Robert Bernard Konen

Bob was born on the family farm, homesteaded by his parents Nick and Emma Konen, in Juniata Nebraska on August 16, 1930. In his home, adjacent the Oregon Trail, he was the youngest of six siblings.

Born during the Great Depression and the Dustbowl years, Bob spent his childhood working on the farm. He loved basketball and baseball, and was a terrific southpaw pitcher for the local American Legion baseball team. He was scouted and offered a pitching contract with the Boston Red Sox organization, but had to decline as his work on the farm was too valuable.

Shortly after graduating from Roseland High School in 1948, Bob joined the US Army and found himself on a troop ship sailing out of San Francisco bay bound for Korea. He served in the Signal Corps on the front lines of the Korean War. Experiences there affected him deeply but he seldom talked about it, preferring instead to tell stories about basic training in Texas, and the first time he saw the sea from a troop transport going across the Pacific Ocean.

After the war, Bob attended the University of Nebraska, graduating with a degree in business.He moved to Denver and began working for Safeco Insurance in 1958 in their Surety Bonds division. There, he met his wife, Gail, and they married in 1960. Their son, Steve, was born in 1962. In 1972, the family moved to Seattle, where Bob continued at Safeco as Surety Manager, until his retirement in 1987.

Bob faced many physical challenges in his life. Even though he was blind and in a wheelchair, he continued to grocery shop at PCC and run errands at U Village. We want to thank everyone in the community that extended him a helping hand. He was truly an inspiration, with his strength and courage, positive outlook, and great wisdom. He was a kind, loving, and gentle man, who will be greatly missed by so many.

His greatest joy was being with his family, especially on trips to Hawaii and at the family home in Mazama. He especially loved time spent with his grandsons, Jake and Hiatt. He was so proud of them and they of him.

Robert is survived by his wife of 56 years, Gail, son Steve, daughter-in-law Julie, grandsons Jake and Hiatt, his sister Dorothy Faulkner of North Platte, Nebraska, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins, as well as many friends scattered across the country.

As a remembrance, please consider a donation to the Methow Conservancy. www.methowconservancy.org