Robert Harwood “Bob” Strong
courtesy photo
Bob Strong
POLSON — Robert Harwood “Bob” Strong passed away Monday, Dec. 16, 2013. Bob was born Aug. 30, 1915, in Sutherlin, Ore., to Sidney and Lula Belle Williams Strong. The Strong family, including Bob’s older sister Marian and his younger brother Sidney, moved to the Mission Valley in 1917. Bob lived most of his 98 years within sight of his beloved Mission Range.
Bob and his sisters and brother attended school in St. Ignatius. He graduated from St. Ignatius High during the depths of the depression. He then ‘rode the rails’ to eastern Montana and, along with many other young men in similar circumstances at that time, worked on the Fort Peck Dam project. Subsequently, Bob went to Seattle to attend the University of Washington, working as a janitor in a fraternity house at night so that he could take classes during the day. While he was not able to complete his degree, Bob learned enough to be hired as a draftsman at Boeing.
On June 8, 1941, Bob married Nina Lillian Jacobson. Lillian, whose family were neighbors of the Strongs back in the Mission Valley, had been working at a resort in Northwestern Washington. Bob and Lillian remained in the Seattle area – where their eldest son Sidney James was born – for a couple of years before returning to the Mission Valley to work with his dad on his dad’s ranch. Shortly after his return to the ranch, however, he enlisted in the army. After training in Maryland, Bob and many other young men were headed to Hawaii on the way to fight in the South Pacific. While the ship was en route to Hawaii, the first of the atomic bombs was dropped on Japan.
Bob and his dad ran a dairy farm for several years. During that time Bob developed undulant fever from the blood of a cow that was infected with Bangs. He fully recovered from this disease, but it took its toll and so, in the mid-1950s, the dairy herd was sold and Bob began driving a milk truck. He picked up Grade A milk in the area and hauled it every day to the Community Creamery in Missoula. During the spring, summer and fall seasons, Bob would come home and care for his own 80-acre farm.
Polson became home for Bob and Lillian in 1979 where he worked as County Assessor and served as a one-term County Commissioner. Upon turning 65, Bob announced that he would retire and make room for others in more need of employment. He then devoted his endless energy to the community he so dearly loved. For more than 20 years Bob delivered food from local grocery stores to Loaves and Fish, a food pantry for those in need. He did not miss a day in this work and was so regular that when once late for a delivery, concerned friends checked his home and were considering calling the police except that he suddenly showed up. It turned out Bob had been taken for a surprise helicopter ride for his birthday. He promised he would never be late again, and he wasn’t.
Bob and Lillian celebrated more than 64 years of marriage when Lillian unexpectedly died in December 2005. Being the careful planner he was, Bob had prepared otherwise believing his would be the earlier death. He had fully outfitted the house with new appliances so that Lillian could manage well. After Lillian’s death, he had a bit of a learning curve because, although he was a master at baling machine repair and just about anything else with moving parts, he struggled with the proper use of the automated washing machine. He eventually learned that detergent worked much better on his jeans than Downey.
Bob was a fixture on his daily bicycle rides through the streets of Polson. He could be a bit possessive of his road rights and had more than one discussion with Polson police about his right to cross Highway 93, whether or not the crossing light was the correct shade.
Bob leaves six children: Sidney Strong of Seattle, Wash.; David Strong of Chicago, Ill.; Keith Strong of Great Falls; Wayne Strong of Newburg, Ore.; Kenneth Strong of Goshen, Conn.; and Wendy Wilbanks of Aurora, Colo. His children in turn, provided him with 13 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Bob Strong led a full life and leaves us with memories eternal. Memorial arrangements are pending.
