Robert E. Bob Borquist

Robert E. "Bob" Borquist, 89, of Bremerton, Washington passed away peacefully on October 6, 2020 surrounded by the love of family and friends. He never talked to a stranger, just friends he hadn't met yet. Bob was born September 1931 in Portland, Oregon. He graduated from U.S. Grant High School and went on to graduate from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. Bob married Margaret A. McDermott in 1953. He served honorably in the US Army and spent his working career as a civilian at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, where he was on the team that set up its first modern mainframe computer system. Bob retired from PSNS in 1987. Bob was an avid motorcyclist, went on 50-mile hikes with son Bruce in the Boy Scouts, served as a reading mentor and backpack program volunteer at View Ridge Elementary School, and was an active member of Compassionate Listening and Elderhostel. He was a founding member of St. Luke's United Methodist Church in East Bremerton, and later in life was active in the Kitsap Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. He is preceded in death by his wife, Margaret, sister Nancy Olson, and brother John Borquist. His memory lives on in his son Bruce R. Borquist (Ann) in Aotearoa New Zealand, daughters Kristin E. Borquist in Vermont, and Katherine A. Borquist in San Francisco; granddaughter Elena C.B. Noyes (Mark) and great-granddaughter Anisa in Aotearoa New Zealand, grandson Asa C. Borquist in Los Angeles, and nieces and nephews Bruce (Tina), Melanie (David), Constance, Nick (Marybeth), Nels, James (Jennifer), and Chris (Tracy). A celebration of Bob's life will be led by Rev. Jessica Star Rocker of the Kitsap Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (KUUF), Bremerton on October 25 at 4 pm via Zoom. Please contact the KUUF at (360) 377-4724 or admin@kuuf.org if you would like to participate in the service. Those wishing to make a memorial donation are encouraged to contact the Compassionate Listening Project (P.O. Box 17, Indianola, WA 98342; staff@compassionatelistening.org ) or the Seabeck Conference Center ( https://www.seabeck.org/capital-campaign ).