Obituary of Robert Henry Lichtenwalter

Robert Henry “Bob” Lichtenwalter 5/27/1943 – 5/5/2024

Bob Lichtenwalter passed away on May 5th in Waterville, Maine, due to complications from Parkinson’s disease. He was born in Joliet, Illinois to Helen and Lester Lichtenwalter, as the middle child between two sisters. As a young man he excelled in academics and played football, basketball, and baseball at Lincoln Way High School, where he graduated in 1961. He attended Dartmouth College, where he was a member of the 1962 Ivy League championship football team, he joined the Kappa Sigma fraternity, and he earned his degree in mechanical engineering.

After college graduation in 1965 he drove across the country to Seattle to start his career with Boeing on the Supersonic Transport project. He asked out a pretty girl named Karen in his apartment building, and four months later they eloped, much to the chagrin of his family back in Illinois, who would have preferred a large wedding. While working at Boeing he attended night school at the University of Washington, earning his Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1970. He was proud of having worked on the design of the 747 during his Boeing years.

Bob worked in the aircraft business for 15 years before switching directions and taking a job at Weyerhaeuser in Federal Way, Washington. During his time in the forest products industry he designed various types of equipment, acquired two patents, and managed many mill projects. With Karen by his side, he traveled all over the country to troubleshoot paper mills for Weyerhauser, always returning home to the “dream house” they built in Port Townsend, Washington. At age 55 he retired from corporate life and established his own consulting company, with Karen doing the books. In 2004 he retired from engineering altogether and became a real estate agent in their new hometown of Enumclaw, Washington. In 2008 they made their final move to Waterville, Maine, to be nearer to their grandchildren.

Bob was a lifelong learner who was always interested in trying new things. While working at Boeing he obtained his private pilot license, and eventually achieved an instrument rating which allowed him to fly at night and in any weather. When his kids were young he coached their sports teams, and he built a model railroad for them in the garage. He was a planner by nature, and did all his own financial investing, always with an eye towards the future. After moving to Maine he took up road bicycling, and he competed in age group time trial races for several years. He and Karen became avid golfers while in Maine, and they also participated in Toastmasters, with Bob leading the Waterville club as their president for several years. He loved attending his grandaughters’ school concerts and sporting events. Bob will be remembered as a man of integrity who always kept his word, a faithful husband, a talented engineer, a team player, a wise and dependable father, a doting grandfather, and a funny, generous, and easygoing guy. He was predeceased by his parents and his brothers-in-law Don Werner and Bob Crosby. He leaves behind his loving wife of 57 years, Karen (Crosby) Lichtenwalter, son Bob (and Tawnya) Lichtenwalter, daughter Brenda (and Christine) Nichols, sisters Betty Werner and Carol (and Lou) Kish, sisters-in-law Amy Crosby, Wendy Emmons, and Marilyn Crosby, many nieces and nephews, and his beloved grandchildren Emily and Kate, who could do no wrong in his eyes.

At Bob’s request there will be no service. The family would like to thank the wonderful hospice nurses at Beacon, and the nurses and staff at Lakewood for their care and attention to Bob in his final days.