Robert Gene Kuesterman

Robert Gene Kuesterman, longtime West Valley City, UT, resident, died 13 September 2020 of pancreatic cancer —one day shy of his 76th birthday. Born in Spokane, WA, as the only child of the late Irma and Frank Kuesterman, Bob attended Shadle Park High School, Antioch College, and Georgetown University before graduating from Gonzaga University, where he was editor-in-chief of the Gonzaga Bulletin, which was named Washington’s best college newspaper under his tenure. He then joined the Associated Press, investing 40 years of his life in a career as a master journalist (and erstwhile programmer), with former colleagues describing him as “dogged,” “truth-seeking,” “wry,” “witty,” “brilliant,” “thoughtful,” “compassionate,” “patient,” “intelligent,” and as representing “the very best in journalism and humanity.” He was humble and non-ambitious, preferring the night desk over a more lucrative path. He quietly provided a service that has often been taken for granted and maligned, one that is especially needed now in these days of deliberate misinformation, inflammatory rhetoric, and hyperbole.
Bob married Kathryn Hinshaw on 17 November 1972 in Salt Lake City, UT. They enjoyed camping, hiking, and astronomy until Kathryn’s multiple sclerosis rendered the great outdoors significantly less so. He was a steadfast and loving caregiver of his wife, who died in 2012. Bob had an insatiable appetite for reading. His speculative fiction collection rivals the Library of Congress, and his Kindle account has been single-handedly keeping the “smutty vampire genre” undead. He was a strong supporter of his children’s and grandchildren’s activities, a tenacious fact-checker of memes, an eventual cat-lover (“Never try to out-stubborn a cat.” ― Robert A. Heinlein), and the perfect pinochle partner.
Bob is survived by his two children, Carina (Toby Dillon), of Tooele, UT, and Lyra (Jesse Fields), of Humptulips, WA, and seven grandchildren, Jefferson, Cendan, Dorian, Lilian, and Eowyn Dillon and Awen and Inyan Fields, as well as his best friend, Bill Beecham, to whom he was admirably devoted. Bob requested no funeral services. The charities he supported include Kiva, ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and Friends of MS. Because jaundice rendered his body ineligible for science donation, he instead received a Certified Green Burial at Memorial Lakeview Cemetery in Bountiful, UT. In light of his recent GPS hobby, here are his approximate final coordinates: 40.876685 x -111.846026
“DON’T THINK OF IT AS DYING…JUST THINK OF IT AS LEAVING EARLY TO AVOID THE RUSH.” – Terry Pratchett