Robert Gayord

Robert “Bob” Stephen Gaylord, born April 7, 1933, passed peacefully in his sleep on Monday, September 8th, 2020 in Renton Washington due to complications related to UTI, Sepsis, and natural causes. He was 87 years young.

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Robert is survived by his three children, Karen Pirie, Kevin Gaylord, David Gaylord, and their families. He was also survived by his brother John Gaylord, sister-in-law Jody Gaylord and their family. He was preceded in death by his wife Marva, brother George Jr. and Parents Alice and George.

Bob met his wife Marva at Tustin High School in Orange County, CA, and they married shortly after high school. They spent the last 50 years on Lake Tapps, WA.

Bob was not only a loving father and grandfather, but a leader in the Space Industry. After graduating with an MS in Engineering from UCLA, he went to work at Space Technology Laboratories (STL) as a space systems engineer. Later, he worked for TRW, The Aerospace Corporation, and The Boeing Company. He worked on many space projects such as the Lunar Rover, the Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS), Defense Support Program (DSP) reconnaissance satellites, Atlas, Titan, and Thor rockets, and Project Mercury.

Beyond his work, Bob enjoyed many activities such as creative writing, computer gaming, playing poker, tennis, skiing, bowling, gardening, boating, hunting, fishing, scouting, playing the saxophone, and going to the ballpark or stadium to cheer for his favorite teams such as the Mariners and Seahawks.

Bob was intelligent, friendly, positive, and very generous. He will be greatly missed by many.

His memorial service was held at Sumner Cemetery in Puyallup, Washington on August 10, 2023. He was interred with his wife Marva.

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