May 19, 1941-Dec. 7
On Tuesday, Dec. 7, Robert “Bob” Splawn, loving husband, father and grandfather, passed away of a stroke at the age of 80 years.
Bob was born May 19, 1941, in Santa Ana, Calif., to Floyd and Virginia Splawn. He was raised in Orange County, Calif., and attended Santa Ana High School. Upon graduation, Bob left California to attend Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Ariz.
Bob left college in 1961 and joined the United States Navy. He was stationed on the USS Fort Marion and served two years working as a storekeeper. Bob received an honorable discharge in 1963 and returned to Santa Ana. Shortly after returning home, Bob started his law enforcement career with the Santa Ana Police Department, where he worked for eight years as a patrol officer and detective. During this time, a fellow officer introduced Bob to Helen Dittman. Bob and Helen began dating and quickly fell in love. They married a few months later and raised two sons, Aaron and Brian.
One of Bob’s many passions was flying. Bob obtained his private pilot’s license in the early 1970s and was fortunate enough to combine his passion for flying with his career. In 1971, Bob left the police department to become a special agent with the Department of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms. He was quickly promoted to the rank of special agent/pilot and went on to log more than 10,000 hours flying for the ATF and other law enforcement agencies.
In addition to flying, Bob had a strong passion for camping, fishing and historic railroads. These three passions led Bob to southwest Colorado, where he was fortunate to retire in the Rocky Mountains. Shortly after retiring to Colorado, Bob began a second career as a real estate agent, where he specialized in selling ranches and mountain homes to other retirees.
In 2011, after the death of his first wife (Helen), Bob retired a second time and finally began enjoying the things he loved to do. It was during this time Bob rekindled a relationship with his college sweetheart, Carol Moss. Bob and Carol began spending all their free time together and were married in 2013. Bob enjoyed his final years with Carol traveling between Pagosa Springs, Colo., and Carol’s home in Casa Grande, Ariz.
Bob was preceded in death by his first wife (Helen), of 46 years, his father (Floyd), mother (Virginia) and his sister (Donna). He is survived by his second wife (Carol) and her extended family, his two sons, two lovely daughters-in-law and multiple grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Friends of the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, which was very near and dear to Bob’s heart and his life in Colorado: https://friendsofcumbrestoltec.org/product/donations/.
