September 12, 1946 -  April 28, 2008

Bob Gustavson of Portland, Oregon, passed away on Monday, April 28, 2008, from renal cell cancer. Bob was born on September 12, 1946, in Seattle to Eric and Edna (Erickson) Gustavson. Bob grew up in Burien, and lived throughout the Pacific Northwest as an adult. Bob worked as a Forester. In Olympia, Bob worked for the Washington Forest Protection Association (WFPA). Bob's hobbies were golf, geocaching, fishing, woodworking and biking. Bob was preceded in death early in life by his parents, and his sister, Karen Gustavson Snell. He is survived by his partner, Joy Wilkins, of Portland, Oregon; his children, Eric (Jaime) Gustavson, of La Grande, Oregon; and Jodi Gustavson, of Puyallup; and his beloved granddaughter, Melissa, of Puyallup. He is also survived by his step-mother, and his step-sisters, as well as Joy's family. A memorial open house will take place on Saturday, May 17, 2008, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in Portland, Oregon. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make donations to the Bob Gustavson Memorial Fund, at the Tillamook Forest Center (Tillamook Forest Heritage Trust, P.O. Box 1086, Forest Grove, Oregon 97116).

For photos of Bob go to: http://egov.oregon.gov/ODF/FIELD/TILLAMOOK/docs/Administration/Annual_Report_2008.pdf

From the 2008 Tillamook District Annual Report - 2008

In the early 70’s Bob Gustavson came to work for the Department in the Tillamook, Astoria and Southwest Oregon Districts. He worked for the Department for a few years before deciding to leave for private industry.

Bob returned to ODF in 2002 as a Natural Resource Specialist 1 in the Tillamook District. Some of us remember the space he occupied upstairs in the old office. In 2003, we moved into our new headquarters office and Bob promoted to Forest Unit Supervisor in the South Unit. In 2005, Bob worked for a while in a developmental assignment at the Southern Oregon Area Office as Assistant to the Area Director.

In 2006, Bob promoted to the Assistant District Forester position in Forest Grove, and on January 1, 2008 promoted again to job of District Forester for both the Tillamook and Forest Grove Districts. It was a role he was very excited about and a challenge Bob would have loved to conquer, but unfortunately Bob was diagnosed with an aggressive terminal illness at the time of his last promotion. Bob maintained a very positive outlook
throughout his treatments and battled the illness in a very admirable fashion. Bob passed away on April 28, leaving us with many great memories as a friend and colleague.

Employees here remember Bob as a steadfast,reasonable and hard working supervisor. We remember Bob’s sense of humor, his love for his family, his commitment to his job and his zest for life. He loved competition and was proud of his unit’s success, winning the first ever Tillamook District Food Drive Trophy. He enjoyed golfing and participated on the Tillamook and ForestGrove “Golf for Food” teams.

Bob is missed by Tillamook, Forest Grove and all ODF employees who knew him and appreciated his upbeat personality and commitment to the Department.

Other links with Bob news and photos:
http://tbabs.org/ODF/FIELD/FG/docs/Annual_Report08.pdf