Robert Steven Tatone's Obituary
Robert Steven Tatone was born on May 30, 1941, in Arlington, Oregon. He passed away peacefully at the age of 84 on December 26, 2024, in Oregon City.
Robert—better known as Bob or Bobby—grew up in the rural and dusty heat of Arlington, Oregon. Bob frequently and fondly recalled bringing a BB gun to school because he and other kids liked to scare off snakes along their country walk to a one-room schoolhouse. At about age ten, he moved with his brother and sister–the twins Cheri and Gary–and parents (Steven and Arvilla) to the big city of Portland, Oregon, where, while attending Cleveland High, he was asked, he liked to remember with a laugh, to leave his gun at home.
In Southeast Portland, he and his family, due to financial struggles alongside his mother's illness, moved frequently from one rental to another. As the eldest of his siblings, Bob took on grown-up responsibilities from a young age and put himself through college and graduate school, earning degrees in math and computer science. He also served in the U.S. Army; his passion for math kept him in a desk job. After two terms of service, he met the woman, Karen Ellen Larsen, he would be married to for 57 years. Together, the two settled in Gladstone, Oregon and raised three daughters: Michelle, Kara and Jenny. For more than three decades, Bob and Karen ran a successful computer software and medical billing company, allowing the family to live comfortably and travel often. Bob also enjoyed tennis, golf, photography, Italian cooking, fall colors, college football and family togetherness. By 2019, he was the grandparent—or "papa"—to three grandchildren. He will be deeply missed.
A funeral service will be held at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church in Oregon City at 11 a.m. on January 17; the service will be followed by a Celebration of Life gathering at his home in Gladstone.
Donations can be made Randall Children's Hospital:
https://www.legacyhealthgiving.org/donations
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