Robert Kuhn

Robert “Bob” Kuhn, our loving husband, father, grandfather and brother passed away on December 3rd, 2022, in Salt Lake City, Utah with his wife Karen, the love of his life, at his side. Bob was born on August 11, 1938, in Salt Lake City, Utah to James Percy and Lucille Fowler Kuhn.

Bob did not start out on an easy track in life. However, through his toughness, unwavering work ethic and rock steady determination, he carved out his American dream and paved the way for the next generations of his family to succeed. His early life experiences also created an enduring focus to help others. Bob along with his wife Karen were surrogate parents and grandparents to many that needed love, understanding and support to help them in their life’s journey and trials. They cared deeply about the many people that were part of their lives and helped them with humility and grace. Our family appreciates the outpouring of condolences from these friends and family members who were impacted by this support.

Bob was truly one of a kind. A complete character in every way. He never lacked for something funny to say, questionable jokes or to throw out one of his many Bob-ism’s like, “You're funnier than a stomachache” when he thought someone’s humor did not hit the mark. He was also the undisputed king of teasing people. Nobody was spared from his world class abilities in this area, especially his brothers where it achieved epic proportions, usually related to a physical trait or a silly thing they had done in the past. While he never met a person he did not tease in some way, he had a magically unique gift to do it in a way that made the person smile and laugh even if they did not appreciate it at first. Our family will miss his unique character and the special ways he expressed it to the world.

Bob’s passions in life were his wife Karen, children, grandkids, friends and collecting bottles. He loved spending time with his grandkids and supporting them in all of their sports, academic or music endeavors. He also loved finding treasures. He never met a yard sale or antique store he did not like. He was always in search of another bottle or treasure that would be the “find of the century”. When he was younger, he would frequently excavate known bottle burial sites on his never-ending quest to find the most coveted bottles from bygone eras. These endeavors would sometimes have interesting circumstances with unlikely people. Somehow, he could convince construction crews excavating for new buildings to let him search where he knew there were bottles from past decades. This was truly an amazing aspect of his personality. He could engage complete strangers easily in conversation (except when asking for directions) and enlist their help in his shenanigans and they would gladly do it.

Bob worked at the Salt Lake City International Airport for many years as a supervisor, managing crews to maintain runways and facilities. Bob was proud of his team and the work they did to remove record snowfall in the days when a storm would dump a foot or more of snow routinely in Salt Lake City. They spent many all-night work sessions to keep people safe and get them to their destinations. It was work unseen by many but work well done.

Bob is survived by his wife of 53 years, Karen, his brothers Gene and Kent, as well as his four children, 9 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. His sons William (Patti) and their children Jason and Nick; Robert (Kathy) and their children Ryan, Chad and Ashley; Jeff and his daughter Morgan; and Richard (Michelle) and their children Connor, Jacob and Caden. Bob is preceded in death by his father James Percy Kuhn, mother Lucille Fowler Kuhn, brothers Ray, John, and Richard, sisters Margaret, Maureen, Jackie and Linda and his cousin William “Bill” Tyne.

The family would like to express their sincere appreciation to the staff of Promise and Encompass hospitals for the compassionate care they provided to Bob in the last weeks of his life.

A celebration of life event will be held at a future date in Salt Lake City, Utah for friends and family to gather and celebrate his life.