Robert J. (Bob) Kanyur, 82, passed away on Dec. 31, 2021, after a long illness. Bob was born on Jan. 25, 1939, in Chicago, Ill., the oldest son of Joseph and Ann (Kobe) Kanyur. Bob attended high school at George Rogers Clark in Hammond, Ind., where he grew up.
After graduating, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps for a three-year tour of duty. He attended Sea School in San Diego, and on completion was assigned sea duty on the USS Los Angeles CA135, which was a heavy cruiser stationed in Long Beach, Calif. While on the ship, he attained the rank of CPL-E4 and made several deployments to the western Pacific.
After his discharge in 1960, he returned to Hammond and worked at various jobs, mostly in the construction field. In 1964, he went on the road, ending up in Tucson, Ariz., where he was accepted on the Tucson Fire Department. He often told friends that it was the best job he ever had and he really looked forward to going to work in the morning.
In 1968, he married Sharon Aldridge and had two sons, Robert J. Jr. and James Michael.
Bob grew up being an avid hunter and fisherman. He had a love of the outdoors which led to his first elk-hunting trip to Pagosa Springs in 1970. He fell in love with southern Colorado and began bringing his family from Tucson each year for camping and fishing trips. He decided that he would retire to Pagosa Springs.
In 1983, while on a fishing trip with his two sons, he bought property up Cemetery Road and began building his hunting-fishing cabin. In 1985, he retired from the Tucson Fire Department and made Pagosa his permanent home. He became a member of the Pagosa Springs Town Fire Department and the Pagosa Lakes Fire Department, which eventually became the Pagosa Fire Protection District in 1990. He also worked for the U.S. Forest Service as a wildland firefighter and was involved with the Upper San Juan Search and Rescue for eight years.
In 1991, Bob married Susan Grace, whom he had met in Tucson in 1986. Together, they built their present home in the Upper Piedra. He began a small woodworking business in 1986, which he called Barnwood Crafts. He built rustic picture frames, bird houses and furnishings made from old barns and houses that he had dismantled and recycled. He had been an avid marathoner and runner while living in Tucson and continued his passion while living here, running almost daily, and hiking the high-country trails while on numerous fishing trips.
He is survived by his wife, Susan; son Robert J. Jr. (Suzanne); son James (Trisha); stepson Sean Grace (Mariel); and numerous grandchildren.
