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Bob Newell/Half of Puppers Passed Away


Puppers

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This is not as much a topic as an announcement, but I thought folks in the local geocaching community would want to know that my husband of 27 years, Bob Newell, and 1/2 of the Puppers Team, had a massive stroke last week and did not recover. He was only 54.

 

We are planning a service/reception at the Newport Shores Yacht Club in Bellevue starting at 2pm on Sunday November 6th. Anyone that might want to attend is welcome.

 

I don't know that I will be back on the trail anytime soon but wanted to express my gratitude to all of you that enriched our lives through this wonderful sport. You are a special group of people.

 

Cristy (the other half of Puppers)

Edited by Puppers
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Oh, Cristy, I'm so sorry to hear this. My condolences to you and your family, and thanks for letting us know. Bob was such a great guy, he will be deeply missed by all who knew him. I have fond memories from my holiday party, and y'all made a delightful couple. He was only a year older than me, so it's quite a shock. My thoughts are with you, and please, let me know if there's anything I can do - anything at all.

Edited by hydnsek
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I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Bob was a great guy and I will be forever grateful to him for the opportunity to go flying with him in his RV6A. Every time I look at those pictures I took during those flights I'll think of him. One of the best people I have been blessed to meet through Geocaching.

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So sorry to hear this.

 

The Puppers influence ranged even as far as Mendocino County, California back when we lived there. A, to this day, very difficult cache to find was FTF'd by you guys in early 2006 when almost no one else could. Friendly email assistance from you encouraged us to make that 3rd and 4th trip until Spark finally made the find.

 

Our thoughts are with you.

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Sadly, I've learned that Cristy Johnson, the OP and other half of Puppers, died March 14 after a short illness, only five months after her husband, Bob Newell. She was 52, and Bob 54.

 

I met Cristy's sister, Debbie, last weekend at their home in Woodinville, and she and Cristy's family are eager to hear stories about how folks knew Cristy and Bob. If you have some, please share them here, or send me an email, and I will make sure Debbie gets them. Also, if you have any photos of Bob and/or Cristy, please post or email them for their families.

 

Debbie says: "I would love to hear from anyone who wishes to share a geocache story relating to the caches Cristy and Bob shared, or any experience they had with Cristy and Bob. I would then pass those on to the rest of the family. One of the nice things about being up here, and it helps with my grief, is hearing stories from other people about their interactions with Cris and Bob, experiences they had, times they spent together. it all helps me/us know their life story, and to know that they won't be forgotten, even if it is just a geocache that keeps providing pleasure to others."

 

Debbie has asked me to arrange for adoption of the 27 active Puppers caches (16 WA, 11 CA). I have access to the accounts, so please contact me if you would like to adopt a cache in their memory. Thanks to those who've already offered through the WSGA Facebook page; the adoption requests will be processed soon.

 

The Puppers were active WSGA members, and Debbie has generously donated their GPSrs to WSGA for use at outreach events; Cristy previously donated their geocoins for raffles.

 

Debbie introduced her sister and husband to geocaching back in 2002, and they were immediately addicted, traveling all over with their dog, Maggie (hence "Puppers"). They lost Maggie in 2006 but continued to enjoy their favorite pastime, as evidenced by their long-time position in the Top 10 of the WA rankings (they are still #22). Puppers found 9561 caches and placed 40 caches during their caching career.

 

While they kept mostly to themselves, those of us who knew Puppers will miss their warmth and good humor. I first met Cristy and Bob at a troublesome micro cache on a typically rainy Seattle day, and have fond memories of them attending my holiday parties.

 

I hope Bob and Cristy, reunited with Maggie, are enjoying caching in the celestial plane.

 

Puppers-Memorial_0412s.jpg

Edited by hydnsek
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I don't think we ever met Bob or Christy in person. The very first geocoin we ever found was one they placed here on Vashon and we always kind of had a soft spot for them after that, especially since we got the impression from their logs that they were really genial people who loved the time they spent together. There aren't enough people like that in the world. Maybe that's the reason their passing makes us so sad, even though we were never fortunate enough to cross paths with them.

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