Robert James Mcdermott

Robert James McDermott

Robert J. McDermott passed away on May 5, 2022. He had hoped to make it to his 88th birthday, which would have been May 23. Bob was a Montana boy through and through. His parents raised him in northern Montana, where his father started working in an oil refinery, later moving to Billings in the early 1950s.

Bob graduated from Senior High and attended automotive school while in the Army. Following in his dad’s footsteps, Bob went to work at ExxonMobil, where he retired after 32 years as a shift supervisor. He worked for years as a volunteer at St. Vincent Hospital. His thoughts on that were “you do it because you want to do it, not because you have to do it.”

Bob is preceded in death by his parents; his older sister, Margaret; his sons Ed and Pat; and his best friend Jerry. He is survived by his wife, Mary; sisters Punky, Dorothy, Jeannine and Joan; children Joanne, Penny, Ginger and Tamie; grandchildren Brian, Katy, Kaycee, Sarah, Katie, Michelle, Jailyn, Jeremiah, Anthony and Max; with great-grandchildren Harper, Stella, Emma and Zach. Bob was the best at making sure everyone had food from Costco all the time, from chickens to his “salted nut bars.”

Bob lived a full life and, in his words, accomplished all of the things on his “bucket list.” He and Mary traveled the world over. We won’t forget his love of his Irish lineage, along with his favorite attire: shorts and knee-high socks.

Friends Nick, Micki, Leo, Marjean, Dale, Reed and Janet were all special in his life. And, last but not least, his special dog “Missy,” who was the apple of his eye.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 10, at Faith E Church, 3145 Sweet Water Drive.