Robert L. Lemman » Obituary
Robert L. (Bob) Lemman, 83, died suddenly and peacefully of natural causes and with his family by his side at Harborview Hospital on July 22, 2010. He was born in Chelan, WA to Melvin and Edith Lemman on Aug. 3, 1926, and was raised in Spokane, WA and graduated from Hillyard HS in 1943. In March, 1944, he entered the Navy V-12 officer training program at the University of Washington and played first string guard for Hec Edmundsen's wartime Huskies basketball team for 2 seasons. He was commissioned a navy ensign in June of 1946 and spent a year of active duty on a destroyer escort in the South Pacific and witnessed the Navy A Bomb Test event near the island of Bikini.
After his year of duty he returned to Seattle and graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering from the UW in 1948. Bob is survived by his loving wife of 65 ½ years, Marilyn and daughter Barbara J. Carver (John), sons Peter R. Lemman (Debbie), Dean Lemman (Cathy) of Portland, OR and five grandchildren, Robby (Caiti) and Callie Carver, Matt and Tim Lemman of Portland and Max Lemman. He will be sorely missed by all.
Bob's business career started with the Allis Chalmers Co. in Seattle where he was a salesman of electrical switch gear, etc. and ended as Chairman/Owner of North Coast Electric CO, a family owned company headquartered in Seattle with branches in 5 states, with Peter Lemman as CEO. Bob was active in his business until his death. He is past president ('80-81) of the Nat'l. Assn. of Electrical Distributors and received both the "Arthur Hooper" Award, the highest honor in the US Electrical Distributor Industry, and more recently the "Legacy Award", an NAED Education Foundation award which Bob helped found while NAED president 30 years ago. Bob was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity, Broadmoor Golf Club, and a lifetime UW alum and contributor, as well as Thunderbird Golf Club in Rancho Mirage, CA.
A Memorial service for family and friends will be held at Broadmoor Golf Club in Seattle from 2-4 on Saturday, July 31. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to either Ryther Child Center, 2400 NE 95th St, Seattle 98115 or the Education Foundation of NAED at 1181 Corporate Lake Dr, St Louis, MO 63132
Published in The Seattle Times from July 25 to July 28, 2010
