Obituary of Robert Tropp

Robert Tropp Bob was born March 6, 1924, passed away gracefully January 1, 2010 surrounded by his loving family. In between those dates he lived a stellar and admirable life exemplifying the love of family and country. His courage, loyalty, honor and humor earned great respect from all those who knew him. He lived life with great passion and commitment. He valued family and country, had a fierce sense of ethics and values, pursued a lifelong appreciation for music, particularly classical and jazz. As a young man he was an accomplished bassoon player. Of his many accomplishments, none pleased him more than nurturing and caring for his loving family. Survivors include his wife, Norma Tropp, son and best friend Ed Tropp, daughter Vivian Price (Wade), granddaughters Stephanie and Andrea Price, and the Conservative Cause. Several of his very beloved East coast relatives also survive him. Bob was preceded in death by his brother Howie Tropp, his parents Birdie and Buddy Tropp, and by many loving aunts, uncles, and cousins. He grew up in Brooklyn, surrounded by a large, boisterous, and loving extended family, which forever instilled in him a deep and abiding love of family. He had an engaging intellect and many interests throughout his life, but none came close to his interest in and love for his family. The legacy he leaves includes a family who adored him. Always one with a strong moral compass and sense of duty, Bob interrupted his studies at the University of Michigan and enlisted in the U.S. Army in December of 1942 to serve his country in the Second World War. He saw more than his share of action, and was cited for his participation in the legendary Battle of Normandy. Following the war, he resumed his studies, and earned a Masters Degree at the University of Washington. In 1951 he married Norma, his loving wife of 58 years. Bob always cherished and adored her, and though he was in good health until the last year of his life, often noted then that the only thing keeping him alive was her. They met at the University of Michigan and soon moved to Seattle where he began his career in social work. He began working for the State of Washington in an entry level position in his chosen field of social work, and rose through the ranks. Bob retired in 1980 as Director of the Washington State Adult Corrections system. Prior to that he had been Director of the Juvenile Division, and had previously been Superintendent of the Cascadia Juvenile Diagnostic and Rehabilitation Center in Tacoma. Earlier he had also served as Assistant Superintendent at the Fort Worden Juvenile Center in Port Townsend. Following his retirement he joined the Olympia Power Squadron, was an active member and Precinct Chairman of the Republican Party, served as President of the Lakemoor Community Club, and spent time boating, fishing, studying the best ways to invest in the stock market, enjoying music and reading. He loved studying American history and the lives of the founding fathers. He became accomplished at photography, maintaining aquariums and tinkering with model trains during other periods. But foremost, he invested his life energy in building a loving family. You always knew where Bob stood on issues, particularly politics. He articulated his positions clearly and passionately, sometimes loudly, and supported them with a commanding grasp of facts and logic. In earlier days he loved long road trips and had hoped to travel more extensively than he ultimately did. Never one to be confined by convention, he was known to keep exceptionally late hours for years after retirement. You could find him at 3:00 AM studying the stock market or reading a book about the founding fathers. Always practical, he kept all sorts of odds and ends, knowing they’d come in handy at some point, which they usually did. Though his favorite deserts were Norma’s raspberry or apple pies, he considered chocolate to be a major food group. His intellect was engaging and far reaching. Bob possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of history, classical music, natural history and literature. His hobbies and interests included fishing and boating. He had a love of the English language and of puns, and a renowned sense of humor. The aroma of a good cigar will forever remind his family of him. Bob exemplified the best attributes of the ‘Greatest Generation’. He took great delight in Norma's geneology and derived even more pleasure than she from her membership in DAR (Daughters of American Revolution). His career choice was guided by his commitment to altruistic principles, and he succeeded in making the world a much better place for his having been with us. He was always a gentleman and a gentle man (despite his passionate expression of his opinions—especially where right and wrong were concerned). His first thoughts were always of his family, thinking of them and placing their needs foremost, worrying about their welfare, constantly sharing his wealth of knowledge, wisdom and concern to protect and help them. All who met Bob liked him. He was publicly reserved and dignified, yet friendly and personable, loving to joke with people. He was always kind and thoughtful of other’s feelings. Bob will be missed deeply and we look forward to being reunited with him. Of all his interests, none came close to comparing to his passionate interest and love for his family, by whom he will be dearly missed each day until we are reunited. “For I have loved thee dearly, more dearly than the spoken word can tell” A celebration of life service will be held at 2:00 Friday January 8, 2010 at South Sound Manor, 455 North St. SE, Tumwater, WA. Bob’s place of internment will be the Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, Washington. Contributions may be made in Bob’s name to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/ Condolences may be left online for the family by clicking on "View Guestbook" below.