Robert "Bob" Monroe
Robert "Bob" Monroe, beloved husband, father and Papa passed away peacefully while surrounded by his family on February 19, 2019.
Bob was born August 5, 1941 in Salt Lake City, Utah to parents Monte and Margery Monroe. He and his brothers Michael and Roger were raised in Seattle. He was a 1959 graduate of Roosevelt High School where he made many lifelong friends and met his future wife Ann Peterson. Bob graduated from the University of Washington where he was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity and played fullback and linebacker for the Rose Bowl championship Husky football team coached by Jim Owens. Known as "Bobby" Monroe (#39), he served as a team captain and received the Guy Flaherty Inspirational Award in 1962. Upon graduation, he worked as an assistant football coach for the Huskies.
Bob had an entrepreneurial spirit and eventually built Thermal Supply, Inc., a family-owned refrigeration and HVAC wholesale distribution business operating in the Pacific Northwest. Bob had a saying that "people buy from people" and established a company culture based on hard work, honesty, integrity and respect.
Bob was deeply devoted to Ann, his wife of 57 years and their three sons who were raised in Bellevue. They have many happy memories of summers at the beach cabin Bob built on Whidbey Island where they enjoyed boating, fishing, and riding motorcycles. He always loved spending time on the water and attending sporting events with his family. In their retirement years, Bob and Ann split time living in Indian Wells, CA and Camano Island, WA where they had many happy years enjoying time with their family and friends. Bob was a wonderful "Papa" to his five grandchildren, who loved him dearly and appreciated his great sense of humor.
Bob is preceded in death by his parents and brothers. He is survived by his wife Ann; son Brock of Lopez Island, WA; son Dan, daughter-in-law Keri, and their children Jake, Ian and Molly of Sammamish, WA; and son Mike, daughter-in-law Audrey, and their children Ann and Marcus of Lake Oswego, Oregon.
A celebration of life will be held at a future date. Memories and condolences can be shared with Bob's family through this link: www.hawthornefh.com.
Remembrances can be made in his honor to SmileTrain (633 Third Ave 9th Floor, New York, New York 10017) or the Special Olympics (2815 Second Ave suite 370 Seattle, WA 98121)