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Robert (Bob) Oliver Bair of Blair, Neb., passed away Thursday, June 20, 2024, at Crowell Memorial Home in Blair at the age of 73 after battling multiple myeloma. He stayed his normal witty self to the very end, making his family laugh through their tears in his final days just like he had throughout his life.

Bob was born July 25, 1950, to Deloma Irene (Gilmore) and Lloyd (Cub) Oliver Bair in Logan, Iowa. He graduated from West Harrison in 1968 and from Dana College in 1972 where he was active in choir and drama. He loved to remind his family that he was a Danish Dancer during college, but his family never believed him because he flat out refused to dance again from those days on. Bob married Lynetta Sue Erixon on Aug. 30, 1975; she was his perfect counterpart, often referred to as “Saint Lyn” for putting up with all of his shenanigans. He had the best sense of humor and wasn’t afraid to dish it out.

While at Dana, he began working as a custodian and bus driver for Blair Community Schools. After graduating, he was hired as an English teacher for Blair High School where he remained for 41 years before retiring in 2014. He influenced many young adults throughout his career, and terrified more than a few with his over-the-top reprimands during practical jokes about his fictional brother the ballerina. He kept in contact with many of his students long after they had graduated; his students and coworkers often referred to him as one of the kindest souls who served as a role model for many. Bob was an active member of journalism education at both the local and national level. He served as Vice President of the national Journalism Education Association for many years where he met many lifelong friends from across the country.

After retiring from teaching, Bob (like many retired teachers) delivered vehicles all over the country for Woodhouse. This was a perfect retirement job for the man who loved nothing better than a long road trip with Celtic music blaring from the speakers as his passengers nodded off to sleep. One of Bob’s favorite hobbies was traveling with family and friends. From camping trips in Colorado where he (according to his wife) lost all the luggage out of the back of the camper to walking his young children across the Mexico border to Tijuana for a little cultural enlightenment, he passed on his love of traveling to his family. He managed to visit all 50 states in his lifetime along with several countries across three different continents. In his later years, one of his biggest joys was passing his love of travel onto his granddaughters, taking Morgan and Bree on as many adventures as possible.

Bob is survived by his dog Copper – and the rest of us: wife Lyn; children Courtney (John) Archer, Kiley (significant other Brian Livengood), and Kevin (Kari) Bair; grandchildren Morgan Archer, Bree Archer, and (coming soon) Caden Robert Bair; sister Connie Waite; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents Lloyd (Cub) & Deloma Bair, his sister and brother-in-law Shirley (Bair) and LaVerne Jackson, brother Ronnie Bair, and brother-in-law Charlie Waite.

Bob had planned to attend his own Celebration of Life Saturday, June 22, 2024. The Celebration will continue as planned from 4-9 p.m. at S&S Pumping shop – 369 Industrial Park Dr in Blair. There will be a visitation at Campbell-Aman Funeral Home on Sunday, June 23, from 5-8 p.m. The funeral will be on Monday, June 24, at 10 a.m. at the funeral home with a luncheon following at The Blair Marina – 600 Marina Dr. The family will have a private inurnment at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the newly created “Bob Bair Journalism Scholarship” fund, which will be awarded annually to a BHS senior in his honor. You can contribute by going to the website for the foundation at WashCoCommFoundation.org.

Services by Campbell Aman Funeral Home Blair, NE. www.campbellaman.com

#2-Published in the Pilot-Tribune June 25, 2024

Celebration of life held for former BHS journalism teacher Bob Bair’s family, friends and students share memories

By Cheyenne Alexis - features@enterprisepub.com

A longtime journalism teacher at Blair High School, Bob Bair had many people come into his life, but he always made sure to keep in touch with them.

Bair, 73, died Thursday from multiple myeloma.

Bair, an Iowa native, was a Dana College graduate. During college, Bair worked as a custodian and bus driver for Blair Community Schools, and would ultimately begin teaching English there for 41 years, retiring in 2014.

Bair married his wife, Lyn, in 1975, and they have three children: Courtney Archer, Kiley Bair and Kevin Bair. Their grandchildren are Morgan Archer, Bree Archer and soon-to-be-coming Caden Bair.

While Bob intended to attend his own celebration of life, held Saturday at S&S Pumping in Blair, many of his family members, friends and colleagues all gathered to remember his life and share memories throughout the afternoon.

Rod Howe, a close friend of Bob’s and Westside High School’s yearbook adviser, first met Bair while they served as Nebraska Press Association board members.

“The thing about Bob and journalism… he’s a leader but in such a non-demanding kind of way,” he said. “He wants everybody to enjoy what they’re doing, he wants everybody to be responsible. I think he had a lot of integrity in everything.”

Howe and Courtney Archer, who took over as journalism adviser at BHS when her father retired, said Bob fell into the world of journalism “by accident.”

“Whatever he took on, he developed a passion for that,” Howe said. “He found a knack for teaching journalism and being an organization kind of guy, I think, and dedicated to whatever. He loved the camaraderie of journalism.”

Courtney had her father as a teacher when she was in high school. “He gave me my one and only detention,” she said.

Morgan Archer, one of Bob’s granddaughters who has a shared passion for photography, said she remembers her grandfather caring about every person he knew.

“He just loved everybody,” she said. “He was the real reason I got into photography. Every trip, I always had my camera and he’d always help me look through them and figure out what I was doing wrong.”

One of Bob’s favorite activities was to drive everywhere and travel, Howe said.

“That was always a big part of hanging out with Bob,” he said.

Courtney said Bob planned out his celebration of life prior to his death.

“He had his funeral planned down to the minute: ‘If it’s this time of year, I want this song, if it’s this time of the year I want that song,’” she said. “He kept talking about it and talking about it and was like, ‘Well, after the funeral, you’re going to have a luncheon somewhere,’ and we were talking about different places and he was like, ‘OK, but how am I going to get there?’”

Courtney said her father didn’t want to miss out on seeing all his comrades and family.

“We just did it a couple weeks too late,” she said.

Courtney said one of Bob’s greatest traits was his sense of humor.

“He was a jokester, and he could dish it out with the best of them, and there wasn’t anybody who was immune,” she said. “But he could take it, too.”

But Bob also had a big heart, Courtney said.

“He was just so genuinely kind and helpful to everybody,” she said. “One of my former classmates who I didn’t even know had Dad as a teacher commented, ‘He never made me feel tolerated. He always made me feel appreciated.’ He was just genuinely kind and caring. His students were family.”

Lyn, Bob’s wife of nearly 50 years, agreed.

“He didn’t want to turn anybody down, he always said, ‘I can help you’, or ‘I’ll do this,’” she said.

Enterprise Media Group photographer Joe Burns met Bob many years ago when he was a “newbie” yearbook adviser at Benson High School.

“Bob was a pro,” Burns wrote. “He made me want to be a part of the club of Nebraska journalism advisers. I always looked forward to meeting him at various workshops and social get-togethers. Of course, I got to know him much better after my family and I moved to Blair. For several years after I retired from teaching I often substitute taught for Bob when he traveled to conferences and other meetings. As a journalism teacher and publication adviser, he was a good friend and role model.”

Dave Warrick first met Bob in college when they both drove school buses for Blair schools.

“The biggest thing was his dedication to his students,” he said. “I also run the Blair High School Alumni Association, and the tributes his students have written have just been so touching. Bob gave his heart to teaching in Blair High School. Just a great guy. His memory will live on a long, long time through the students he taught.”

Phil Seevers agreed that Bob impacted his life as a student.

“I graduated in 1985,” he said. “He was just such a great person, such a mentor to us. We spent a lot of time with him. He just cared about everybody, made everybody feel good. I just loved the guy — he was awesome.”

While his family wishes he could have been in attendance to celebrate his life, they were happy to see just how many people loved Bob over the years.

“The support and kindness from everybody has been absolutely overwhelming,” Courtney said. “You knew he was a special guy, but then to hear all these random people that I didn’t even think of talk about what an impact he had on their lives, it’s just special.”

#3 Funeral leaflet

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In Loving Memory of Robert Oliver Bair

Born July 25, 1950 Logan, Iowa ~ Entered Into Rest June 20, 2024 Blair, Nebraska

Funeral Service 10am Monday, June 24, 2024 Campbell Aman Funeral Home, Blair, Nebraska.

Pallbearers: Denny Penry, Rod Howe, Carroll Huff, Eldon Wulf, Richard Madsen, Joe Fryman

Casket Attendant: Katy White

Order of Service: "Amazing Grace"; Celebrants Greeting: Eric Wemhoff; Opening Prayer: Pat Olson; "The Old Man": Reading--Michelle Wemhoff; Reading of the obituary; "The Voyage" Reading--Rod Howe; Closing Prayer: Ricky Wulf. Celebrants Closing Comments: Eric Wemhoff. "Amazing Grace"

Following Services a time of fellowship will be held at The Blair Marina, 550 Marina Drive, Blair, NE

~~~Obituaries and funeral leaflet courtesy of the Nebraska Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings and leaflet on file in the Blair, Nebraska Public Library~~~

Find a Grave Memorial #271767810