Longtime Sandy resident, Bob Gilliland died at Regency at Gresham on Monday, April 20, 2009. He was 81.
A graveside service will be held at Hale Cemetery in Culver, Oregon on Friday, April 24, 2009 at Noon.
Robert Olney Gilliland was born on April 24, 1927 in Portland. As a young boy, the family lived in Paisley, Oregon where he began his schooling and attended Crane High School near Burns, Oregon.
On December 7, 1944, he entered the U.S. Navy, serving on the USS Springfield. After his honorable discharge on May 8, 1946 he returned to Burns where he worked as a Ranch Hand and later married to Donna Purdy in 1947. Besides working on the Ranch, Bob drove school bus and fuel delivery truck in the Burns area.
Bob and Donna moved to Portland in 1950 where he drove a tanker truck for A B Transport for several years. He also worked for Zellerbach Paper as a long haul truck driver until. The family moved to Sandy in the late 1950’s where he started his own log trucking business, R. O. Gilliland Trucking, both in the Sandy and Estacada areas.
Bob was re-married to Faith Smuck on September 25, 1968 in Oregon City. They made their home in John Day where he continued his career as a log truck driver and raised his family. Prior to moving to Sandy, Bob and Faith lived in Wamic for a time where Bob drove log truck until 1991 when his health forced him to retire.
Bob enjoyed his career as a log truck driver and he was the first world champion log truck driver in the late 1960’s. He loved to garden roses and vegetables, talk about fishing, boating and watching football. When he was a young cowboy, he broke and rode horses.
Surviving is his wife Faith; his sons, Wayne Gilliland of Vernonia, Raymond Gilliland of Colton, Clinton Gilliland of Vancouver and Mike Crocker of Lebanon; his daughters, Debi Behrndt of North Bend, Washington, Susan Crocker of Canby and Lisa Marshall-Goodloe of Canby; many grandchildren and great grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his brother, Ray Gilliland, his step-daughter Carla Marshall and his grandson Cale Gilliland.