Robert W. Landon, 84, died of a cerebral hemorrhage on September 8, 2017, in Olympia, Washington.

Robert was born on December 14, 1932, in Rawlins, Wyoming. He graduated from Marysville High School in 1952, where he excelled in track and field, earning him the nickname “Cougar Bob.” During the Korean War, he served as a U.S. Navy pilot aboard the WASP aircraft carrier. Robert married his high school sweetheart, Evelyn Olson, in 1955.

Initially joining the Washington State Patrol in 1953, he returned after his time in the Navy, working up through the ranks. He was director of the training academy when selected to be Chief of the WSP by Governor Dixie Lee Ray in 1977. After retiring from the WSP in 1981, Robert was selected as the head of the Montana Highway Patrol. In 1986, he was elected as president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. After retiring from the Montana Highway Patrol in 1989, he and Evelyn moved back to Olympia, where he worked for the Washington Association of Sheriff and Police Chiefs until 1998. Following his third retirement, he remained active, teaching at the college level, serving as an expert witness and conducting assessment centers for police departments. Robert held a law degree from Lasalle Extension University, a BA and Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Puget Sound, and a PhD in Administration/ Management from Walden University.

He was active in Boy Scouts and leadership in his church. He loved hunting, fishing, canoeing, gardening and flying his small plane. Robert is survived by his wife of 62 years, Evelyn; his daughter, Lisa (Dan) Anderson; his son, Ronald (Teresa) Landon; three grandchildren, Jack Landon, TJ Crabtree and Alexis Anderson; and three great grandchildren, Thomas, Jane and Joseph Crabtree. He is preceded in death by his brother, Thomas Landon. The funeral service was held at The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Olympia and burial was at the Marysville Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the Washington State Patrol Memorial Foundation or The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Olympia.

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