Robert Walter "Bob" Wilson, 93, of Grand Junction, passed away peacefully on September 30, 2026, with his children by his side as the sun set over the Grand Valley and the sky blazed with color.

Bob was born in Jasper County, Missouri, and grew up on a rocky share-crop farm after his family lost their own during the Depression, learning early to make the most of the land he was given. After graduating from Carthage High School in 1952, he served nearly four years in the U.S. Navy as a Hospital Corpsman, rising to Second Class, and was honorably discharged in 1956 with the National Defense Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal. He earned a business degree in 1959, worked for Pfizer Laboratories as a pharmaceutical representative for 31 years, and after retiring in 1993 earned a master's degree in business.

A Grand Valley resident since 1964, Bob raised four children there with Marilyn Neagoy, whom he married in 1963. In 1984 he married Nancy Tull Hutchins, and together they shared years of travel, birding, volunteering and philanthropy, including support for PrimeHealth+ (formerly Marillac Health), the Colorado West Land Trust and the Western Colorado Community Foundation. Bob was a symphony season ticket holder and a member of First United Presbyterian Church for more than 60 years, enjoying both until the end.

In retirement, Bob devoted himself to conservation and service. He led the restoration of the Audubon Nature Preserve, and for many years he built and monitored nesting boxes for mountain bluebirds in Unaweep Canyon, where he became known as "Bluebird Bob." He knocked on hundreds of doors to help pass the initiative for the Grand Junction Community Recreation Center and toured it shortly before it opened, a highlight of his final days. He also spent many years working one on one with struggling third-grade readers at Orchard Avenue Elementary. His hope was that others would give a few hours to a child who needs someone.

Bob was preceded in death by his sons, Hunter Marion Wilson and Matthew Robert Wilson, and his wife, Nancy. He is survived by his children, Kirk Nicholas Wilson and Wendy (Jeff) Beard; stepchildren, Jay (Cindy) Hutchins and Tracy Hutchins; grandchildren, Conner Beard, Zoe Beard and Jasmine (Brody) Schulze; and great-grandson, Calvin Schulze.

A service will be held Monday, November 2, at 11 a.m. at First United Presbyterian Church, 3940 27 1/2 Road, Grand Junction. Military honors and committal will be held Wednesday, November 4, at 3 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery of Western Colorado, 2830 Riverside Parkway, Grand Junction. In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to honor Bob by giving a few hours as a reading mentor for a child in need. Contact the First United Presbyterian Church office for more information on volunteering or donate to the fund of your choice through the Western Colorado Community Foundation.

Somewhere along Highway 141, bluebirds still raise their families in boxes Bob built.