Robert Lee Karr of Newport, Washington, was born May 26, 1939, in a log cabin above Hatter Creek near Princeton, Idaho. He was the youngest of 10 children born to Alfred H. J. Karr and Mary Elizabeth Stubbs Karr.

He died Oct. 10, 2019, of metastatic lung cancer at Hospice House North in Spokane, Washington, with his wife and son present.

Robert attended Princeton Elementary and graduated from Potlatch High School in 1957. He was president of the junior chapter of 4-H and the juvenile grange, lettered in track and enjoyed writing plays.

He met Linda Paulsen in December 1958 and they were married June 11, 1960, in Moscow, Idaho. They were married for 59 years and four months. Robert and Linda's son, Patrick, was born August 22, 1961, in Moscow.

Robert joined the U.S. Army in 1959 and was stationed in Massachusetts and Korea. He was discharged in the spring of 1962.

He went to work at the Idaho First National Bank in Moscow, and he graduated from the University of Idaho in 1967 with a degree in finance and real estate. After graduation he worked for Idaho First National Bank in Moscow and Lewiston, and he was a Rotary Exchange businessman to New Zealand in 1971. He coached T-ball and minors baseball for Moscow Parks and Recreation when Patrick was young.

The family moved to Lewiston in 1972, and in 1975 Robert became assistant manager at Idaho Bank and Trust in Lewiston.

In 1979, he and Linda moved to Newport, where he became the HUD Section 8 Rental Assistance supervisor for Pend Oreille County.

That same year, he and Linda began their association with the Newport Earth Market, and he served as the group's president for 23 years. He was an avid organic gardener and farmer, with an emphasis on growing garlic, iris and hostas. In 1999, he and Linda opened Newport Naturals Iris and Alpaca Farm. He was an American Iris Society judge for exhibitions and gardens and maintained membership in iris associations including Town and County Iris Society of Spokane.

He began training in Karatedo Doshinkan in 1984 in Newport. He trained for many years and was promoted to sixth-degree black belt in 2007.

In the early 1980s, Robert started learning about massage therapy with emphasis on Asian methods, studying with well-known practitioners from around the world. He became a licensed massage therapist in October 1985 and had offices in Spokane and Newport, retiring in August 2018. He was the first massage therapist in Spokane who took on working with the medical profession to help AIDS patients in the area.

He was a lifetime member of Moscow's Paradise Lodge No. 17 AM and FM and Accepted Masons. He was advisor to the Moscow and Lewis-Clark chapters of DeMolay. In 1970, he and a group of DeMolay boys bicycled from Moscow to Bonners Ferry. He was awarded the DeMolay Legion of Honor.

He was a watercolorist, scratchboard artist, felter, weaver and black-and-white photographer. He began his work with watercolors in 2005, and was involved with the Evergreen Art Association, River Ridge Association of Fine Arts, the Spokane Watercolor Society and the Palouse Watercolor Socius. He served as president for the River Arts Alliance, an umbrella organization for local arts groups. He went to China on a tour and painting expedition in 2016.

He loved spending time with his family and encouraged his grandchildren and great-grandchildren in their love of art and the outdoors.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his siblings, John, Clinton, Lafayette, Norman, Glenn, Gary, Elizabeth, Rebecca and Alfreda.

He is survived by his wife, Linda, of Newport. His son, Patrick, lives in Moscow with his wife, Paula. His granddaughter, Tara Karr Roberts, lives in Moscow with her husband, Tim, and their children, Henry and Danny. His grandson, Timothy Karr, lives in Kennewick, Washington, with his wife, Teresa, and their children, Samuel, Eliana and Charlotte. He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Beth Paulsen of Moscow; brother-in-law, Tom (Joyce) Paulsen of Elk Grove, California; and a number of nephews and nieces in the area, including Vince and Mary Karr of Blanchard and Dan Entze of Walla Walla.

Robert and his family would like to thank Cancer Care Northwest, Sacred Heart Medical Center Floor 7 South and Hospice House North for their care. Memorials may be made to Pend Oreille County Historical Society Museum, PO Box 1409, Newport, WA 99156. Sherman-Campbell Funeral and Cremation Services in Newport is in charge of arrangements.  Family and friends are invited to sign the online guest book at shermancampbell.com.