Robert Lewis Firman

Rob’s warranty ran out on February 25th while enjoying a much-anticipated steak brunch, passing suddenly of cardiac insufficiency at 86. Known as Bob to his many friends; Robin to siblings Steve (Kathy) Firman and sister, Wendy (Ed) Isenhart of Chelan, lifetime partner to Marilyn Kemp Firman, his wife for 60 years; Dad to their three children, Michael, Tim and Emily (Erik Erikson) and Grandpa to their grandson, Solomon.

Bob was born in Waterville, Maine on May 10th, 1939. His parents, Bob and Gwen (Lewis) Firman were in show business—doing advance work for the big touring bands of the era, staging gala events that were filmed and shown the next day at the local movie theater. All that was put on hold when the US entered World War II. His father, a pilot, enlisted in the Army Air Force, flying “The Hump” and later, training pilots at Malmstrom Air Force base in Montana.

Starting at age four, his Lewis grandparents bought a cabin outside of West Yellowstone, Montana where he spent childhood summers swimming, riding horses, chopping firewood and overseeing cousins and visiting relatives. He developed a lifelong love of cabins in the woods and being with family. When he was nine, his parents settled down in Wenatchee, Washington, where he enjoyed science club, all kinds of skiing—even being towed by cars on snowy streets. He loved playing humorous pranks. His full height, an imposing 6’ 7”, brought offers from basketball coaches, but was a better swimmer, eventually competing at the college level and joining the rowing club at the UW.

After high school, he attended classes at Oberlin College and Central Washington University, studied abroad in Mexico, and graduated from the University of Washington with a bachelor's degree in economics and fluency in Spanish. His dream job out of college was as an investment advisor, but his youth did not bring him many clients, so he took a job as a salesman for Del Monte in the Seattle area. He married and continued his career by working for the Washington State Department of Agriculture as a fruit inspector in Eastern Washington and later for A & P, the largest East Coast grocer, as a buyer based in Wenatchee. He traveled for work to Utah and Mexico and eventually moved permanently to the Fresno, California, office.

His grandmother, Mina Firman, recruited Bob to work for Firman Pollen Company, and he relocated his family to Yakima. He worked there for a few years, then left to form his own company, FirmYield Pollen Services. During the off-season, he worked as a fieldman for Highland Fruit in West Valley. He really loved being a fieldman, but the pollination business eventually required his full-time attention. Pollen allowed growers to produce more fruit per acre - but producing enough pollen to meet demand was a challenge. To expand production, Bob trained specialized crews and followed the spring bloom, first to California and eventually to Chile during the Southern Hemisphere's spring. When he sold the business and retired, there were affiliates in both Europe and South America.

Bob was active in the Boy Scouts when his sons were young. He served as District Chairman for the Fort Simcoe Council. He regularly gave blood at the Red Cross, earning his ten-gallon pin. He was especially proud of his work with St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, where he served many seasons as Treasurer and on the vestry until months before his death. He served as the Finance Chair of the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane for many years. He lived at Orchard Park (now Solista Retirement Home) for 10 years.

He was the resident council President for years and loved negotiating, helping with residents' individual and group issues, and organizing the annual Christmas gifts for the staff. During his long struggle with colon cancer, he moved to Seattle to be with his wife, Marilyn, and was living there at the time of his death.

He is survived by his wife Marilyn; three children- Michael of Yakima, Tim, and Emily (Erik Erikson) all of Seattle; grandson Solomon; sister Wendy Isenhart (Ed) and brother Steve (Kathy), both of Chelan, Washington; and many beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins.

His funeral will be at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church on March 28th at 1:00 P.M. In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations to be made to St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, Yakima, WA, or to Swedish Cancer Institute, Issaquah, WA.