Robert Knox

On September 4, 2023, Robert James "Bob" Knox passed away peacefully in his sleep after recently celebrating his 80th birthday. He and his wife, Claire, have been in a Colorado Springs memory care facility for the past 6 years. It appears he suffered a stroke a few weeks before his passing.

Bob was born on August 24, 1943 in Bremerton, Washington. He was the first child of Bob and Arline Knox. His first two years were mostly spent living with his mother and maternal grandparents due to his father being deployed in the Navy during WWII. Bob always felt a special connection to his Grandpa Hough. His family reunited after the war and lived in Bremerton during his formative years. He was extremely bright and inquisitive with a penchant for the sciences. This led to creating his own fireworks when they were illegal to buy and orchestrating rocket launches from our back yard or the yards of his friends! His love affair with chemistry continued throughout his life. He graduated from Central Kitsap High School in 1961 and then attended Olympic College, the University of Washington (Bachelor's in 1965) and finally the University of Oregon Medical School where he completed a PhD in Biochemistry in 1973.

Bob loved people and was always up for a stimulating conversation. His friends and associates described him as brilliant, funny, kind and helpful. He had a restless nature and was always interested in "new frontiers" to conquer. Bob was a lover of the outdoors, especially fishing and target shooting. He once described this to a cousin: "I have fond memories of the Columbia River. As you know, I lived in Portland, Oregon for years. But, before that when I was in junior college, Dad brought home a flyer from the Shipyard about a vacation training program and I applied to the Western Fish Nutrition Laboratory (WFNL) which was located a few miles west of White Salmon, Washington. So for 3-4 seasons I went to college during the school year and then immediately headed for WFNL to work for the summer. It was a great program and I lived there for a year after finishing my Bachelor's degree until I went to Graduate school in Oregon. Had many friends in the Columbia River Gorge. Was member of Elks and Eagle clubs. Had a great time going into the back country....strap on my pistol, take a lunch and fishing gear and go peruse the outback with friends!!!"

Bob married Roberta Mitchell in 1969 and they welcomed a daughter, Lisa, in 1976. They eventually divorced. Some time later, Bob heard that a high school crush of his was also divorced. He got up his nerve and called Claire (Konizeski) Clee. They ultimately got together and were married in 1988.

He suffered from hereditary hearing loss issues for most of his adult life. While living in Colorado Springs in his later years, Bob helped launch a support group for the hard of hearing: SHHH which later became HLAA. He eventually got a cochlear implant in one ear and was amazed to hear birds singing in his yard after returning home from his first fitting appointment.

Bob has been and will be greatly missed by his family and many friends. He is preceded in death by his father and mother, Robert Edward Knox and Arline Knox Parker, and his stepfather, Burton Parker. He is survived by wife Claire of Colorado Springs; daughter Lisa Knox of Tigard, OR; stepdaughters Lisa Helt and Johanna Clee of Colorado Springs; and sisters Linda Nopp of Bremerton, WA and Kathy Miller (Ron) of Silverdale, WA.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.memorialgardensfuneralhome.com for the Knox family.