Robert Young “Bob” Tuttle, 98, of Potlatch, passed away at his home on Thursday, August 10, 2017, surrounded by his loving family. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday September 9th, 2017 at the Palouse Federated Church with Pastor Corey Laughary officiating.

Bob was born on April 29, 1919, during the nationwide flu epidemic, to Carl Francis & Mary Agnes (Young) Tuttle, in Chico, California. He grew up in California and graduated from Fort Jones High School, going on to attend classes at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California, where he studied agriculture. In his younger years, he very much enjoyed hunting, target shooting and baseball.

He met Doris Ann Towle at a square dance and the couple married in Oakland, California, on August 22, 1948. They were blessed to share nearly 69 years of marriage together and, until Bob’s health declined, they never stopped dancing. After their marriage, the couple owned a ranch near the Scott Valley town of Etna, California, and began raising their family there. Bob showed his talent in mechanics and engineering through innovations on the ranch, designing and building a raised milking parlor, sprinkler irrigation systems, and a sawmill that produced boards for the family’s new home.

In 1966, the couple moved north to The Palouse, where Bob made the transition from “ranching” to “farming”. In 1980, Bob and Doris moved to North River Road, where Bob built a geodesic dome house with a unique spiral staircase created from the oak flooring of the old Palouse High School gym. He retired from farming in 1987.

In retirement, Bob and Doris enjoyed traveling with their fifth wheel RV. They were active for many years with the S.O.W.E.R.s, or “Servants on Wheels Ever Ready”, helping churches and church camps across the country with projects as the need arose. Bob played wash-tub and stand-up bass with the Idaho Old Time Fiddlers. Fiddle shows were a good opportunity for he and Doris to enjoy dancing. Bob continued to enjoy baseball throughout his life and was an avid Mariner’s fan.

Bob is survived by his wife, Doris, at the family home outside of Palouse; children Nancy (Mark) Hegg of Palouse, Bert (Loretta) Tuttle of Dennison, Texas, and Beth (Mike) Osborne of Potlatch; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and four siblings.

Bob’s grandson, Jens Hegg, wrote this fitting remembrance of his grandpa, which tells it all:

“Man, grandpa sure did it all. He had his hand in building up about as many ranches, dairies, and farms as any half-reasonable human should ever attempt. Most of his stories involved feats of farm engineering that would put a trained engineer to shame. In fact, when grandpa talked of engineers it was often a blue streak in the midst of a repair that could have been avoided if he'd been in charge of design. He was an inveterate tinkerer who would disappear to the workbench and come out with a solution to any household problem Grandma ever had. To say he was good with his hands is an understatement. He gave up on his gun cabinet not long after moving to the Palouse so I've been told, but I saw him hit 10 of 10 clay pigeons one day after picking up his old full-choke 20 gauge for the first time in decades. He made it look so easy, like it was an extension of his hand and yet didn't see what the fuss was about. That's just what you did, one shot was all you should ever need. He had the most amazing shock of pure white hair for all the years I knew him. He loved old-time fiddle and when he and grandma weren't chasing fiddle shows around the country we had plenty of nights of family music in the geodesic-domed living room of the house he built the year St. Helens blew, covering the place in ash. I'll miss his stories of mountain lakes full of fish that would bite a bare hook as fast as you could dip it in, and the hired man and the bear. I'll miss his off-the-wall sayings. But one of the last things he said to me was, "take your time goin’, and hurry back." You really can't beat that for a goodbye. Love you, Grandpa.”

Memorial contributions in Bob’s honor are suggested to the Potlatch Ambulance Fund, PO Box 63, Potlatch, ID 83855. Kramer Funeral Home of Palouse is caring for the family. You are invited to leave online condolences and order flowers for the family at www.kramercares.com.

 Service Information