Robert Eugene (Bob) Hitchcock, my love, passed into the arms of our Lord on August 20, 2025, at the age of 87.

Bob was born in Davenport, Iowa, to Gail (Bob) Robert and Elizabeth Chapman Hitchcock on May 17, 1938. He was the oldest of six children. Bob attended Manual High School in Peoria, Illinois, and enlisted in the Marine Corps, serving at Camp Pendleton, 29 Palms, California. After leaving the service, he applied and was hired as a police officer for the city of Pasadena. After a few years and enough riots, he thought he would enjoy a small town and applied to the Eureka EPD, an unknown, somewhere up north, and was hired.

At that time, EPD was stationed at the County Courthouse, and that was where I worked and first met him. We became good friends, nothing more, until I moved to the Eureka Fire Department dispatch. At that time, we decided dating would be a good thing, and it was. We were married 53 years last January.

We both liked the sun and decided to move to Arizona. He worked for the Arizona Justice Planning Agency for seven years and then the Arizona Drug Control in Tucson as assistant director and head of a five-state drug control district. He loved it there but I was called back to Eureka for family emergencies, thinking it would be temporary. Needless to say it wasn’t, and Bob gave up what he loved to come back to help me and here we stayed. He was truly an unselfish, wonderful man. I was truly blessed.

He hadn’t smoked in 20 years when he had open heart surgery at age of 72. He also developed emphysema and later on bladder cancer. The emphysema took its toll on his heart and weakened him greatly this past two years.

We were able to take road trips across the US, spending time in Canada Hawaii and Alaska, which was his favorite place of all.

We belonged to three great dance clubs, making wonderful and fun-loving friends. And when Bob could no longer dance, we headed to the casinos where he could just sit, push buttons and visit.

Bob is survived by his wife Gene, daughter Jennifer, his sister Patricia Hathaway and her daughter Marie, brother Larry Hitchcock (Lisa), several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his father and the woman he called “Mom” Bob and Anne Hitchcock, father and mother-in-law Ralph and Marge Pentin. Brother Raymond Hitchcock and wife Alice, sister Sandra Smith and her son Jeffrey Smith, infant sister Ruth Hitchcock, very special niece, Terry Hitchcock, and his special friend Calvin Hamblin.

A heartfelt thank you to my dear friends Earlene and Priscilla for their help and support at this time. Also, a huge thank you to the staff at Providence St. Joseph ICU and PCU for the tender and gentle care of Bob during his stay, and Ayers Cremation for their much-appreciated help.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Miranda’s Rescue or charity of your choice. At Bob’s request, there will be no memorial service.

My heart holds him close.