Robert M. Ford

Robert M. Ford, 93, former state legislator from Kitsap County in the 1940s, and King County commissioner during the World’s Fair in Seattle in 1962, died June 9 at Island Health and Rehabilitation Center.

He was born May 2, 1911, in New Rochelle, N.Y., to Robert M. and Irma (Snider) Ford. His family moved to California in the mid-1920s, where he graduated from Glendale High School.

He became a sales manager for Farmers Insurance Group, and transferred to the Pacific Northwest in 1931. He met and married Nancy McFate of South Colby in 1932; she preceded him in death in 1976. He married Mary Helen Settle of Olympia on Nov. 5, 1978; she preceded him in death in July 2003.

He enlisted in the Navy in 1942 and served on minesweepers in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean, participating in the invasion of Salerno.

After the war, he sold his Farmers Insurance agency in Bremerton and moved to a houseboat in Portage Bay in Seattle, where he attended the University of Washington and earned degrees in political science and economics.

He resided on Bainbridge Island in 1952-53, and returned to the island in February.

He served as executive secretary of the Washington State Veterinary Medical Association, executive secretary of the Washington State Nursing Home Association, King County commissioner during the 1962 World’s Fair, manager of Boeing Field, city manager of Ocean Shores, and on the Washington State Board of Tax Appeals.

He had a love of the water and especially enjoyed sailing. He enjoyed daily walks wherever he lived, as long as he was able. He also enjoyed community theater, and he and his wife Nancy were involved at the beginning of Bremerton Community Theater in the 1940s.

He was also a member of the Maritime Society, the Democratic party, Bremerton Community Theatre, Toastmasters, Lion’s Club, Associated Arts of Ocean Shores, Friends of the Library and the World Affairs Council.

He is survived by son Robert M. Ford III of Starkville, Miss.; daughter Linda Cauthers of Bainbridge Island; six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren; and five stepchildren: Ben Settle, John Settle, Sarah Frederick, Ellen (Jenni) Rue and Mary Reid, and their families.

He was preceded in death by two brothers, Ed and John Ford, and two sisters, Dorothy Tripp and Janie Brown, and a granddaughter, Judith Ford.

At his request, there will be no services. Arrangements are by Bleitz Funeral Home. His ashes will be scattered in Puget Sound.