Robert Lewis Eakin, age 88, of Payette, Idaho, went home to be with his Lord and Savior on Saturday, August 30, 2025, at Weiser Care of Cascadia surrounded by his family. Services, under the direction of Thomason Funeral Home in Weiser, will be held Tuesday, September 16, at 12:00 noon at Payette Church of the Nazarene. Interment will follow at Eastside Cemetery in Midvale, Idaho, then a reception at the VFW in Midvale.
Robert was born May 14, 1937 in The Dalles, Oregon to Alva and Marie (Reckmann) Eakin. He attended school in Dufur, Oregon until high school, then his family moved to Weiser, Idaho where he graduated from Weiser High School in 1955. He then attended the University of Idaho for two years before transferring to Oregon Tech, where he graduated in 1960. After college he served in the US Army for three years, the last two years of which he was stationed in Germany. When he returned, he worked for several years on the family ranch. In 1966 he married Mary Greif and they had three children, Doug, Len and Teresa, which they raised in Payette. In 1972 he began working at Champion Homes in Weiser where he worked 37 years until his retirement.
In 2010 he married Naomi Hibbard whom he met while attending Payette Church of the Nazarene. They lived in Payette and they enjoyed traveling all over the Western United States and Canada, often on a motorcycle. Robert worked hard and played hard. He had a passion for motorcycles, travel, photography, animals, camping, fishing and in his later years, sudoku. Naomi says, “Robert was a very kind, loving and patient man, and he will be greatly missed.”
Survivors include his wife, Naomi Eakin of Payette, her children Sharon (Robert) Barber of Vale, OR, Denise (Carl) Morse of West Richland, WA, Karen Hibbard of Donnelly, ID, Jeanine (Sam) Schaefer of Boise, ID, Christopher (Melanie) Hibbard of Salem, OR, Christine Palmer of Portland, OR; his children Douglas (Carol) Eakin of Caldwell, ID, Len Eakin of Payette, ID, Teresa (Brian) Donivan of Weiser, ID, brother Lloyd (Ardith) Eakin of Kennewick, WA, sister Carole (Gary) Gallant of Council, ID, granddaughters Kelli Donivan of Arvada, CO, Timberlee Eakin of Fruitland, ID, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents Alva and Marie of Weiser, ID, his brother Melvin Eakin of LaGrande, OR, niece Paula Eakin of Kennewick, WA, and two granddaughters Faith and Hope Eakin of Fruitland, ID.
