In Memory of Robert Saunders (Bob)

Robert L (Bob) Saunders passed away on November 20th, 2021 from Covid-19. Born in Ogden in 1940 to Albert and Berniece Saunders, Bob spent his early years selling nightcrawlers, stealing ice chips from the ice truck, catching chickens on their family farm, and giving his parents a run for their money as a teenager.

Bob served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Korea and later served in the 142nd Military Intelligence Unit stationed in Salt Lake City. The time abroad was transformative and instilled an appreciation for Asian culture that lasted his whole life. After his mission, he began his career working for an engineering firm and then consulting on airport projects around the world. His projects took him to Ireland, Rome, Singapore, with extended time in Brazil and China, Indonesia, Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Canada, Myanmar, Bali, India, Japan, Israeli and Germany. He is respected internationally and domestically for his expertise in the areas of industrial design (for which he held several U.S. patents), airport planning, and research and development. No matter how much traveling he did, his heart always belonged to Ogden.

Bob also loved food and was a self-proclaimed “foodie”. His home was full of cooking magazines, specialty cookware, hundreds of bottles of sauces, condiments, and a kingdom of horseradish for all his children to inherit. He loved talking about and enjoying food with family and friends. Walking into a local restaurant with him was always a spectacle. The kitchen staff would see him and greet him enthusiastically by name. He knew the chef and staff and would usually request a dish not on the menu and made exclusively for him. He once even brought his own can of creamed corn to a frozen yogurt shop so they could mix it into his yogurt. (Not embarrassing to his teenage kids at all.)

When Bob retired from work, he began investing much of his skill and creativity into a new obsessionäplants and trees. He joined the Utah State Extension Service Master Gardener program and devoted hours and hours into the work. He volunteered in the plant diagnostic clinic, helped write a booklet about the trees in Ogden, and was even awarded Master Gardener of the Year in 2006. Most importantly, he used his skills to generously help anyone who asked for advice on their plants, trees, and landscape. This included his family, friends, and acquaintances as well as total strangers.

Bob relished diagnosing a problem and solving— the more difficult the problem the better. His plans weren’t always easy, but he had a remarkable vision of what things could be--a house, a yard, a project. He never thought small. He liked to encourage people to make deliberate decisions based on a plan, to give something a new chance in the right context, and not to make decisions based on what feels comfortable since it’s “ just what you’re used to”. He could be frustrating because he always thought he was right, although in truthfulness, he usually was.

Bob savored life and, in doing so, he made it more enjoyable and meaningful for us all. He pushed us to think in new ways. He was deeply loved and needed by many, and his absence will be acutely felt by those who knew him.

Bob was preceded in death by two of his children, Mandee and Val. He is survived by his four sisters Carla Locke, Diane Hilton, Nancy McPherson and Betty Cottle as well as his children Chad, Jody, Shelby, Todd, and Tauna and his 18 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.

The family has requested that his friends and acquaintances send in stories and memories about Bob.  These stories/memories can be short or long and need not be fancy or perfect.  Please just write an experience you remember, something he did for you, or anything about him that amused you.  Stories can be submitted by voice recording, video or written and then emailed to MyBobStory@gmail.com.

The family will hold a Virtual Memorial on December 6th at 6:30pm and an in-person Celebration of Life in April of 2022. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations to the Ogden Botanical Garden in memory of Bob Saunders. For details on the Virtual Memorial Service, Celebration of Life and Memorial Gift please see Bob’s memorial page at Myersmortuary.com.