With wife Pauline and family by his side, Bob Kirchner passed away peacefully at his Longview, WA home on April 16, 2026 at the age of 90. Our hearts are broken but also overflowing with love, gratitude and respect for our beloved partner, father and friend.

Robert A. Kirchner, Jr. was born in Lancaster, PA on February 25, 1936, to Robert A. and Rufina (Keffer) Kirchner, an affable and hard-working couple who were committed to raising their three kids in a strong community, without pretense. Until he ventured westward in the late 1950s, Bob was immersed in the multigenerational, red-brick rowhouse neighborhoods of south-central Pennsylvania --as both he and they emerged from the Great Depression. Bob thrived without fanfare amongst a cohort of adventuresome cousins, salt-of-the-earth classmates, and story-teller aunts and uncles who faithfully served in the clergy, the trades, the military and even tavern ownership. Bob's character and worldview were honed by family, humility, community and service, and we are all better because of it.

Unsurprisingly, Bobby was also a clever and scrappy middle child. He often recounted tales of rising early to sell soft pretzels up and down his street before school, having a knack for math and science (& pool and poker), thriving on the high school gridiron and baseball diamond, enjoying a post-practice beer with the family and then catching the bus to work at a nursery until sundown. His younger brother Tom idolized him and his older sister Betty doted on him, though both in a reserved and respectful way characteristic of the era. The Catholic church also touched most every aspect of young Bob's life, and he held firm to his faith through his last breath. Bob was particularly wedded to the church's community, traditions and service to others. He adored his two aunts who were Catholic nuns, and he credited a stern teacher named Sister Gertrude with changing the trajectory of his life. Bob had given no thought to attending college, and after a particularly demanding week with school, football practice and extra nursery shifts, Bob was longing for a rare Saturday morning sleep-in. As he left the halls of Lancaster Catholic late one Friday afternoon, he was cornered by the good Sister and told that he wouldn't be sleeping in because he needed to take a college entrance exam in a nearby town. Bob offered a lackluster protest but knew he couldn't refuse this particular nun despite his lack of interest in college. That exam led to an ROTC scholarship and chemical engineering degree from Villanova, a masters in nuclear health physics from the University of Rochester and military stints that took him to Rocky Flats, Sandia Labs and Los Alamos during a burgeoning age of nuclear weapons research . Bob's quick mind, infectious smile and easy-going nature endeared him to friends, superiors and employers. They also caught the eye of a beautiful young woman by the name of Pauline Nieto.

As the story is told, one Albuquerque evening in the fall of 1959, Bob and a few of his Navy buddies ventured off base to a party organized by "someone's sister." Bob initially hung close to his friends but was soon mesmerized by Pauline as she came into view. They struck up a dialogue and sparked a love story that would span more than six decades. He and Pauline married in a chapel on the base in 1962, diligently completed remaining Naval commitments and muscled through grad school and work assignments in New York, Colorado and California. During this chapter, they also brought Kristin, Rob and Diane into the world and began a lifelong quest to ground their kids with love, generosity and compassion.

After leaving the military, Bob joined Dow Chemical and ultimately settled in Longview as the Plant Manager of Dow's Kalama, WA plant. Bob and two of his partners eventually ended up buying the plant from Dow and re-purposing it from a commodity resin supplier to a niche, specialty chemical producer which dominated global markets-and, most important to Bob, built a loving, hard-working and tight-knit group of employees. All along the way, Bob and Pauline nurtured strong roots in the community. Bob loved clamming trips to the coast with dear friends, skiing adventures at White Pass, Vail and beyond, cruises with the Longview cohort, adventuring and entertaining in Kauai, worship and community at St. Rose, fishing the Haidi Gwaii, immersing himself in his home greenhouses, supporting untold charities and people in need as a board member and generous (often anonymous) benefactor, cheering on the Blazers, Mariners and Seahawks and roaming around Lake Sacajawea almost daily. But most of all Bob adored his life partner Pauline, his children and his ever-growing cadre of grand kids and great-grandkids throughout the US. In his final days, Bob often teared up when expressing his gratitude for family and friends, joyous life experiences and a journey that was far beyond his wildest dreams as schoolboy hawking soft pretzels at the crack of dawn more than 80 years ago. We all miss him dearly but cherish his warm heart, generosity, humility, steady hand and simple wisdom. His love, legacy and benevolence sparkled brightly for over 90 years, and we know they will endure for generations to come.

Bob is survived by his wife Pauline, daughters Kristin (Mark, Seattle) and Diane (Vancouver), son Rob (Longview), big sister Betty (Pennsylvania), eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Tom and his granddaughter Sara. Services at St. Rose are pending and will be shared by the family when finalized. In lieu of flowers, please consider supporting one of Bob's favorite charities, Youth and Family Link, St. Vincent de Paul, the Emergency Support Shelter, the Community House on Broadway and St. Rose Parish.