Robert Dean "Bob" Fry
Marriages
Connie Fry
Obituaries
Steamboat Today - January 27, 2008
Robert Dean Fry passed away Jan. 22, 2008. He was 55.
Bob was born March 16, 1952, to Gilbert and Michelle Fry. As a young boy, Bob spent his summers working on his Uncle Clarence Wheeler's ranch just west of Steamboat Springs. He loved the valley so much so that eventually he would come back to raise his family.
After graduating high school, Bob enlisted in the Air Force, serving during the Vietnam War as an aircraft mechanic in Germany. During his free time, he traveled all across Europe on his motorcycle.
Once discharged, Bob traveled around the U.S. building coal and power plants. His sense of adventure never waned. He tried sky diving, traveled to Antarctica and worked on movies with his mother and sister Pat. The movies led him to California, where he met the love of his life, his wife of 25 years, Connie.
They returned to Steamboat to start their family, raising two daughters, Cynthia and Crystal. In the spring of 1987, Bob was in a motorcycle accident that left him paralyzed, but even that couldn't stop him from making a difference. During the next 20 years, he would be instrumental in improving the accessibility for those with disabilities in the area, making sure the city provided handicapped parking and advising on the school and airport remodels to make sure they met ADA standards.
Whenever anyone had a question, Bob would search until he found an answer, "boldly going where everyone else has gone before."
Through all of this, Bob took on the challenge of home schooling his daughters. Not that this was much of a change, since he had always made the world a classroom for them and instilled in them the belief that they could do anything they dreamed of. His education was academic and practical, history and science lessons along with on-the-job-training making shelves for their mother's laundry room and building computers from scratch.
As the girls grew up, Bob took his energies into politics, becoming an active member of the local Republican Party and being known for his honest opinions on difficult issues. He volunteered in voter registration campaigns and wrote blogs during elections. He cared about this country and the values it stood for.
Bob passed away at his home in the arms of his wife and daughter Jan. 22, 2008. He will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by all.
He leaves behind his wife Connie, daughters Cynthia and Crystal, his father Gilbert Fry, his mother Michelle Marshall, and his three sisters Pat, Terry and Karla.
