Robert Spicher
Robert Spicher
Robert Spicher, 79, passed away on Saturday, December 6, 2014, at his home in SaddleBrooke where he had lived since 2003. Robert was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Indiana, Pennsylvania. He was proud of his Western Pennsylvania upbringing and had a special fondness for Indiana’s hometown hero, Jimmy Stewart, and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Robert graduated from Indiana Joint High School in 1953 and then attended Cornell University (1958), University of California–Berkeley (1960), Washington University in St. Louis (1963) for his Bachelor, Master’s and Doctorate degrees, respectively.
Robert spent his working years as a professor of Civil Engineering at San Jose State University in California. He began there in 1965 and retired in 1996.
Bob married the love of his life, Marjorie Johnson, on March 21, 1981. They retired to Lincoln City, Oregon, in 1996 and enjoyed a full life there until 2003 when, seeking warmer weather they moved to SaddleBrooke. Marge passed away July 21, 2009, following a courageous, yearlong battle with pancreatic cancer.
He is survived by his sister Joanne Woodruff of Marshall, Missouri; son Steven Spicher of Milpitas, California, and daughter Michelle Spicher of San Francisco, California, as well as several cousins and nephews. A memorial service will be held in SaddleBrooke on January 17, 2015, with Pastor Gannett officiating. Robert will be buried next to Marge at South Trinity Lutheran Church in Grafton, North Dakota.
Memorial donations may be made to the Sandler-Kenner Foundation (www.helpfightpancreaticcancer.org) or the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona.