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Obituary
Bob died January 28, 2015, in Grant Michigan at the age of 93. His family of Quaker heritage, were recruited by William Penn in 1699 and came to the U.S. His father was a pastor of a Friends Meeting in South Starksboro, Vermont, when Bob was born. He grew up in Putney, VT, but was sent to boarding school in Philadelphia when his mother died when Bob was twelve. After graduation from high school he went to Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, where he played football for four years and was accepted to Western Reserve Medical School. He refused to take a military commission and lost his place at the medical school. Bob was drafted into the Civilian Public Service in 1943 and reported for smokejumper training in 1944. "The morale at this camp was upbeat." After smokejumper training in Missoula, he joined the jumpers at Cave Junction where he chalked up 15 jumps, the most memorable being north of Lake Chelan, WA. Bob returned and jumped the 1945 season at McCall. After discharge in 1946, he completed Medical School in Philadelphia in 1950. He and another physician started a medical practice in Minnesota. Then from 1957 to 1973, he practiced in a rural clinic in Grant, Michigan. In 1973 he "shifted gears" and switched to Anesthesiology. Bob practiced until 1987 in several rural towns in Michigan. In addition to his medical practice, he served on the town council, as a Trustee at the local Community College. "My patients are my friends. There is something of God in every person
Identifier
Painter_Robert-H_Cave-Junction_1944
Publication Date
April 2015
Keywords
Smokejumping; Smokejumpers -- United States; National Smokejumper Association; Wildfire fighters; Obituaries
Disciplines
Forest Management
Recommended Citation
National Smokejumper Association, "Smokejumper Obituary: Painter, Robert H. (Cave Junction 1944)" (2015). Smokejumper Obituaries. 725.
https://dc.ewu.edu/smokejumper_bios/725
