Robert Charles Olding

Robert (Bob) Charles Olding was born on May 29th, 1936 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is survived by his six children Robert A. Olding, Elizabeth Olding Navarre, Matthew Olding, Michael Olding, Stephanie Olding Hagler, Heidi Olding McGowan, twelve grandchildren, one great grandchild, and two of his siblings, Martha Olding, and James Olding.

We, his children, are not sure what his early childhood was like, but there are anecdotal reports that he specialized in practical jokes. We do know that he attended St. Xavier High School, an all-boys Jesuit school where the motto is ... “Men for Others”. As he neared the end of his high school days, dad was informed by the school counselor that he should enter the priesthood .... or become a doctor. Dad chose the practical option. His first action in pursuit of this goal was to attend Xavier University and earn a bachelor’s degree in beer, er, pre-med. Doing this enabled him to escape Cincinnati (but not the Jesuits) and he headed north to Milwaukee Wisconsin to earn a medical degree at Marquette University. In between his medical studies he married Helen Rose Hoesl and the two of them had their first child, Robert August.

The new family headed to Phoenix Arizona where dad did his internship and residency. He and Helen added Elizabeth to the family. Dad learned to snow ski at this time and was able to explore and fall in love with the American West. Once his residency was finished, the newly minted doctor and family were promptly drafted into the Air Force. The Air Force deemed it necessary to move the young family to Amarillo Texas. The Air Force also deemed it necessary to make the new doctor the base Gynecologist and Obstetrician. Feeling productive or bored, Matthew and Michael were added to the family.

After the Air Force, Bob moved the family to Cincinnati. Once the family arrived in Cincinnati, Bob realized a mistake had been made. A new goal was implemented ... immediately find a new home. Preferably out West in the Rockies.

Bob settled the family in Nampa, Idaho during the late summer of 1967. In 1970, Bob remarried Judith Ann VanPaepeghem and feeling productive or bored again, Stephanie and Heidi were added to the family, yep…that makes six kids.

1976 Bob decided to leave the medical center group at Mercy and start his own private practice. Bob became the first doctor in the Treasure Valley to hire a nurse midwife and to open a birthing center outside of a hospital. He was very honored to provide women another option for delivering their babies. A choice that was more affordable and in a setting that was closer to a home birthing experience. This paved the way for the modern-day birthing centers. He was also one of the first doctors in the area to allow fathers to be in the delivery room when their children were being born. When asked if he enjoyed his career specialty, he replied, “I get to witness the miracle of birth everyday”.

Bob’s love of the outdoors only grew once he moved to Idaho. He was an avid downhill skier, hiker, camper, water skier, tennis player and big sports fan.

In 1974, Bob and his wife Judy, along with three other couples purchased the land that would become the Midland Heights Tennis Club. The couples along with their children pulled sugar beets out of the fields to clear the spot where the four new tennis courts and swimming pool would be built. Today, it is the location of the River City Tennis Club in Nampa.

Bob moved to Park City, Utah in the early 90’s and took up mountain biking and running. He ran his first marathon at the age of 60. It would be the first of many marathons and races he would run. He was a world traveler, going places like Russia, all over Europe, visiting family often in Germany, and hiking to the Mount Everest Base Camp. He taught himself German so he could speak to his German relatives. He loved all music, tinkered with playing the banjo, the hammered dulcimer, and most recently the Irish whistle.

In 2000, Bob moved back to Idaho, making Lake Fork his home. He spent the last two years of his life traveling the United States in his RV.

Dad, we hope you are surrounded by endless fields of hops and grains that free pour the best tasting malt beverages.

Fun Facts about Robert C. Olding

• Father, August Olding
• Mother, Mary Camilla Olding (Lamour)
• Siblings - Thomas Henry Olding, Paul Olding, Margaret Smith, James Olding
• Doctor of Obstetrics and Gynecology OB/GYN
• Delivered over 14,000 babies
• Xavier High School (Cincinnati)
• Xavier University (Cincinnati)
• Marquette University (Milwaukee)
• United States Air Force (Amarillo AFB ‘63-’65)
• Hiked to the base camp of Mt Everest - 17,598 ft
• Had three wives’ - Helen R. Olding (Hoesl), Judith Caldwell (Van Paepeghem), Suzan Olding (Ellis)
• Six Kids - Robert August Olding, Elizabeth Ann Navarre, Matthew James Olding, Michael Steven Olding, Stephanie Suzzette Hagler, Heidi Noel Howe
• Fourteen Grandkids
• One great Grandkid
• Owned four Porsches
• Built to two homes
• Ran 4 marathons, the first one at the age of 60
• Hiked to bottom of Grand Canyon
• Heli skied in the Canadian Rockies multiple times
• Travel to Europe 8 times
• RVing - lived in 25’ foot RV for 2 years, traveling from Idaho to Florida and back at age 81.
• Mountain biked the White Rim trail twice
• Tennis player but a bigger fan
• Utah Jazz season tickets holder – the Karl Malone and John Stockton era
• Foods – Steaks and fries, nacho’s, sourdough pancakes and goetta
• Brewery Pelican Brewery Pacific City, Oregon, IPA’s the higher the IBU the better.
• Drinks – Manhattan and Gin Martini
• Lived in the following places: Cincinnati OH, Milwaukee WI, Phoenix AZ, Amarillo TX, Nampa ID, Tahoe CA, Park City UT, McCall ID,