RIP Bob Stout

[Roger]

Heard today that my old friend Bob Stout passed on Saturday. Many wonderful days shared on the river with Bob. In his last few years, he was dealing with memory issues. Go in peace, friend.



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[Jim Krueger]

Roger,

Thank you for letting us know. Bob Stout was such a pleasant man, I too had the pleasure of floating with him on several occasions on the Cadron, and Caddo. I think it was Chester, or Mike Coogan who first introduced me to Bob, I was so honored to float with him and visit every time. Bob sure liked his solo canoes, and later, rafts. He always had his boats rigged- out very professionally, he was always just the most considerate person, such a joy to be around!

With Deepest Sympathy
Jim Krueger

[okieboater]

It is a sad time for me and others who were touched by this one of a kind man, one of if not the kindest easy going men I have been blessed to know.

I do not know how Bob and myself first met but we became on the spot instant buds. Bob's wife and my wife both grew up in the town of Woodward in Western Oklahoma as did Bob a bit further West closer to Texas. May be that helped us form a friendship so fast.

Bob and myself often teamed up cooking dutch ovens. One of my favorite DO dishes is a cobbler recipe Bob found in a box up in the family barn loft. His Grandmother wrote it up and Bob showed it to me. Every one I cooked that cobbler for loved it. Now when I cook one up, I will think of Bob. One time we team cooked a bunch of DO lasagna's for 60 some odd Ozark Society campers at Cascade Camp in CO. We had a ball doing it.

Bob had a wealth of stories to tell. His Air Force career took him all over Europe and the far east. As we drove to and from he would talk endlessly about awesome experiences. The time would just fly by.

When I first met Bob we went tandem canoe down the upper canyons of Big Bend. We often tandemed after that. Then Bob got interested in rafts and I was able to coach him a bit and we went on many trips - both rafts and tandem canoe.

We went on a lot of western river trips. Bob started having problems driving and he started making it over to my house, spend the night and from there we rode together. Bob got a car GPS and that made him getting to and from my house in Jenks a bunch easier.

I once asked Bob why he took up WW boating at his age. Spoken like the fighter pilot he was, his response "Dave, I love the adrenaline rush".

Bob got a little Star Raft and was like a kid - so excited to be on the river no matter where. One April we were down on the Salt River in Arizona at a good pushy level. Bob missed the line just a tad and got caught in a terminal eddy. One with vertical sides. Bob would ride the circular current and make a mighty effort to break the eddy line out. But he kept getting rejected. I got my raft up as close to the break out spot and did the only thing I could do was yell Bob come here hard as you can you can do it - keep rowing hard. I lost count of the attempts but Bob never gave up and I could see in his eyes nothing but concentration. Bob never gave up and he finally hit the sweet spot and shot over the line. Our entire group exploded with cheering shouts of good job Bob. That was all we talked about the rest of the day and around the camp fire.

Long story but that was Bob. I have many more too many to write up. He fought the good fight, never gave up, kept a happy face no matter what, but this time just could not break that eddy line.

Bob was a special friend to me. And, I miss him a lot and will now will see him boating on all the spots we had so much fun at.

But it is not just me. Bob touched the hearts of so many people in our boating community. I am just one of many attempting to understand our loss. I would be hard pressed to say which one of us just loved Bob the most for what he brought to the table, every table, every time.

I wish more of you all could have met and spent time with this gentle, kind and incredibly talented man.

Bobby, may you rest in peace my friend.

[prophet]

hate to hear this, Bob will surely be missed

[Rodger K]

I got acquainted w/ Bob Stout on several camp floats on the Buffalo river, those were great trips .. my favorite memory of Bob was the day on a Colorado trip w/the Ozark Society when he , another young lady & myself all got our maiden voyage on a trip down the Royal Gorge. The biggest water I had ever seen but Bob did a fine job of getting us down the river, one of the most exciting river experiences of my life.

Thanks for the memories ol' buddy : RIP

Rodger

[Rodger K]

I got acquainted w/ Bob Stout on several camp floats on the Buffalo river, those were great trips .. my favorite memory of Bob was the day on a Colorado trip w/the Ozark Society when he , another young lady & myself all got our maiden voyage on a trip down the Royal Gorge. The biggest water I had ever seen but Bob did a fine job of getting us down the river, one of the most exciting river experiences of my life.

Thanks for the memories ol' buddy : RIP

Rodger

[James Canon]

This is very sad news. Bob was a good friend and a regular on many of my early paddling trips. The last time we paddled together was on a wonderful trip down the Yampa. The first time I ever paddled a WW canoe was that Probe in the picture, on Cadron creek. It was also the last time until yesterday. As I paddled my new (to me) canoe down the Cadron yesterday, I thought of Bob and that Probe often, and wondered what had become of him. Weird how things like that happen.

Rest in peace Bob, you are missed.

[kru1]

Rio Grande, 2006

Great man.

kru

[Clif]

I can't add to these stories. VERY blessed to have called him a friend as he did me. Loved crossing paths with him in walmart and often on the Buffy where we often story swapped for long spells.... him with his ponytail and river hat. I still have his RPM max I bought from him!

Prayers for his family.

[Richard]

Bobby had a good life and many friends. He would often comment to me that his life had been a great ride. It was his kindness and selflessness that made it that way. We had some wonderful times together. I am grateful I was counted among his friends.

[Prairie Tater]

Sad news...one of the friendliest men I've ever known. Whenever I first started going to Big Piney, it seems like I would always see him there. I could always count on him to help me if I needed a ride back to Helton's.

[Crane]

to David, me, John, Richard, Bob













Memorial service

2:00 PM Saturday, March 28th

Roller-McNutt Funeral Home
Highway 65 South
Clinton, AR 72031
501-745-2151



Bobby's daughter said that the funeral home was next to Walmart in C

[Crane]

Bobby was a kind and gentle man who was always a pleasure to be with on a river. I was fortunate enough to be on a lot of rivers with him during the time he was a paddler/rafter. He will, in fact, rest in peace as he lived in peace. Crane

[Butch Crain]

rest in peace Bob

"I wish I was the kind of man my dog thinks I am" - Bob really was that kind of man

[Roger]

Thanks for all the photos, folks. That's the Bob we all knew! Here's one of him doing something else he liked!