Robert Geisendorfer

Robert Geisendorfer, Chief of the Geisendorfer Clan, left this earth on October 13, 2007 at 7:28 p.m. at home in Surfside, Washington from metastatic prostate cancer. Family members were by his side, praying and singing him on his way. Robert was born April 9, 1936 in Mt. Leonard, Missouri to Llewellyn and Marguerite Geisendorfer. He was raised and spent most of his young adulthood in the Denver, Colorado area. His father owned a very successful farming operation, among many other entrepreneurial ventures, and Robert from a very early age was actively involved in all aspects of the family business. It was through helping his father that Robert gained an early competency in all things mechanical, developed a strong sense of independence and self-sufficiency, and obtained an astonishing head for business. Robert fixed a set of brakes on a farm truck at the age of 8 and was helping drive the farm trucks at the age of 10. One day, while his father made a much needed supply run to Denver (a full day's trip), Robert and his sister, Mary, who were about 8 and 11 years old, were left in charge of making the field hands lunch with an almost empty larder. Using the resourcefulness they would later show throughout their lives, he and Mary assembled sardine and banana sandwiches. Robert would later recollect this with a laugh and a shake of his head and say, "By God, they must have been hungry! They ate every bite of them." When he was 16, Robert was given the responsibility of not only delivering the produce to market, but with setting the price and negotiating further sales with the wholesale buyers. Anyone who met Robert was immediately struck by his intelligence, depth and breadth of knowledge, and his unceasing curiosity about the people and world around him. His intellectual abilities were first noticed and nurtured by a first-grade teacher, Miss Clugston, who rescued him from scholastic failure after he had been in four schools during first grade. She was able to transform him into an academic all-star through firmness, diligence, and kindness. Miss Clugston attended his rural high-school graduation 11 years later to witness his academic success in winning numerous local and national scholarships, which included a Naval ROTC scholarship to Stanford, an invitation to be a member of the inaugural class of the Air Force Academy, and later an appointment to West Point. At that time, she presented him with the poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling which he adopted as a lodestar for personal integrity throughout his life. Robert was forever grateful to her. He never lost his respect for excellent teaching…(or his disdain for lackluster, incompetent, or indifferent educators.) Robert did attend both Stanford and West Point before serving two years in the army. After his discharge, he attended the Colorado School of Mines where he received his Professional Metallurgical Engineering degree—a 5 year program he completed in 4 1/2 years while working full-time to support his family. He later received a Master's of Science in Metallurgy from the University of Denver, and completed his doctoral work at Ohio State University. Robert worked in the aerospace industry as a research engineer/scientist and manager of various aspects of metals development and applications. He developed new alloys (primarily titanium) now used in military and commercial aircraft, space vehicles, engines, and medical components. He also worked for the DOE in aluminum, titanium, and superalloy process development. He most recently worked as a consulting metallurgist for firms in both the public and private sector of engineering. He belonged to many professional organizations and received awards and accolades but nothing gave him more satisfaction than knowing the alloys he developed were still in use today. Robert was an avid outdoorsman from an early age. He shared his love and enthusiasm for hiking and camping with all of his children. There were many memorable backcountry hikes over the years, but Robert especially remembered the hikes to the family's Strawberry Lake and the treks along the Continental Divide in Colorado. In his early years he was an enthusiastic hunter of deer, elk, moose, and bear. But he had a moment of epiphany on one hunting trip to Canada in his early 30s, where he said he felt such an overwhelming compassion for the animal that he never hunted again except with a camera. Robert had many interests and hobbies throughout the years. With his usual aplomb, he became an expert coffee roaster, an award winning home brewer, eBayer, and all around master of anything he turned his active mind to. Robert freely shared his interests with grandchildren and especially delighted in teaching them chess. No family gathering was complete without a rowdy game of Scrabble or Dominoes, where Robert's competitiveness was always on display with the good-humored realization that while Robert was a poor loser he was an even worse winner—we will miss his gleeful gloating. Robert loved his wife of 49 years and his seven children with a fierce passion that was only matched by his absolute adoration of his ten grandchildren and one great-grandchild. He felt he was truly blessed by the mates that his children chose to share their lives and to rear his beloved grandchildren. His extended family was vitally important to him as were the friends of all ages that were added throughout his life span. Robert is survived by his high school sweetheart and wife, Gloria, and by seven children and their spouses: son, Gregg and Helen Geisendorfer; daughter, Cheryl and Craig Hosking; daughter, Laura and Colin Baden; son, Grant and Nancy Geisendorfer; daughter, Sandra and John Collier; son, Glenn and Cristy Geisendorfer; and daughter, Sarah and Steve Harter. Grandchildren Max Baden, Ian Hosking, Julia Collier, Stephen Martinez, Garrett Geisendorfer, Noel Hosking, Graham Geisendorfer, Gus Baden, Joe-Joe Martinez, Joey Geisendorfer, and Avery Harter. Robert is also survived by his brother, Paul Geisendorfer, and his lifelong friend and sister, Mary Cornwell, both of Colorado. Robert also leaves numerous nieces and nephews whom he loved deeply. A celebration of life will be held at a later time at Robert's request. It will be a time for family and friends to remember this special man and to thank him for his legacy of love. Aloha Bob. Memorial donations in Robert's name may be made to Harbors Home Health & Hospice, 201 7th Street, Hoquiam, WA 98550 or may be made in his name to the Colorado School of Mines Foundation, 923 16th Street, Golden, CO 80401-0005.