Robert "Bob" William Salmen

Born on April 17, 1950 in Salem, Ohio, he was the son of the late William Otto Salmen and Esther Louise Welch Salmen.

Bob attended school in Salem, throughout his primary education, graduating with honors in the Salem High School class of 1968. Growing up, being a member of the Boy Scouts was an instrumental part of his life and he achieved the highest rank of Eagle Scout. Attending the National Jamboree in Valley Forge, PA as well as Philmont Scout Camp near Cimarron, NM were highlights of his time in scouting. He was an active member of the First United Methodist Church in Salem. His interests were wide and varied. Sports were always high on his list, as well as music (he played the saxophone and was a member of a small band called the "Tunemixers" in high school), but most enduring was his love of cars. He loved everything about them - how they looked, how they were built - his knowledge of the 60's cars was almost encyclopedic.

Not surprisingly, Bob went on to complete a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Cincinnati through a co-op opportunity with the Electric Furnace Company in Salem. He joined the Triangle Engineering Fraternity while at UC, and, having been an only child, especially enjoyed the "brotherhood" of fraternity life.

Having known Susan Pim since they were 12 years old, romance had already been a part of their story since the hallways of Salem High School. :) They were married on September 18, 1971 and she joined Bob in Cincinnati to work as a nurse while he finished his degree.

After college graduation in 1973, Bob accepted his first job at Borg-Warner Chemicals in Parkersburg, WV. His early work in the engineering department prepared him for his first big assignment when, in 1976, he was sent abroad to oversee the construction of a new chemical plant in Grangemouth, Scotland. His time there offered him the opportunity to implement new technology for that time, most noticeably early fax technology to communicate with the home offices in WV.

In 1989, Borg-Warner was purchased by General Electric and his career continued in their Petrochemical division, eventually being promoted to Purchasing Manager. During his career, he traveled extensively to various areas of the US and overseas. In 1995, he went back to further his education at Marietta College, coming within a few credits of graduating with his MBA. His completion was precluded by his move to Raleigh, NC to take a new job with Reichhold Chemicals for whom he worked until his retirement in 2002. Not a man for sitting still, he looked around, remembered his original love of (by now, older cars) and promptly took a job with The Foreign Service in Raleigh, where he was given the opportunity to, once again, pull out his tools and "tinker with cars." Since he had purchased a 1969 280SL Mercedes himself to restore, he was thrilled to be able to journey with others to do the same and had the satisfaction of several years of good looking cars leaving his bay.

Together he and Susan raised two children, Sara and Michael. Bob was active throughout their lives, participating in their activities and supporting their endeavors. He was a coach, a tutor, and a cheerleader at numerous sporting events, science fairs, and music performances. One of his favorite pastimes was supporting his wife, Susan, as she taught piano lessons from their home. When recital time came around, you could find him sitting quietly in the back of the church applauding the students as they beamed with pride and also actively serving punch and cookies when their hard work was finished.

Despite all his earlier business travel, one of his favorite activities was still exploring new places. Early in their marriage, he and Susan spent a good deal of time hiking and back-packing. Once, he and a good friend even did a "polar-bear" back-packing weekend in several inches of snow. Hilton Head, SC was his favorite beach and he and Susan spent many happy weeks there. They also enjoyed a couple of cruises - one to Alaska and one to Hawaii. If you were to ask Bob about his most memorable trip, he would probably tell you about the tour of the Canadian Rockies which he and Susan took not long ago.

Most recently, Bob had completed a woodworking/auto restoration shop in his back yard where he spent many happy hours.

He is lovingly remembered by his wife, Susan Salmen; daughter, Sara Salmen; and son, Michael Salmen; all of Raleigh. Outside of his immediate family, he is survived by first cousins, Loretta Davidson (Ron), Carole Hoff (Fred), and Jack Frankenburg (Ruth), all of Ohio. He was preceded in death by first cousins, Virginia (Gin) Brennan and Sandy Frankenburg.

A Celebration of Bob’s life will be held on Saturday, February 2, 2019 at 3:00 pm in the Chapel of Mitchell Funeral Home in Raleigh, with a reception following. A gathering will also be held in Ohio on Saturday, February 16th at 2:00 pm at the First United Methodist Church in Salem.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Bob’s memory to the Wounded Warriors Project.