Robert Billie Sipe

 Bob was born June 25, 1948 in Weiser, Idaho.  His first bed was a dresser drawer in his parents’ bedroom. By the time he was three, the family had indoor plumbing, and family fortunes improved from there.

 He graduated from Weiser High in 1966, then left for New York City to attend Columbia University. In his sophomore year, 1968, he left New York for Weiser. He and his wife, the former Martha Rice, married on June 8 of that year; they were both 19. Their priest suggested that they wait because they were so young and he was in danger of being drafted. They married anyway and recently celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary.

 Later, that June, he was drafted and spent a year in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division. The struggle to stay alive and sane would then define many years of his life.

 Bob returned to college in 1971 and entered the University of Idaho, graduating in 1976 with a bachelor’s in civil engineering. He and Martha then moved to Boise to work with Idaho Power Company. His first assignment was collaborating with Morley Nelson to design and build eagle platforms to keep the birds safe on transmission lines.

 The family then moved to Western Oregon, but they returned to Idaho in 1981 and lived on Martha’s family ranch in Meadows Valley before moving to Boise, where he once again worked for Idaho Power.  

 In midlife he felt a strong call to the ministry, so he and Martha moved to Berkeley, Calif. for three years while he attended Church Divinity School of the Pacific, the Episcopal seminary there.

 He was called to be the vicar of Christ Episcopal Church in St. Helens, Ore. in 2001, and he and Martha lived there for the next 25 years. When they moved to St. Helens, Martha graciously allowed him to buy a motorcycle. He soon became a Harley guy, and some in the parish called him The Sermonator. He retired in 2013.

 In 2025, after much testing, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and fought it until his death, Sept. 3, 2026.

 He enjoyed his four granddaughters, Eden, Wren, Becca and Lissie.  He also loved his great-grandchildren, Ember and Owen.

 He was preceded in death by his parents, Margaret Speedy Sipe and Billie Sipe, many of his aunts and uncles, and friends including Darrell Walker, the best man at his wedding.  

 He is survived by his wife, Martha; his children, Jennifer Greenleaf and Marcus (Jess) Sipe; his four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren; and his siblings, Barbara Cross, Marilynn Dacolias, Phyllis Nichols, and Mark Sipe. He is also survived by his aunt, Alice Hartley, a number of nieces and nephews, cousins, and many friends.  

 Funeral services were held at Christ Episcopal Church in St. Helens on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 2 p.m. Graveside services were held at Hillcrest Cemetery in Weiser, Idaho on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Episcopal Relief and Development.