He extensively chronicled his family's history, and the lives of Americans in Bavaria. In his later years, Bob spent many hours in the company of his friends at the Moses Lake Senior Center and at the VFW Hall. Bob is predeceased by his parents, brother's Fred, Norman and Fritz (Arnold) and sisters: Erna, Olga, Margett, Lorraine and Irene. Bob is survived by his two brothers Erich (Lola) von Marbod, Charles (Nancy) von Marbod, sister Sherry von Marbod Geddes and various nieces and nephews. Bob was interred at the Wenatchee City Cemetery next to his wife Julia von Marbod and his brother Arnold (Fritz) von Marbod. Due to Covid, a gathering will be delayed until next spring.