Funeral Service for Bob Dew Dec. 21 in Pinedale
by Covill Funeral Home
December 14, 2021
Sublette County native, Bob Dew, 89, passed away December 9, 2021. A funeral service will be held Tuesday, December 21st at 11:00 a.m. at the Pinedale Bible Church.
Obituary - Frank Robert Dew
Bob (Frank Robert) Dew, 89, passed peacefully in his sleep on December 9th.
Bob was born prematurely in February of 1932 in rural Sublette County after his mother, Elizabeth, cross-country skied from their dude ranch, the Flying A, almost to the road; a distance of over 5 miles. Due to the efforts of a local mid-wife, Minnie Bloom, and a call to the surrounding ranches for canned milk, Bob was able to gain weight and thrive. This not only saved his life but began his lifelong love of food which graduated to pie and fried chicken. Along with his sister, Betty, Bob was initially home schooled at the Flying A Ranch by his mom. Here both learned a love of the Gros Ventre Mountain Range and the Upper Green. After this they attended boarding school at Wasatch Academy in Mt. Pleasant, Utah and wrapped up their secondary education. Bob then worked his way through college by logging with his father and attended Utah State using his hard-earned cash. There he earned a bachelor’s of science in Industrial Engineering and although he did not directly use this degree, he spoke fondly of his college studies. Returning to Pinedale he entered business with his father; together they officially started Dew Lumber in 1954. A business which thrived for 51 years, and after being sold became Pinedale Lumber.
In 1962 he met and married Ellen Elizabeth Royce. During their 39 years together, Bob and Ellen were blessed with 3 children, Kerry, Dianne and David and building family memories. Bob enjoyed taking his family camping in the wilderness areas where in his youth he hunted, guided, fished, and trapped. Any who know Bob know that his heart was always at the Upper Green River and Rock Creek areas.
In addition to raising a family, Bob and Ellen, also worked side by side at Dew Lumber. Together they grew Bob’s saw mill and rough lumber business into a successful building supply company for the community. They were quite a pair with Bob finding he loved driving his diesel truck and had a unique talent for loading a diverse amount of goods on a flat-bed trailer ("usually" underweight). Anyone who understood Bob could spot his truck, miles off, just by the interesting shape of his load. Boise Cascade latched onto his talent and it took Bob a while to figure out he was in charge of training the newbie forklift drivers whenever he stopped in for supplies.
Bob was also very involved in the Sublette County community. He served on the Pinedale City Council and also ran for mayor once, a position he lost to his opponent by 2 votes (one vote may have been Bob’s own as he was out of town and the other vote his mom’s). Later he served on the Sublette County Rural Health Care District as both a Chair and member.
Bob was an accomplished Story Teller and a prankster. Bob loved the outdoors especially in winter. The family has fond memories of many winter picnics, feeding elk, ice skating (with Bob using a shovel for balance), as well as cross country skiing.
A celebration of Bob Dew’s life will be held December 21st at 11 am at the Pinedale Bible Church.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Museum of the Mountain Man, PO Box 909 Pinedale, WY 82941.
Bob is survived by his daughters, Kerry and her husband Eric Despain of Salt Lake City, Utah, Dianne and her husband Mike Horn of Longmont, Colorado, his son David of Minneapolis, Minnesota; three grandchildren, Samantha Jager, Jesse and Thomas Horn; and his sister, Betty (Elizabeth) Sauer.
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