Robert L. Koester's Obituary
Robert Lloyd Koester
3/20/1930 - 8/05/2018. A member of The Greatest Generation, Bob was born and raised in Ellensburg, WA where he grew up playing basketball for Ellensburg High School and hunting and fishing near Roslyn and in the Teanaway Valley. He later attended and played basketball at Central Washington State College where he met his future wife, Merlyn. During this time, his Air Force Reserve unit was deployed to Japan at the onset of the Korean War, after which he and Merlyn were married and he continued his studies in civil engineering at the University of Washington. After graduation, they moved to University Place where they raised their three children. Many winters were spent on the ski slopes of Snoqualmie Pass, summers at the cabin on Mason Lake, and the all-important elk camp in November with his dad and cousins.
Bob maintained friendships with his Ellensburg “family” for the remainder of his life. He and Merlyn hosted many gatherings with friends and family at Mason Lake, and Bob’s pancake breakfasts there and at other events were legendary. Upon retirement from Boeing, Bob and Merlyn enjoyed trips in their RV with Antlers Aweigh. Among the many trips they made with this group, they most enjoyed spending winters in the desert near Palm Springs. They were also active members of SKIBACS, and never missed an opportunity for a ski trip to a new place. As members of University Place Presbyterian Church, they participated in a mission to Mexico where they helped build a home for a family.
After Merlyn’s death in 2015, Bob moved to Narrows Glen. He was welcomed warmly, and truly enjoyed the friendships he made with residents and staff. He recently traveled to Washington, D.C. with the Puget Sound Honor Flight, where he was shown our country’s monuments to its veterans.
Bob is greatly missed by his loving family: Children Terri (Jeff), Michael (Lea), and Shann (John), grandchildren Logan, Evan, Eric, Katie (Michael), Meghan (Boe), and Tim (Erica), and his great-grandchildren Henry and Benjamin. He will be forever in our hearts.
A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, August 24th at University Place Presbyterian Church.
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