Robert Maynard Gilham

Bob was born in Hazel Park, Michigan outside of Detroit, the second of three children and the only son of Charles Gilham and Florence (Maynard) Gilham. His father, Charles, was an emigrant from England, leaving the class system to make a good life in America working in the Detroit auto industry. Bob was a child of the depression, which deeply influenced his life and work ethic in his adult years. He grew up in Royal Oak, Michigan and graduated from Royal Oak High School. Bob went into the U.S. Army in 1951, serving with the 28th Infantry Division (Keystone) in Germany until he was honorably discharged in 1953. While serving in the Army overseas he met his future wife Gerda on a ferry traversing the English Channel, he returning from leave after visiting relatives in England and she returning to Germany to visit family. His wife Gerda was a German girl who had immigrated to England where she worked as a nurse for two years before then immigrating to America. Gerda had distant relatives in California who were her American sponsors. Bob followed Gerda to California where they were married in 1954. Their only son and child Neil was born in 1955. Bob and Gerda lived initially in South Gate, California before buying their first home in La Puente in 1957. They later moved to Hacienda Heights, California in 1966 where they lived until 1992. Bob worked nearly his entire working life as a newspaper pressman at the Los Angeles Times from 1954 until he took an early retirement in 1992. After Bob retired, Bob and Gerda built their dream home in the Carson Valley of Nevada and moved there in 1992. In 2004, they moved to Lynnwood, Washington to be closer to their son and his family. Bob began to show early signs of what would later be diagnosed as Dementia with Lewy bodies. As the years wore on, Bobs condition slowly deteriorated. He passed away peacefully with his family at his side. Bob was known for his kind, gentle, and sensitive manner by all who knew him. Bob is survived by his wife of 58 years Gerda and only son Neil (wife Leslie), his grandsons Geoffrey and Scott, and his sister Gladys. Bob was preceded in death by his sister Ada May. Family and friends will gather for a remembrance at Gerdas home in Lynnwood, WA on Saturday, May 19, 2012 from 12:00 to 3:00 pm. Please call Neil at 206-595-7074 for directions. Announcement: The family suggests that memorials may be given to the Lewy Body Dementia Association in Bobs name. (http://www.lewybodydementia.org/)