1936 ~ 2025
Sunday Sep 21, 2025: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Monday Sep 22, 2025: 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM
Monday Sep 22, 2025: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
John Robert (Bob) Bolinder, 89, loving husband, father & grandfather returned to our Heavenly Father on Thursday, September 11, 2025.
He was born May 28, 1936, in Tooele, Utah, to Francis Joseph Bolinder and Ada Emma Miles. He married Sue Hawkins Holladay of Tremonton, in Tooele, Utah on May 28, 1955. They were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on February 20, 1960.
The family and friends called him Robert until 1962 when he attended Utah State University and became known as Bob, which stuck as his nickname from then on.
Bob held several church positions including Sunday school teacher, ward clerk and technical support for sound and video in the ward and stake. He also served in the Utah National Guard and told stories of being the radio tech when Guardsman Pass was created. He worked at a variety of jobs including working at and owning a gas station, working for General Electric servicing large appliances, co-owner of the Byte Shop of Salt Lake, the first personal computer shop in Salt Lake City, working at Tooele Army Depot and ending his working career teaching refrigeration and electricity at Salt Lake Community College as an adjunct instructor.
He received his pilot's license for small planes early in life and enjoyed flying his family on short rides and long vacations across the country. He flew with the civil air patrol for many years as a spotter looking for lost or downed planes in Utah and Colorado. When his family was young he loved to take them out on the lake where they learned to water ski and enjoy time together, while his wife Sue remained comfortably on dry land. He loved to fix things and spent many afternoons, evenings, and nights working on his car, truck, plane, trailer or boat depending on which one was in his possession or in need of some loving care. Bob was still fixing things when he turned 80 so his family surprised him with 80 rolls of duct tape just so he wouldn't never run out.
He is survived by his children Eugene Jim (Debbie) Bolinder, John Jay (Catherine [Gidge]) Bolinder, Jack Karl (Claudia) Bolinder, and Susan Kay (Alan) Smith, brother Sammy (Vickie) Bolinder, 17 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren and 3 great-great-grandchildren with one more arriving in October. He is preceded in death by his wife, Sue, his parents, and sisters Beverly and Jane.
There will be a viewing on Sunday, September 21, 2025, at the Pavant Ward, 5000 W Pavant Avenue from 6:00 to 8:00 pm and also on Monday from 9:00 to 9:45 am with the funeral services to follow at 10:00 am. Interment will be at Valley View Cemetery.
Much love and tenderness sent to the family. May you find the great comfort of your faith.
Both of your parents Sue & Bob were ever so kind to me personally.
My deepest condolence at their passing. May God bless
Dad was a great father, that taught me so many things during his lifetime. I also have fond and great memories. From running rivers in the grand canyon on a power boat to seeing him panic and laugh when a sink he had his shoe on, to tie shoelaces, broke (spraying water all over in the RV park bathroom) when we first went to Disneyland long ago. He allowed Jim and I to be the TV Tube testers when he was repairing broken TV's and we reveled in the fun to test the various vacuum tubes on dads tester, it was great fun for two young boys. We also got to help build things with dad, like taking our 15 passenger van and cutting off the back of it and then putting our Shasta trailer on it to make an our own family home made RV, then we used it to tow our boat(s) with that RV and even the boat(s) were made by dad, his national guard buddies along with Jim and I using fiberglass made 2 boats over the years. And the first boat was a blast to build but when we took it out the first time at Utah Lake we had lawn chairs to sit on and the outboard motor was strapped on to test it out, and when we did a sharp turn we got to watch the motor jump 10 feet in the air, turn sideways and plunge into the lake AHHHH!. We spent the next 3 days with dads National Guard buddies that could scuba dive dragging the lake to find that motor, which we did find, and his scuba diving friends brought it up for us. We used that boat for several years till dad made the next one which is the one we traversed the Colorado River, at the bottom of the grand canyon for 5 days, it was a trip of a life time. Life was not dull with dad, ever. I will miss him beyond what most people think, he was the creator of who I am in so many ways. Miss You DAD and love you forever.
You’ve been a wonderful brother-in-law and a wonderful husband to my sister. I am so grateful for knowing you and wish you eternal joy with Sue.