Robert Leroy Kegley, 74

Robert Leroy Kegley passed away July 31, 2021, in Spokane, Wash. Bob was born in Colfax, Wash., on July 15, 1947, to Raymond R. and Myrtle Theresa (Krueger) Kegley.

His father was a mechanic in the construction industry making the family have to move many times in his younger years. He lived in Genesee, Idaho, Colfax, Spokane, Wash., and Sacramento, Calif., along with a few other places.

Bob attended schools in California and Spokane, graduating from North Central High School in 1965. After that, he moved to Seattle to go to school to become a draftsman at Boeing. In 1966, Bob left Boeing to enter the Army and spent three years on active duty. He went to Fort Polk, La., for boot camp, then was stationed at Fort Belvoir, Va., and then to Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., where he permanently partied. Bob then volunteered for Vietnam where he was during the Tet Offensive of 1968. He came back to Fort Lee, Va., where he finished his service playing baseball on the Fort team. He also served in the Army Reserve from 1969 to 1972.

Upon his discharge from active duty, he went back to Boeing for almost a year before being laid off in 1970. Bob then moved to Idaho where he worked in the lumber industry for a year before returning to Spokane and enrolling at Spokane Falls Community College. While there, he spent summers working on a diamond drill at the uranium mine at Wellpinit as well as in Salmon, Idaho.

Bob left school and spent the next four years in many different western states and drilling diamond projects. In 1977, he embarked on a new profession with the Sunshine Mining Company, working there until 1991. While there, he was in the union’s Grievance Committee and the Contract Committee. He left there and went to Hawaii where he worked on the H3 tunnel in Oahu and then returned to the mainland working various contractor jobs mining. He went to Beatty, Nev., where he worked for five years until the job was completed. He then worked at Stillwater in Montana and back to Elko, Nev. In 2003, he went to Metaline Falls to work for Teck. In 2005, he was involved in a mining accident which ended his working profession.

Bob was married to Bonnie Roberts and had a daughter Chanda. In 1975, he married Sandy Smith and had three children: Daryl Robert, Daninelle Marie and Breanna Kay. They were married until 1991. In 2005, he married Mary Langille and upon her passing, he returned to Spokane where he met his roommate and caregiver Carol Phillips.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents, infant brother Johnny and stepson Kyle Smith.

Bob loved Gonzaga Basketball, Boston Red Sox and Oakland Raiders when they were playing. He loved reading history, especially about the Civil War and biographies.

Bob liked the people he met while working the mines and many stayed in touch with him daily.

Military services will be at 1:45 p.m. Monday, Aug. 9, 2021, at the Washington State Veterans Cemetery, 21702 W. Espanola Road, Medical Lake, Wash. A potluck reception will follow at Corbin Senior Activity Center, 827 W. Cleveland, Spokane, WA, between 3-5 p.m.

Donations may be made to the cemetery or VA group in Bob’s memory.

Sherman-Campbell Funeral & Cremation Services in Newport is in charge of arrangements. Family and friends are invited to sign the online guest book at shermancampbell.com.