Robert Joseph Michaud, 75

Robert Joseph Michaud, beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother, passed away on Dec. 27, 2019, in Desert Hot Springs, Calif.

Bob was born Aug. 23, 1944, in Waterville, Maine, to Alphonsine (Duguay) and Gerard Michaud. His family moved to California in 1952. Bob attended St. Gertrude Catholic School and Cantell High School in LA County. He received two A.A. degrees, specializing in communications and electronics.

Bob enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1964. After serving his country he was employed by North American Aviation, working on many of the Apollo spacecrafts in the late 1960s. Bob took a communication technician position with Southern California Edison in 1969. Soon after, he moved his family to the Sierra Nevada Mountains — fishing, camping, skiing, watching shooting stars with his daughters, and taking full advantage of the mountain life.

Bob believed in giving back to his community. He served on the Big Creek School Board, volunteered as a firefighter, was instrumental in the organizing of the building of the Shaver Lake Community Chapel, and he could often be found helping out a friend or a neighbor in need.

After retirement Bob and his wife traveled in their fifth-wheel throughout the continental United States and Alaska. He later settled down in Post Falls, where he helped care for his mother in her latter stages of Alzheimer’s.

Bob loved God, his family, friends, nature, fishing, cooking, camping and working with his hands. He was passionate about his garden and his fruit trees and he loved the challenge of repairing anything. However, his proudest accomplishment was his family.

After many years of living with pulmonary disease, Bob received the gift of a double lung transplant in 2012. Through this, he was a beacon of compassion and strength. Bob cherished the extra time it gave him with family and friends — a gift for all of those that knew and loved him.

Bob will always be lovingly remembered for his sense of humor, his goodness to others, love of animals, integrity and gratitude of life.

He is remembered by his wife of 50 years, Peggy; three daughters: Kelly Day (Anchorage, Alaska), Jenny Pesce and husband, Kirk (Seattle, Wash.) and Kristin Wognild and husband, Greg (Bend, Ore.); six grandchildren: Jack and Georgia Pesce, Atlin and Kai Wognild and Talia and Zach Day. He is also survived by his sister, Diane McCarroll and husband, Wayne (Post Falls). Bob was preceded in death by his parents and his son-in-law, Jeff Day.

There are plans for a Mass and a celebration of life in Post Falls this spring.