Robert H. Pettee, 82

Robert H. Pettee, 82, passed away Feb. 19, 2017.

His friends called him Bob or Bondo. He was born June 22, 1934, and grew up in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, where he joined the Air Force at 17 and served in England during the Korean War.

Following the war he was stationed at March Air Force Base near Riverside, California, where he met Ruby, his wife and the love of his life, at the roller skating rink. He went on to work at Lockheed, American Airlines and GE Flight Testing as a flight mechanic — he had a lifelong interest in aviation and space flight.

He moved his family to Montana in 1974 and back to California in 1978 to seek treatment for Ruby’s breast cancer until she passed away in December 1980. He returned to Montana in 1981, and over the years worked at Buffalo Hill Golf and Eagle Bend, where he was known as a skilled mechanic and fabricator. He loved Montana and built a family of friends there. Dave, Denny and Ann, Don and Maureen, and the gang at Charlie’s meant the world to him.  They heard his stories about travels, machines and, of course, Ruby.

He is survived by his daughter Vickie, granddaughter Kate, and his great-grandson Alden. Please share memories and photos at https://tinyurl.com/rememberingbob.