Robert W. Rose
July 25,1953 – December 27, 2015
Robert William Rose, III died Dec. 27, 2015, at his home in Indianola, Washington. Rob was 62 years old. He was born in Fort Knox, Kentucky, on July 25, 1953, the first child of Robert William Rose, II and Joan Julia Rose. Rob is survived by his mother, and a daughter, Allison Rose?, and his siblings Marylee LeCocq, Joni Rose Landeen? and Ric Rose.
Rob grew up in Seattle. He graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1971 and graduated with honors in psychology from Whitman College in 1975. He then attended Columbia University where he obtained a master’s degree in student affairs administration in 1977. Later he obtained an MBA at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management in 1980. While in New York, Rob met, fell in love with, and married Nanci Howe. They had one daughter, Allison, who they raised in Palo Alto, CA. Rob was a proud and devoted father.
Rob worked as a technical writer in and around the Silicon Valley, including at Hewlett Packard, Cisco Systems, and Oracle. With his expertise and understanding of the emerging tech industries, he was able to anticipate and invest in the high tech stock market boom, which allowed him to retire before the age of 50. Rob retired near his mother and siblings in Indianola, where he spent his summers as a child.
Throughout Rob’s life, he had an insatiable thirst for knowledge, always questioning and exploring new ideas. Rob loved to travel, another expression of his love for knowledge. His study and preparation, coupled with his attentiveness to detail, always proved educational and entertaining for those of us fortunate enough to see the world through his learned eye. Rob loved nature and he took full advantage of the incredible scenery of Northern California and the Pacific Northwest through hiking, one of his favorite pastimes. In his later years, Rob also developed a passion for collecting Pacific Northwest Native American art.
A celebration of Rob’s life will take place at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 10, at the Indianola Foursquare Church. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made to The Nature Conservancy? in Arlington, Virginia or The New Hope Resource Center? in Puyallup, Washington.
