Robert Russell Easton

A native Californian, born in San Mateo, Bob was the son of Russell Sage Easton and Pauline Orpha Phillips. As a child, he moved with his parents to their home state of Ohio, living part of the time with his grandparents Clyde and Ada Phillips. He graduated from Conesville (Ohio) High School in 1961, and married Junetta Ann Slaughter in 1960. They had five children together: Leslie Kay (Jeff Clark); Michelle Renee (Steve Hock); Annette Suzanne (Dave Carter); Kimberly Ann (Cary Martin); and Robert Eric (Melanie Ann Larkin). His children gifted him with 23 grandchildren and more than 50 great grandchildren during his lifetime. Another gift was the discovery of what had happened to his sister DeAnne Carol Easton, and meeting two nieces he never knew about and re-connecting with his only nephew.

He enlisted in the US Army in 1971, and was assigned to Fort Monmouth, New Jersey where he received advanced radar training and became an instructor. He re-enlisted in the Army in 1973 as a radar repair and behavioral science specialist, moving with his family to Hawaii’s Schofield Barracks. Realizing how important education would be to a career and his family, while serving on active duty in Hawaii he attended Chaminade University, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in 1976. He went on to receive a Master of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Northern Colorado in 1979. He completed his Ph.D. coursework from United States International University in California while working full time and going to school at night.

His career path then focused on behavioral science, and he held a variety of positions as a practitioner, supervisor, and administrator in Massachusetts, Arkansas, California, and Arizona. The last 20 years of his practice as a Licensed Professional Counselor were spent in Flagstaff and Sedona, Arizona, providing counseling to elementary schools on the Navajo and Hopi Reservations; individual, marriage, and family counseling services; and working with Vietnam-era veterans in individual and group settings.

In 2012, he married Jacqueline Vaughn and they moved together to Sedona, where they both retired. They spent their time together traveling, remodeling several houses, enjoying the company of their pets, and watching football. Despite multiple health challenges in later life, Bob was able to see parts of the world he had never envisioned having a chance to see, including China and Europe, as well as his favorite, Grand Teton National Park.

Bob often told the story that he had been voted “Most Likely to Be Late” in high school, and whether the story was true or not, he is more likely to be remembered for his love for his family, and his heartfelt passion for serving his clients and those in need. He was an automobile aficionado, loved the ocean, enjoying puttering in the garage, and studying World War II.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date in Sedona and in Utah. His family asks that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made in his memory to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Grand Central Station P.O. Box 4777, New York, NY 10163.