Bob Sibley Obituary

We lost our good friend and fellow boater, Bob Sibley, to cancer at 7:30am on January 26, 2022 in Yuma, Arizona with his wife, Suzanne, and younger sister, Kelly, by his side. Bob was born in Bristol, Connecticut on June 3, 1955. He is survived by his mother, two sisters, one brother, and his wife of 22 1/2 years.

Bob will be remembered fondly for his large appetite for the great outdoors. We shared several decades of river rafting together, running the Upper Salt, Gunnison Black Canyon, Deso Grey on the Green River, the San Juan, and Cataract Canyon to name a few. Many of those rivers were run many times and for many years. Bob often said he loved rafting because it provided such great camping opportunities.

Many a river trip featured Bob spoiling us with such culinary delights as deep-fried turkey (yes, on the beach of the river), Chicken cacciatore, Baked-Stuffed Shrimp, Seafood Boils, biscuits from scratch with sausage gravy. The list goes on and on. His 12-foot self-bailer raft seemed small for such a big guy and he was always over-packed with way too much kitchen gear. We would tease him about it. Bob would just smile and accuse us of being damn minimalists.

Bob added color to every trip he joined. He was a frequent swimmer (sometimes more than once on the same trip), seeming to flip or get launched from his boat more often than the rest of us. He was the first to complain about the heat. He was famously slow off the beach in the morning, usually because of all the extra kitchen gear.

Bob was also Johnny-on-the-spot if anyone needed a hand, a frosty beverage, or a story about past river trips with harrowing rapids. His antics and misfortunes brought him many nicknames including Chef Bob-R-Dee, Blazing Bob, Burnt Bob, Bobbing Bob... The list goes on and on. All of these nicknames were earned with a colorful, often humorous, back story and we're given with affection.

Bob had a heart the size of his camp kitchen.

Float on ahead, Bob, we'll be along shortly so save a spot by the campfire.