Obituary: Robert C. Amundson

Robert C. Amundson

April 25, 1938 - July 13, 2011

Born and raised on the Scripps Estate at Glenbrook, Lake Tahoe, at age 14 he received a driver's license and drove school children from Glenbrook to South Lake Tahoe to school.

During the winter of '51-'52 he and his ski-mates skied over Echo Summit to Strawberry and back to obtain needed medical supplies since Tahoe was snowed in. Bob qualified for the 1955 Winter Olympics as a ski jumper - skiing with Spider Savage and Jill Killmont Booth. Robert, along with his father, developed the Logan Shoals Harbor, Logan Creek Estates and Cedar Brook subdivisions, all in the Glenbrook area. He also was instrumental in creating the M.S. Dixie and served as captain for 10 years. He often spoke of many of the charter cruises which he cherished, such as the Governor's Manpower Conference, where he met Jimmy Carter; the ApolloSoyuz cruise where he met the astronauts and cosmonauts; the Maharaja; and the memorable graduation groups and weddings. He loved it when he was referred to as "Mr. Tahoe."

He served in the U.S. Army for three years. Worked construction in Okinawa and Liberia, owned his own 18 wheeler and drove for many local companies as well as long-line trucking. Bob loved his shop where he spent hours building and repairing anything. If he wasn't sure how to do a job he would "jerry rig" it and somehow it always worked out. He was fondly called "Big Bob" by the neighborhood children and "the Honey Do man" by his wife's widowed friends. He went out of his way to help anyone he could.

Bob was a past member of the Tahoe-Douglas Sheriff's Posse; American Legion; Nevada Antique Tractor and Engine Club and Order of Ahepa. He was a member of the St. Anthony's Greek Orthodox Church. He was predeceased by his parents, Margaret and Ken Amundson and his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Tom and Lorna Poulakidas. He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Shirley Amundson. His children and grandchildren: Nicole (Mike, Brandon, and Logan Zaza), Robert Charles Amundson II (Terry); Melanie (Morgan) Petrelli; and Lisa (Frank, Brenna Long and Carmen Greaves). Sister Suzanne (Roland) Werner. Sister -in-law Judee (Ben) Price, friends Joyce Hinton and Rozanne DeLeau, many aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews, and his dogs Duke and Bruiser. A memorial will be at 2 p.m. Friday, July 22, 2011, at Walton's Chapel of the Valley at 1281 N. Roop St. in Carson City. In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to the American Cancer Association.