Robert L. Thetford

September 17, 2014 8:00 am

July 17, 1924 — Sept. 12, 2014

With the dignity and grace he displayed throughout his life, Robert Lee Thetford, 90, peacefully died of age-related causes on Friday, Sept. 12, 2014, in his Corvallis home, surrounded by his children.

He remained vibrant, intellectually engaged and deeply considerate of his family and community until the end.

Bob was born July 17, 1924, in Herrin, Illinois, to Jesse D. Thetford and Edna E. Brown, the youngest of four children. In 1928, the family moved to Mills, New Mexico, where Jesse operated the Thetford Ranch on his older brother’s homestead property.

Despite the hardscrabble life, Bob fondly recalled his boyhood years on the ranch, especially being allowed to run barefoot after May 1, riding horses with his brother Jack, and seeing his first movie, “King Kong,” on a school field trip. He also displayed the early development of his prodigious intellect by winning many Harding County elocution contest prize ribbons as a young schoolboy.

By 1935, the Dust Bowl and the Depression forced Jesse to quit ranching and move the family to the Pacific Northwest in search of work. After living for short periods in Idaho and Yakima, the family settled in Grays Harbor County, Washington. Bob attended schools in Ocosta and Hoquiam, graduating from Hoquiam High School in 1941.

He then worked as a clerk for the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps in Washington, D.C., and as a railroad police stenographer for Southern Pacific in Los Angeles before entering the U.S. Navy during World War II.

Due to his administrative skills and ability to type over 100 words per minute on a manual typewriter, Bob was advanced to Yeoman 3rd Class upon graduation from boot camp. He was assigned as communications clerk aboard the USS Broadwater (APA-139), an attack transport that hauled Army infantryman and Navy Seabees in South Pacific island-hopping campaigns.

Bob’s ship disembarked some of the first occupation troops at Yokohama shortly after the Japanese surrendered in 1945. He soberly recalled serving as ship’s courier in port, carrying mail and dispatches in a jeep to Gen. MacArthur’s Tokyo headquarters via a Yokohama leveled by U.S. bombing, while armed only with a .45-caliber pistol.

In 1946, as a Yeoman 2nd Class awaiting discharge at Naval Station Tacoma, Bob met his future wife, Arline M. Redfield, on a blind date at a morning church service. In 1947, the newly married couple moved to McMinnville to attend Linfield College. Bob was a proud Theta Chi and graduated in 1950 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. In 1956, he earned a master’s degree in education at the University of Oregon in Eugene.

In 1950, Bob began his 36-year teaching and school administration career at Curry County’s Langlois High School. His pleasant years there cemented his lifelong special love for the people and places of the Southern Oregon Coast. He completed subsequent enjoyable teaching stints at Portland’s Wilson High School and Central High School in Independence.

In 1960, Bob found his educational home with the wonderful Corvallis School District family, first at Western View Middle School, then Corvallis High School. In 1971, he left CHS to start Crescent Valley High School with two other former CHS educators. He was vice principal of CVHS until retirement in 1986.

As a teacher of English, speech and journalism, and as a school administrator, “Mr. T” was respected and beloved by thousands of students. He fervently believed that the occasion to teach and inspire young men and women to learn, grow and reach their fullest potential was a calling and privilege of the highest order. He proudly coached many speech and debate teams and Hi-Q contestants to countless interscholastic victories.

Bob also won accolades as a dramatic actor in several local community theater productions.

For many years after retirement, Bob and Arline loved traveling in their RV. The couple visited every state in the union, and spent many winters in the California desert. They hiked together twice to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and, in 1994, Bob hiked the canyon rim to rim with his son, Tom, and grandson, Jesse, just 10 days before his 70th birthday.

At age 86, he traveled by train with family to Washington, D.C., to see the World War II Memorial. Bob always was proud of his naval service, and was astounded to be allowed to hold and read in the U.S. Archives the original WW II Deck Log of his ship, the Broadwater. He had personally typed every page of that log during the war.

In 2011, Bob visited the long-abandoned Thetford Ranch in New Mexico, locating the exact site of the old homestead by memory after so many decades.

Bob was preceded in death by his wife, Arline, in 2007; and a son, Richard, in 1956. He is survived by six children, Tom (Gloria) Thetford of Salem, Terri Thetford of Corvallis, Twyla (Garth) Delamarter of Bend, Tamsin (Gary) Gilbert of Portland, Tina (Jim) Chase of McMinnville and Trisha (Doug) Ferguson of Eugene.

Survivors also include 16 grandchildren, Jesse (Katie) Thetford, Jean Thetford, Rebecca Sklaris, Alex Sklaris, Jeremy (Judie) Delamarter, Curtis (Tina) Delamarter, Nick Delamarter, Danielle Delamarter, Jordan (Christine) Gilbert, Molly Gilbert, Andrew (Rae) Seistrup, Jill Seistrup, Anna (Daniel) York, Teddy Patana, Cole Ferguson and Carly Ferguson; and six great-grandchildren, Jazmin, Jevan, Aislyn, Cannon, Harlon and Alexis Delamarter.

A celebration of Bob’s life will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, at Calvin Presbyterian Church, 1736 N.W. Dixon St., Corvallis. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made to Benton Hospice Service, 2350 N.W. Professional Drive, Corvallis, OR 97330; or SafeHaven Humane Society, 33071 Highway 34 S.E., Albany, OR 97321.