Thursday, October 1, 2026
Bob (Robert David) Peck, age 96, passed away at home in East Olympia on Oct. 31, 2025. Born June 1, 1929, to Bernice and the Reverend Lester Peck in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Bob spent his formative years in Powers Lake, North Dakota.
Blessed with a beautiful tenor voice, Bob earned a bachelor's degree from Whitworth College and went on to sing in choral groups and direct church choirs.
While serving stateside during the Korean War, Bob married Lylia June Smith on June 15, 1953. Their son, David, was born on Aug. 29, 1954, and their daughter, Kathy, on June 1, 1957. Bob earned a master’s degree, and then a doctorate in religion and philosophy, having spent six months in Oxford researching for his doctoral dissertation.
His academic career was at small independent liberal arts colleges, serving locally, at the state level, and nationally. After serving as president of two colleges, Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage and Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma, he worked as a consultant for 10 years.
Throughout his career Bob’s creative side was expressed in building boats, sandstone carvings and writing short stories.
Four months after celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, Lylia was admitted to an Alzheimer’s facility, where she happily lived for seven years. Following Lylia’s death, Bob married Usrah (Charlene) Claar on Nov. 11, 2011.
Bob was best known in Thurston County for his quarter-scale tugboats advertising Harbor Days. He was a longtime member of Kiwanis and active in the South Sound Maritime Heritage Association. He is survived by his wife, Usrah (Charlene), of East Olympia, son David (Jane) of Seattle and his daughter, Kathy, of Tumwater. The second of four children, he is survived by his older sister, Dorothy Nichols, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and his two younger sisters: Shirley Von Flue of Fresno, California, and Mariol Wogaman of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.
Bob’s celebration of life will be at St. Johns/San Juan Episcopal Church on Nov. 11, 2025, at 1 p.m., exactly 14 years and in the same location as his marriage to Usrah. The church is located at 114 20th Ave. SE, Olympia, WA 98501.
Donations honoring Bob’s life can be made to St. Johns/San Juan, South Sound Maritime Heritage Association, Olympia Kiwanis Club, or the charity of your choice.
