HeraldNet: Print Article Page 1 of 4 Everett, Washington Published: Tuesday, July 21, 2015, 12:01 a.m. Robert Bibb was esteemed Superior Court judge, volunteer Dan Bates / Herald File 2015 Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Robert Bibb started the Guardian Monitoring Program in 2000, eight years after he retired from the bench. Bibb passed away July 1 in Mukilteo. He was 92. By Diana Hefley Herald Writer @dianahefley EVERETT — Decorated World War II veteran and former Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Robert Bibb died July 1 at an adult family home in Mukilteo. The longtime jurist and community volunteer was 92. Bibb is survived by Karen, his wife of 65 years, http://www.heraldnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20150721/NEWS01/150729870/117... 7/21/2015 HeraldNet: Print Article Page 2 of 4 and daughters, Allison Bibb-Rice and Charlotte Hammond. Just two months before his death, Bibb had stepped away from a volunteer-ran program that oversees guardianship cases involving some of the community's most vulnerable. Bibb started the Guardian Monitoring Program in 2000, some eight years after he retired from the Superior Court bench. He told The Herald in April it was time to turn the program over to other retired judges and dedicated volunteers. “It's been 15 years and obviously I'm getting old,” Bibb said. “I thought the 15th anniversary was the opportune time to hang it up, as the saying goes.” It was the third time Bibb retired. His family said Bibb had worked most of his life, starting at the age of 9 when he sold magazines to help his family make ends meet. “His family didn't have a lot. I think it gave him the passion to be a productive community member,” his son in-law Steve Hammond said. Bibb grew up in Seattle, where he graduated from Broadway High School in 1940. He enrolled at the University of Washington, but his days on campus were cut short by World War II. Bibb entered the Army in February 1943 and was wounded in combat at Luzon in the Philippine Islands. He was awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Combat Infantryman Badge. He was discharged in June 1946. Bibb returned to the university and graduated from law school in 1949. He married Karen Margit Nelson in 1950. The couple moved to Arlington and Bibb opened his own law practice. He became the city attorney for Arlington and later was a part-time judge for Cascade District Court. Superior Court Judge Thomas Wynne was with the prosecutor's office when Bibb presided over the first case Wynne was assigned. “He was very intimidating to a young lawyer. He always was very much in charge of his courtroom,” Wynne said. “He was respected for his knowledge and his ability to administer justice in a fair way.” In 1974, then-Gov. Dan Evans appointed Bibb to the Superior Court bench. Bibb, a voracious reader, appreciated complicated cases. Lawyers knew that if they saw Bibb fervently puffing on a cigar in his chambers, he was chewing on an issue. “He didn't suffer fools in his courtroom. He was always approachable, but he expected you to be ready,” retired Superior Court Judge Ken Cowsert said. Bibb was active with the state's judicial associations. He also served on a national committee to establish guidelines for court decisions on assisted suicide. Bibb traveled to Cuba with other judges to look at the judicial system there and share their experiences. He retired from the bench in 1992. Bibb returned to private practice and worked in mediation and arbitration. He retired again in 2010. That was the same year Bibb helped establish the county's monitoring program, which helps keeps tabs on guardians appointed to oversee legal and financial matters for people who are too sick, frail or confused http://www.heraldnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20150721/NEWS01/150729870/117... 7/21/2015 HeraldNet: Print Article Page 3 of 4 to handled their own affairs. His family said the program was one of Bibb's proudest accomplishments. Bibb recruited his friend Jim Mitchell to volunteer with the program about 10 years ago after Mitchell retired. “He didn't think I had enough to keep me busy,” Mitchell said. Karen Pauley admired her uncle's work ethic. A few years ago she was contemplating stepping away from her longtime volunteer work at KSER, a community radio station. “He said, ‘No, Karen, volunteering is for a lifetime,'?” Pauley said. “I took that to heart.” The Everett woman also recalled the kind uncle who used to lead her, his daughters and other nieces and nephews on hikes in the Cascades. “These were not leisurely hikes,” she said. “They took all eight of us cousins. We were a scraggly bunch. We were dusty, dirty and probably miserable.” One hike stands out in her memories. She was about 10 and she was lagging behind. She was crying and discouraged. Uncle Bosco, a nickname that he'd had for years, came back and walked with her the rest of the trip. “‘We're going to bring up the rear together,'” she remembered him saying. “It really made an impression on me about his character.” Bibb and his brother in-law Kelly Coon also took the kids on sailing trips to the San Juan Islands and Canada, including a 10-day trip up to Princess Louisa Inlet. Some of them still remember it as the best vacation they had, Coon said. The men spent many hours in Bibb's 29-foot sailboat, “Decision.” They would chart out their destination and pore over the forecast. They liked the challenge and the peace. “I think probably his greatest strength was his honesty. He called it as he saw it,” Coon said. Bibb was a history buff who studied up on a country's culture and politics before traveling there. He had hiked the Himalayas and often traveled to Europe. Bibb and his wife visited South America, China, Vietnam and Russia. He and his friend Allan May, a former Herald journalist who died in 2005, made numerous backpacking and cross-country skiing trips. “I think he really enjoyed getting out of the courtroom,” Hammond said. Her uncle was a skilled conversationalist and storyteller, Pauley said. He also was a good listener. Nothing escaped his interest. He'd ask her about the radio station and also about her pursuit of yoga and meditation. “He always tried to make a connection with people,” she said. The last time she saw him, he was seated in his chair at the adult family home. He was taking in the view of Port Gardner. “I've never seen anyone look more content,” Pauley said. A memorial service for Bibb is planned for 1 p.m. Aug. 29 at Evergreen Cemetery, 4504 Broadway, http://www.heraldnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20150721/NEWS01/150729870/117... 7/21/2015 HeraldNet: Print Article Page 4 of 4 Everett. Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; [email protected]. Twitter: @dianahefley © 2015 The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA http://www.heraldnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20150721/NEWS01/150729870/117... 7/21/2015.