In memory of Bob Searl

The Club Has Lost a Friend and Member

Bob Searl passed away February 19th after an accident in his home. Bob was 86. Bob was born February 28, 1921 in Helena, Montana. He joined the U.S. Army Air Corp in 1942. During WWII, he flew P-47 Thunderbolts in Europe. After WWII, Bob continued on with what is now the U.S. Air Force, transitioning from propeller planes to jets such as the F-86. He flew during both the Korean War and Vietnam. Bob retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Among the many decorations he received, were the Silver Star, the Bronze Star (7 awards), and the Purple Heart. If you have heard of the “Bloody Bob Blast”, it was a pistol competition named in honor of Bob Searl. If you never heard any of his stories, you really missed out.

While we knew Bob the best here at CCRP, he was a family man raising 4 children and volunteered in numerous activities such as the Boy Scouts and Little League. But it was here at the club where people knew Bob. While I admit that I don’t know all the things he did here, I do know that he joined the club in March of 1982. Larry Lufkin tells me that he met Bob when Bob was running the Hunter Sight-in program years ago. Bob was also a Hunter Education Instructor and was active right up to this year. You may ask “What is so special about that?” Remember that Bob has been effectively blind for quite a few years. There was no quit in that man. I learned that Bob was certified as an instructor in 1994 and spent 13 years in active service with WDFW teaching Hunter Ed. He contributed 714 volunteer hours in that time and trained 996 students.

Bob Searl was a man of character. In all the years I’ve known him, I never heard him spoken of with anything but respect and admiration. We are going to miss Bob. His shoes are going to be hard to fill. But, we are all the better for having known him and the memories we will carry and lessons he taught by example will not be lost.

Chris Moffet
President, CCRP