Bob Christensen, 83 years young, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Saturday, June 30, 2018. He suffered from dementia and COPD for the past 5 years.

Bob was born Jan. 17, 1935, to Willie and Eva Christensen. He was the oldest of three children. His sister, Phyllis, was born just 11 months after him and brother, David, was born five years later. Growing up in Portland, Bob attended Sunnyside Grade School and then Washington High School until his sophomore year in 1951. Bob worked for Fairview Farms, which was owned by his father, from 1950 until 1962 when the dairy was sold to Mayflower Farms.

In May 1951, Bob married Patricia, and they had three children, Deborah in 1951, Denise in 1952, and David in 1956. Bob and Pat divorced in January 1965.

On Dec. 9, 1965, Bob married his best friend and soul mate, Carolyn Coleman Fulton, in Reno, Nev., and their union lasted for 52 years. From that moment on, they became a family of seven, adding Carolyn’s four children from her first marriage, Mike, Randy, Jeff, and Shauna.

In 1963, Bob and his brother, David, purchased the Sanitation Service in Harney County. The following year, David moved to Lakeview and purchased the Sanitation Service in Lake County, operating both businesses under the name of Christensen Brothers Sanitary Service. In 1977, the brothers dissolved their partnership, and Bob and Carolyn changed the name to C & B Sanitary Service in Burns. They both worked tirelessly to make it a successful business, which they eventually sold in 2007.

Bob enjoyed being outdoors, and along the way, decided to buy some land and start a small cattle operation. He loved all that Harney County had to offer and was fortunate enough to be able to enjoy hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, cattle brandings, and buckarooing. They shared many wonderful memories of Lake Owyhee, where you could find them every summer for many years with family and friends out in the boat, fishing and waterskiing. The kids and grandkids had a million stories to tell about the time spent there. Bob and Carolyn became “snow birds” for awhile, packing up the motor home and traveling to Arizona, Nevada, and even Mexico during the sometimes harsh Harney County winters.

Bob was a remarkable man who had a knack for making everything he attempted successful, from raising a family, to raising cows, to running C & B Sanitary Service. Nothing was more important to him and Carolyn than family, and they raised seven kids together. Bob loved his community and contributed selflessly to local kids sports programs. No matter where Bob went, he seemed to always have a deck of cards and would play solitaire for hours on end. He enjoyed spirited conversations between himself and some of the evening news programs that he watched on TV. Through the years, you could always see the twinkle of love in his eyes as he watched his family grow up and have kids of their own. He was affectionately know as “Papa Bob”. The next time you have a drink, think fondly of Bob because, as he always said, “It’s 5:00 somewhere!”

A graveside service was held at the Burns Cemetery on July 3, 2018, at 1 p.m., followed by a dinner and celebration of his life at the Burns Elks Lodge where he had been a member since 1964. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to BHS Light Fund P.O. Box 72 Burns, OR 97720 for new outdoor lights for the BHS football field.

Bob is survived by his wife, Carolyn; daughters, Debbie (Rod) Robertson and Denise (Doug) Campbell; son, David; stepsons, Mike (Beque) Fulton, Randy (Myrna) Fulton, and Jeff (Sharon) Fulton all of Hines; stepdaughter, Shauna (Matt) Hammon of Burns; 13 grandchildren; 24 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.