Robert Warren (“Bob”, “Robo”) Hammond passed away peacefully with family members at his side, on Feb. 23, at the age of 96.
Robert Warren Hammond, 96, passed away on Feb. 23. His funeral is scheduled for March 18.
Bob was born in Bridgeport in August of 1920 to Wilbur and Marguerite Hammond. He grew up in Fairfield with his two younger sisters, Shirley and Beverly, and graduated from Bassick High School in 1937. The stock market crash of 1929 left the family in dire financial straits, providing the foundation for Bob’s incredible work ethic.
Bob met the love of his life, Bernice Arlene Cuzner, while they were both working at General Electric Company in New York. They were married on May 9, 1942, and remained happily married for 69 years until Bernice’s passing in 2011.
Bob joined the Navy in 1944 and served as a first class petty officer radioman and taught mathematics. After the war Bob went to work as an electrical engineer for a startup begun by John Fluke that operated out of John’s basement in Connecticut.
_______________
— This obituary previously was published in The Herald of Everett, Wash.
_______________
Bob was John’s first employee and was responsible for designing the first $1,000,000 product for the company, a compact voltmeter. During that time, after work and on weekends, he built a home for the family in Darien.
The family now included daughter, Cheryl and son, Kevin. In 1952 Bob and Bernice decided to make the move to Seattle with John Fluke. They packed up the family and drove across the country in a 1941 Chevy, arriving in Seattle in December of 1952.
After living in a motel for several months they purchased a home in Richmond Beach and lived there until 1966, when they moved to the current home in Edmonds, Wash.
During this time Bob contributed to the design of new products and quality control of existing products at the John Fluke Company, first in the original Ballard location and later in Mountlake Terrace, Mukilteo and Everett.
Bob’s designs resulted in a number of patents on several voltmeters, which helped put the Fluke Company on the map. He remained at the Fluke Company until his retirement in the fall of 1984.
Bob enjoyed many hobbies, including ham radio. He was a passionate gardener whose colorful flowers (especially his dahlias and begonias) always elicited praise from friends, family and passers-by.
He was a very talented and self-taught pianist and composer who instilled in his children a lasting love of music, for which they are eternally grateful. Bob was a kind, loving, generous and gentle man who was humble to a fault. He will be greatly missed and always beloved by his family and all who knew him.
Bob is survived by his children, Cheryl (Carl) Loeb of Mt. Vernon, Wash.; and Kevin (Lilly) Hammond of Edmonds; grandchildren, Jason and Nathan Loeb; Alison, Julia and Hailey Hammond; five great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Bernice; his sisters, Shirley and Beverly; and by his grandson, Jesse Robert Loeb.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, March 18, 2017, at 4 p.m. at the Edmonds Yacht Club, 326 Admiral Way, Suite 100, Edmonds, Wash.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or to the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.