Robert E. French, Salina
Former Madison resident Robert E. “Bob” French of Salina died Sunday, Jan. 28, 2007, at a Salina hospice. He was 76.
Mr. French was married to Martha Hess of Madison, who survives.
He joined the U.S. Navy in 1949 and served two tours off Korea, then served on a guided missile test ship. After discharge from the Navy,he received a Merchant Seaman Certificate in Seattle, Wash., and shipped out with the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey to do hydrography in southeast Alaska. He joined the Marine Corps in December 1953, serving in California and Hawaii, and joined the Air Force in 1957, serving at Kansas City, the Phillipines, California, and Independent Duty in Laos. From 1962 to 1965, he was employed by Pacific Bell Telephone Company. As a Marine Reserve when the Vietnam war began, he requested active duty and served three tours. He retired from the Marine Corps in 1976. He graduated from Kansas Technical Institute in Salina in 1980 and worked for Boeing Military Aircraft before retiring in 1984. He began building and selling amateur radio equipment throughout the midwest.
Mr. French was a member of the Masonic Lodge in Salina, Khe Sanh Veterans Bravo Battery 12th Marines, USS Bataan Association, and the National Rifle Association.
He is also survived by three children, 14 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
The memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Friday in the Carlson-Geisendorf Funeral Home at Salina.
Memorial contributions to the Salina Animal Shelter or any wildlife fund may be sent in care of the funeral home, 500 S. Ohio, Salina, KS 67401.