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Obituary
Bob, 97, died July 6, 2024. He was born in Kamiah, Idaho, October 11, 1926. Bob served in the US Army in 1945 stationed in Korea. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Forestry from the University of Idaho in 1951. Bob started working for the USFS as a lookout in 1943-44 before going into the Army in 1945-46. He jumped 1947-52. In 1951, he opened the smokejumper base at West Yellowstone, Montana. As a permanent employee of the National Park Service, he was a crew leader with four jumpers. Bob retired from the US Forest Service in 1983 after a thirty-five-year career. He then worked part time for the Federal Emergency Management Agency assisting on more than fifty disasters in the US and US territories of Guam, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. He fully retired in 2012 at age 85. He enjoyed travel with many cruises and two trips to Africa. At age 86 he was zip-lining with his granddaughters in Swaziland. Bob was a Life Member of the NSA.
Identifier
Gorsuch_Robert-V-“Bob”_Missoula_1947
Publication Date
July 2024
Keywords
Smokejumping; Smokejumpers -- United States; National Smokejumper Association; Wildfire fighters; Obituaries
Disciplines
Forest Management
Recommended Citation
National Smokejumper Association, "Smokejumper Obituary: Gorsuch, Robert V. “Bob” (Missoula 1947)" (2024). Smokejumper Obituaries. 1710.
https://dc.ewu.edu/smokejumper_bios/1710
