Robert "Bob" Stuart Poplin, Jr.

Robert "Bob" Stuart Poplin, Jr., 82 of Richland, passed away on January 5, 2009 in Richland. Bob lived in the Tri-City area for 35 years.

He was born on December 14, 1926 in Oxnard, California to an established Southern California family, living primarily in Ventura. Using his GI Bill benefits, he attended Ventura Junior College and graduated from the University of Southern California in 1952.

He joined the Armed Services, serving for the Navy from 1943-1946 as an Aviation Ordnanceman, Third Class.

Bob began Air Research in Los Angeles, California and continued his work with high speed aircraft, missiles and satellites at Lockheed in northern California where he worked for 19 years. A position at Bechtel Corporation ultimately brought him to Richland, Washington. While in Washington he worked for Bechtel, Olympic Engineering, WPPSS, and Westinghouse. He retired from Westinghouse in 1992.

Bob was part of the early efforts in missile and satellite development through his work on the Polaris and Agena Programs, traveling often to Cape Canaveral/Cape Kennedy for missile launches. Throughout his career he was most proud of his accomplishments in problem¬ solving, trouble shooting, and designing management and operational efficiencies.

Bob was a member of Central United Protestant Church CUP. It was on a trip to Israel with former Pastor Joe Harding and other CUP members where he rededicated his baptism in the Jordan River. He also regularly participated in the CUP Men's Breakfast.

A Shriner since 1994, Bob was a member of several Masonic Lodges including EI Katif in Spokane; Poinsettia Lodge in Ventura, California; Columbia Basin Shrine Club in Pasco; and Granada Hills Masonic Lodge in California.

Bob accomplished so many things. He created an overwhelmingly successful program at CUP called Job Central that helped people prepare themselves for and find employment after major layoffs in the 1980s. He was a member of a team that conceived the idea for developing and designing the Three Rivers Retirement Center in Richland. He was an active member of the Missions Commission at CUP that involved traveling on a mission trip to Slovakia. He served on the Board of the Hanford Retirees Association and headed up the planning of monthly retiree luncheons. Bob was very active with Job's Daughters from 1974 to 1999, serving as Associate Guardian for Bethel 47 in Richland and Bethel 59 in Pasco. In 1986 he served as Grand Chaplain for the Grand Guardian Council of Jobs Daughters for the State of Washington.

Bob was very proud of his children's births and their educational, personal, and professional successes and of becoming a grandfather at 78 years old. He was blessed with three loving marriages, his first with Patricia Walker who passed away after 39 years of marriage and his second with Dorothy Holland who passed away after two short years. Happiness came again, unexpectedly, when Kathryn Mills entered his life and became his wife in 2002.

He is survived by his wife Kathryn Poplin; sister, Ramona Wilkinson of Ventura, California; niece and nephew, David Wilkinson and Janice Wilkinson of Ventura, California. He is also survived by his children; Patrick Poplin Seattle, Liz Droege Olympia, Sandra Poplin Robson Detroit, Michigan, Penny Poplin Gosetti Toledo, Ohio; Grandchildren, Meghan and Freya Robson Detroit, Michigan.

Bob is preceded in death by his first wife Patricia Walker Poplin and second wife Dorothy Holland Poplin.

A memorial service will be held at Central United Protestant Church, 1124 Stevens Dr., Richland, WA at 10:00 am, Saturday, January 10, 2009 followed by a coffee reception. A private family interment took place at Sunset Memorial Gardens, Richland Washington Donations may be made to Central United Protestant Church or the American Diabetes Association.