Robert Edward Crader

Bob Crader was born January 29, 1950, during Portland’s record-breaking snowstorm where 41.4 inches of snow accumulated in a single month. His mother Alice Crader (nee Wheeler) and father Duward “Duke” Crader took him home to join older sister Nancy. Their grandparents had a dairy farm on the current site of Clackamas Community College and Bob grew up riding his bike out daily from their home in Oregon City to help milk cows and do chores for his grandparents. 

Those early experiences formed his lifelong love of dogs and animals. Bob met his partner of nearly 54 years, Laurie Raymond, on a blind date in April 1971. She was 17, he was 21, and they both loved the outdoors. A lifelong skier Bob was teaching at Meadows ski resort, had a water ski boat that he barefoot skied behind, and was an avid hiker and backpacker. It was a perfect match! After Laurie went off to college Bob would drive long distances to visit her and the romance continued. They moved into their first home in Gladstone in 1975 and also got their first Irish Setter - beginning a lifelong love affair with the breed. First in obedience competition then progressing to conformation and field events. Their dog family generally numbered four, but at times expanded to six or eight. They became members of several dog clubs as well as AKC. They fostered and found homes for rescued Irish Setters. 

After a college sailing course Bob and Laurie bought a J-24 sailboat beginning a 25-year love of racing. Weeknights and weekends were spent on the Columbia racing, and several times a year out of town racing circuits with Bob the skipper and Laurie running foredeck. Many great friendships were formed, and Bob expanded his interests to building boats and trailers. 

Bob was talented in a number of crafts. He was a welder, a machinist, a diesel mechanic, and a woodworker. His first car was a VW bug, and over the years he obtained several classic bugs and dune buggies to restore. He also loved all types of boats. He firmly believed in the adage “he who dies with the most toys wins"! After moving onto a five-acre property in the Oregon City community of Redland he added a large shop where he could pursue his varied interests. 

Sailing eventually took a back seat to the dogs, and they began traveling around the country in their RV to dog shows as well as fishing and camping with them in remote areas. Every three years or so they had a litter of puppies many of which became champions and won obedience and hunting titles in addition to just being beloved companions and couch potatoes. You could always find Bob sitting around the dog show rings shooting the breeze with friends from around the country and Canada with a dog or two at his side. His wry farm boy humor never failed. Bob liked nothing better than to pull someone’s leg or have one of his tall tales believed. He was also always willing to volunteer his time to help out where needed and liked nothing better than a project shared with friends. 

Although he never had children of his own, he loved kids and loved entertaining them. His and Laurie’s nieces and nephews adored him, and he loved to entertain and share his knowledge and experiences with them. At home he especially loved riding on his tractor. When Laurie heard the popular country song “Tractor Time” this last summer, she thought of it as his anthem. He had been fighting several health issues, but riding on the tractor was his happy place where he could forget his failing health and ride around the pasture mowing or moving dirt or supplies with the dogs running along beside him. 

Bob wished remembrances would be sent to the Irish Setter Club of America Foundation, Inc. which supports a variety of good works including veterinary research, Irish Setter rescue, and veterinary scholarships. 

Bob is survived by Laurie Raymond; sister, Nancy Buckbee; niece, Carrie Campbell and her husband, Cliff and their three daughters and grandchildren. His nephew Josh died tragically two months before Bob, but Josh’s wife, Heather Buckbee and their four boys also survive him. In addition, he is survived by his dog family: Rune (his constant companion and guardian), Lincoln, Darby, and Rainy. 

As the Irish say, "May the Shamrocks Fall Softly..."