Obituary for Robert "Bob" Lee Worth
Robert Lee “Bob” Worth was born August 5th, 1932 six miles southeast of Hood River in a little house on Eastside Road. He went to be with his loving wife Nancy on August 4th, 2019, one day before his 87th birthday, with family holding his hands.
Robert was born one of six children to Theodore and Margaret Worth. Robert served two years in the United States Army. Before and after his military service, he worked for Riddell Lage at Lage Orchards. Shortly thereafter, Robert was hired by Chevron and worked there for 35 years until his first retirement. He then went on to do day care for many years and watched many of the kids of Hood River grow up. His next phase took him to work for The Port of Hood River as a toll taker at the toll bridge for 16 years, finally retiring for good at the age of 83.
On December 12th, 1955 Robert married the love of his life Nancy (Bowlby) Worth. They were happily married for 49.75 years before Nancy passed in 2005. With that marriage he gained his best friend, mother-in-law, and pinochle partner Madge Bowlby, with whom he liked to crack open a cold bottle of Miller beer. They welcomed their first child, Robert Worth, in 1959, and in 1963 they welcomed their daughter Valori Worth.
Robert enjoyed spending time with his family and travelling. Regular trips to Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, and Reno kept him young at heart. He had a keen eye for finding unfinished projects around the house, and his quick wit kept everyone on their toes. You would always find Robert outside watering flowers, painting, carrying loads of firewood, or any other thing that needed to be done. There was nothing that duct tape couldn’t fix. If he found time to sit and rest it was only ever for two minutes.
In 1980 and 1985 he welcomed Joshua Worth and Thomas Worth into his life and officially changed his name to Grandpa, which was the best job he ever had. He enjoyed his time watching the two grow into adulthood. Grandpa had a front row seat when Josh married Coral (Fleming) in 2006. He thoroughly enjoyed watching Josh compete in bowling tournaments around the country, and hearing about Tom’s progress in his political science Ph.D. program.
Over the last 15 years Robert had many doctor’s appointments. His son-in-law David Princehouse was his constant companion who chauffeured him between appointments. Dave never left his side when the going got tough.
Robert put everyone before himself and would always get up early to make sure everything was ready for the day. He loved to sit and have popsicles with his daughter in the middle of the night. Even in retirement, he still woke up at 1:50 AM to see Val off to work. If you were to look up the definition of the greatest dad, there would be a picture of him. Those special moments will be missed by his family and friends.
Robert was mistaken for John Wayne many times throughout his life, including by a nurse during his final hospital stay, which gave him the opportunity to recount the many stories of his mistaken identity.
Grandpa adored his loving cat Nellie Jean (fed her treats every night, which is why she is so plump!), who found comfort lying next to him in bed every night.
Robert is survived by his daughter Val; son Rob; son-in-law Dave; grandsons Josh and Tom; granddaughter-in-law Coral; granddaughter Alicia Mitchell and her six children; his brother Ted Worth; and sister Claudia Risley.
Robert (Dad, Grandpa, JimBob) will forever be in our hearts and will never be forgotten. Included with his ashes is a bridge ticket, so we can ensure that he always has his bridge toll.
If anyone would like to make a donation to help the family cover Robert’s burial expenses, please send them to Anderson’s Tribute Center (1401 Belmont Ave Hood River, OR 97031) ℅ the Worth Family.
A child of the Great Depression, he was always very frugal and would want to ensure that we used up all 700 words that we were allotted so that we could get our money’s worth.
A graveside service will be held at 10:00AM Thursday August 8, 2019 at Idlewilde Cemetery (980 Tucker Road Hood River, OR 97031)
Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.
Robert was born one of six children to Theodore and Margaret Worth. Robert served two years in the United States Army. Before and after his military service, he worked for Riddell Lage at Lage Orchards. Shortly thereafter, Robert was hired by Chevron and worked there for 35 years until his first retirement. He then went on to do day care for many years and watched many of the kids of Hood River grow up. His next phase took him to work for The Port of Hood River as a toll taker at the toll bridge for 16 years, finally retiring for good at the age of 83.
On December 12th, 1955 Robert married the love of his life Nancy (Bowlby) Worth. They were happily married for 49.75 years before Nancy passed in 2005. With that marriage he gained his best friend, mother-in-law, and pinochle partner Madge Bowlby, with whom he liked to crack open a cold bottle of Miller beer. They welcomed their first child, Robert Worth, in 1959, and in 1963 they welcomed their daughter Valori Worth.
Robert enjoyed spending time with his family and travelling. Regular trips to Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, and Reno kept him young at heart. He had a keen eye for finding unfinished projects around the house, and his quick wit kept everyone on their toes. You would always find Robert outside watering flowers, painting, carrying loads of firewood, or any other thing that needed to be done. There was nothing that duct tape couldn’t fix. If he found time to sit and rest it was only ever for two minutes.
In 1980 and 1985 he welcomed Joshua Worth and Thomas Worth into his life and officially changed his name to Grandpa, which was the best job he ever had. He enjoyed his time watching the two grow into adulthood. Grandpa had a front row seat when Josh married Coral (Fleming) in 2006. He thoroughly enjoyed watching Josh compete in bowling tournaments around the country, and hearing about Tom’s progress in his political science Ph.D. program.
Over the last 15 years Robert had many doctor’s appointments. His son-in-law David Princehouse was his constant companion who chauffeured him between appointments. Dave never left his side when the going got tough.
Robert put everyone before himself and would always get up early to make sure everything was ready for the day. He loved to sit and have popsicles with his daughter in the middle of the night. Even in retirement, he still woke up at 1:50 AM to see Val off to work. If you were to look up the definition of the greatest dad, there would be a picture of him. Those special moments will be missed by his family and friends.
Robert was mistaken for John Wayne many times throughout his life, including by a nurse during his final hospital stay, which gave him the opportunity to recount the many stories of his mistaken identity.
Grandpa adored his loving cat Nellie Jean (fed her treats every night, which is why she is so plump!), who found comfort lying next to him in bed every night.
Robert is survived by his daughter Val; son Rob; son-in-law Dave; grandsons Josh and Tom; granddaughter-in-law Coral; granddaughter Alicia Mitchell and her six children; his brother Ted Worth; and sister Claudia Risley.
Robert (Dad, Grandpa, JimBob) will forever be in our hearts and will never be forgotten. Included with his ashes is a bridge ticket, so we can ensure that he always has his bridge toll.
If anyone would like to make a donation to help the family cover Robert’s burial expenses, please send them to Anderson’s Tribute Center (1401 Belmont Ave Hood River, OR 97031) ℅ the Worth Family.
A child of the Great Depression, he was always very frugal and would want to ensure that we used up all 700 words that we were allotted so that we could get our money’s worth.
A graveside service will be held at 10:00AM Thursday August 8, 2019 at Idlewilde Cemetery (980 Tucker Road Hood River, OR 97031)
Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.