Robert Mcbride

The B-17 was approved for flight, with our beloved dad Robert W. McBride. Born January 13th, 1923, he passed away May 10th, 2020.
He learned compassion and appreciation for the disadvantaged from his parents, growing up during the depression. His dad was fortunate to have a job as a courier on the railroad during that era. Coming of age during World War II, he served at the Burtonwood Air Depot in England. Many of the B-17 bombers, P-38 and P-47 fighters that returned battered from air raids over Germany were sent to the base for repair. As a flight test mechanic, dad participated in their repair, and as a final inspector, approved the planes before their test flights. He later served at the Henderson, Nevada Air Force Base during the Korean conflict.
Dad met our mom to be as a result of a broken nose. As one of the nurses who took care of him, he was impressed by how she adeptly handled the other service men, some who were uncouth. Before leaving the hospital, he asked her on a date. Seeking to lose him, she told him to come back after Christmas months down the road. He did, with a bouquet of flowers. They were married August, 1950.
Out of the service, dad trained and worked as a welder and layout man. For his apprenticeship, he laid out all the water pipe patterns for the line from Deer Creek to Salt Lake City. Later on, he welded and assembled some of the containers used for atomic blast testing in the Nevada desert. During his career, he worked at Hill Air Force Base, Eimco, and Alpine Metals. Ultimately, he started a business, Kedd-Mac Welding, with his partner Darrrell Keddington, which they ran until he retired.
When retired, dad and mom took up bicycling. When mountain bikes were just coming of age, dad participated in many of the mountain bike festivals and rides with us kids (Fish Lake Mountain, Sherwood Hills, White Rim Trail, etc). Dad also took up carpentry, applying his layout skills to wood. He made wooden beds for all his grandchildren and carved intricate wooden bowls for people who were special in his life. And he babysat and loved spending time with all of his grandchildren.
However, dad’s greatest work was with us. He taught us to work hard, take pride in what we do, and to have compassion and acceptance for others. He reached out , helped others, and enabled us to do the same. During his later years, one could often find him mowing lawns or clearing snow for others in the neighborhood. Dad loved going down the highway or dirt road that was unexplored. That sense of adventure carries on with us.
He was preceded in death by 1 month by mom. And he is survived by his children (Robert J. McBride, Dwight G. McBride, Jane M. Aune, and Kerry D. McBride), and their families, children, and grandchildren.
Due to the corona virus at this time, a private graveside service will be held for Robert at the Memorial Mountain View Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that folks donate to the Utah Youth Village (www.youthvillage.org) in his memory, or to a charity of their choice.