- Date Of Birth: April 9, 1947
- Date Of Death: September 4, 2017
- State: Idaho
Robert M. “Bob” Arthur passed away on Sept. 1, 2017 surrounded by his loving family in his home in Moscow. He fought a courageous 2 year battle against cancer, he was 70 years old. Bob was born on April 9, 1947 in Burlington, WA to Gilbert and Shirley Arthur. He was raised in Sedro Woolley, WA graduating from SWHS in went on to get his BS degree in Plant Science at Washington State University in 1969. Later that year he joined the Peace Corps where he volunteered in Brazil and became fluent in Portuguese. Here he taught subsistence farming to families in rural Brazil. During his last year in the Peace Corps he volunteered for the Ministry of Agriculture researching beans and soybeans. It was in Brazil where he met a lovely Brazilian girl by the name of Marly DeSousa in 1970. Marly says that it was love at first sight. They were married 2 years later in Brazil on July 1, 1972. When the two returned to the states to begin what became 46 years of marriage Bob started a career as a research director and plant breeder at Crites Moscow Growers in Moscow, ID. He did this while simultaneously working on his MS degree in Agronomy at the U of I. He graduated in 1981. He dedicated his career to 36 years of plant breeding for Crites. He was dedicated to his work, developing numerous patents of pea seed varieties over the years. Bob shared his love and passion for plants, gardening, and the outdoors with everyone he met. Every year he grew and gave an abundance of fruits and vegetables to friends and neighbors.
