Robert Wayne King, 77

Robert Wayne King, Rathdrum — Oct. 17, 1944, to Nov. 10, 2021. The man. The myth. The legend. He wore inappropriate tee shirts proudly, flirted unabashedly and loved unconditionally.

Robert “Bob” King was truly the King of his Castle. He had three dogs that he adored, four daughters that he liked almost as much, five grandchildren that he was extremely proud of, and one great-granddaughter that brought him so much joy.

Bob loved the outdoors; he went fishing and hunting all over the world, and improved his property through planting flowers and over 100 trees. When you came to visit you would almost always find him outside wandering the property that he loved and took care of. One of his favorite ways to spend a summer evening was to sit around a bonfire with family and friends and have a glass (box) of wine.

Bob was born to Wayne and Barbara King in Richfield, Utah, on Oct. 17, 1944, the first of three children. He grew up in Richland, Wash., graduated from Richland High School, and joined the Air Force where he served for four years. He married Nancy Wendling in 1968 and together they had two daughters, Laura in 1971 and Shannon in 1974. They bought property in Rathdrum, Idaho, and deciding that he never wanted to leave it, there Bob stayed until the very end. He married Darlene McQuarrie in 1979 and gained another daughter, Angela.

All Bob ever wanted was a son, so he and Darlene decided to try for one more child. As God has a sense of humor, in 1982 along came the last daughter, Crystal. She was introduced to her siblings by him, “Well, you got yourself a sister … and a screaming one at that …” as he held out a red-faced bundle. His last great achievement was in 1994, when he finally gave up the comb over and embraced that bald is beautiful.

He received training in the Air Force, and later took a carpentry course at CBC. He was a proud railroader, working for Burlington Northern as a brakeman and later training and working as an engineer.

He and his wife Darlene spent many hours laughing with friends over a cup of coffee at local restaurants. They hunted, fished and camped together, and looked forward to spending their retirement traveling. In 1996 his love was taken from him and his plans changed to winters in Arizona, buying his daughters jewelry and spoiling grandchildren. His favorite things were dogs, babies and spending time target practicing and reloading with his son-in-law Matt; his daughters always joked that Matt was the favorite child. He had an amazing laugh, usually at inappropriate times and often over off-color jokes. Anyone that spent time getting to know him had a friend for life.

Robert is survived by his daughters, Laura (Tim) Kleckner, Shannon King, Angela Brown, and Crystal (Matt) Haley; his grandchildren, Robert (Jazzmyn) Lainhart, Parker King, Jordan Leland, Emily Brown, and Teresa Brown; and his great-granddaughter, Chrysabelle; sisters, Patti (Paul) Douglass and Anita (Larry) Merk. He was preceded in death by his parents, Wayne and Barbara; and his wife Darlene. He is also survived by three dogs, a snake, a flock of guinea fowl and a bunch of chickens. The family would be grateful if someone would come and claim the birds and the snake.

Funeral service will be held at 10 a.m., Sunday, Nov. 21, at Yates Funeral Home in Hayden, Idaho — 373 E. Hayden Avenue — followed by a potluck. Burial will be at 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 22, at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Spokane Valley, Wash. Arrangements are provided by Yates Funeral Home. Online registry and condolences may be found at yatesfuneralhomes.com.