Robert Curtis Gaffney Obituary (1937 - 2026)

Robert Curtis “Bob” Gaffney, 88, of Yakima, died March 6, 2026. Mr. Gaffney was born in Yakima on August 24, 1937, two days after his twin sister Judy, at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. Because no one knew Andrea was carrying twins, his father, Wayne Gaffney, delivered Bob himself. He continued to surprise everyone as he lived well into his eighties. He graduated from Yakima High School. After high school, Bob attended Yakima Valley Junior College and earned his AAS degree in 1959 before being drafted into the U.S. Army. In 1961, he and Linda Sue Taylor eloped to Seattle. He transitioned to the National Guard after six months, as his first child was born in 1966. Another followed six years later, and a third arrived six years after that. One of Bob’s earliest jobs was fueling airplanes for family friend and Yakima aviation pioneer Charlie McAllister. Before that, he and his brothers often rode their bikes down to the airport, lying on their backs at the end of the runway to watch planes roar overhead. Bob spent most of his adult life working in the family business, Gaffney’s Auto Parts & Machine Shop, established in 1955. He worked alongside his parents for many years and became the sole owner after his father’s passing in 1972 and his mother’s passing in 1984. He continued to run the business until his retirement. Bob’s interests changed over the years, but he was always in motion. As a youngster, he loved riding bikes and horses in the western part of town, back when 25th and Bonnie Doon bordered open orchards. He enjoyed boating, outdoors, water skiing, fishing, home projects, gardening, model trains, wildlife, and playing cards. He was a member of the Elks Club and Ducks Unlimited, and he was a proud member of the machinists union and the Washington State Automotive Wholesalers Association throughout his career. After retiring, Bob stayed busy. He walked Randall Park twice a day for nearly two decades, greeting people, sharing jokes, and making new friends. During one of those walks, a pup he later named Hoover followed him home and became part of his daily routine. Bob continued bowling, transitioning from the “young guys” in the motor league to mixed doubles and eventually senior leagues. He bowled at Minda, Skookum, Eagles, and Nob Hill lanes, and he traveled to Reno for nationals more than once. He first started bowling while attending Yakima Valley Junior College in 1956. When COVID shut down bowling, Bob took up jigsaw puzzles. He completed well over a thousand in six years, many of which he glued, framed, and displayed in his home. He approached puzzles the same way he approached life—patiently, steadily, and with quiet determination. Bob loved his heritage and enjoyed sharing stories with anyone interested. His great-great-grandfather, John Wilson Beck, planted the first orchard in Yakima near Birchfield and Highway 24—50 apple trees and 50 cherry trees—to prove fruit could grow in the valley’s arid climate. Beck later became Yakima’s first Superior Court Judge, while his wife, Martha Goodwin, was the valley’s first schoolteacher. Another great-great-grandfather, John Henry Clark, was an early homesteader in the Naches/Gleed area and helped form the original Naches School District, known as the Clark School District. Bob also cherished the story of his grandfather who fled Crete as a child and eventually established restaurants in Yakima. His favorite family story, however, was that of his great‑grandmother Mary Beck (Clark), born in Pottawatomie, Kansas, who traveled west in a covered wagon and grew up at the Buckeye Ranch in Naches. Family stories recall that she learned enough of the local trade language to converse with Yakama families who kept their horses there. Yakima was always home to Bob. With family roots stretching back more than 160 years to the Goodwin/Beck wagon train, and with decades spent running Gaffney’s Auto Parts & Machine Shop, he held firmly to the place and history that shaped him. He often spoke of visiting his great-grandmother’s ranch, once located in what is now downtown Yakima, and the many moves his family made across the valley during his childhood. Bob is survived by his daughters Teresa and Drea Gaffney of Yakima; his twin sister, Judy Birkholz of Cheney, WA; and his younger brother, David Gaffney of Issaquah, WA. He was preceded in death by his parents, Wayne and Andrea (Curtis) Gaffney; his wife, Linda (Taylor) Gaffney; his brother, Wayne “Sonny” Gaffney Jr. and his son, Robert Gaffney Jr. Bob lived a long and enduring life. He touched those who knew him and left a lasting impression on anyone who saw him flash a smile or share a wink. The family will be having a memorial celebration at their home on Saturday, April 25, 2026 from 1:00–3:00 p.m. Please share any memories or photos you may have of him here.