Bob’s last ride

Dave Bakke at the Springfield (Ill.) State Journal-Register has the details about the burial Sunday of the cremains of Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire at the family plot near Rochester, Ill. The other half of his ashes are to be released along the Mother Road.

True to Bob’s wishes, some of his ashes have been sent into the ocean off Santa Monica Pier, where Route 66 ends. Some have soared off the Chain O Lakes Bridge near Chicago. Family members will drive to Portal in the Chiricahua Mountains to sprinkle more of Bob’s ashes.

But on Sunday, it was time for that last ride in the 1972 Volkswagen bus that was the model for the character Fillmore in the movie “Cars.” Bob’s friend, Tom Wanko of St. Louis, had gone to Arizona to fetch that van, which Bob drove on Route 66 many times. […]

About 40 people watched as Buz and Steve used a posthole digger to make an 18-inch hole, as Bob specified. Bob’s brother, Jeff Waldmire, knelt and poured Bob’s ashes directly into the hole. There was no container. Bob wanted to mingle with the earth. The hole was filled with dirt. Forget-me-nots were planted on top.

“I guess I should say goodbye to Bob, but I can’t,” Buz said as he packed dirt around the flowers. “I still talk to him, especially when I’m in his van.”

The whole thing is worth reading.

In related news, a website, bobwaldmire.com, has been set up by his family to sell his artwork.

UPDATE: Today, the Kingman Route 66 Association announced that a one-month memorial exhibit of Waldmire’s work will be at Beale Street Gallery of Arts in Kingman, Ariz. The event will run from April 30 to May 25. The hours for viewing are from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and on Sundays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

5 thoughts on “Bob’s last ride

  1. I heard about this last week, which was unfortunate. My company 66-to-Cali and the Route 66 Alliance had been quitely planning with the city of Santa Monica and the Pier Restoration Corporation to have a ceremony fitting of Bob’s larger than life persona at this year’s 84th birthday ceremony on November 11, which would have involved the sprinkling of his ashes off the end of the pier. Bob is inextricably linked to the road, and as his friend (and fan), I’d hoped to do something to honor him on the road’s birthday, thus linking him to it even more. I’m just sorry someone did it without consulting anyone, because we could have helped tremendously. It could have been a great opportunity to let a bigger number of people know about the legacy and talent that was Bob.

    1. Dan, the plan all along was to bury half of Bob’s ashes at the family plot, and disperse the other half along his favorite spots along Route 66. The article indicates that nothing has changed with that.

      For for “consulting,” I have no problem with family members making the ultimate decision on what to do. That is only proper. And I’m sure Bob’s ashes will be scattered along the Mother Road at some point, if they haven’t already.

  2. Ron, I agree. My original comment was not meant to imply the family should consult with anyone. In no way do I mean that. Quite the opposite actually about something so private. What I should have said was that, individuals from the Route 66 Alliance visited Bob the week after I did in December and have been in touch with his family since then, so our plans in Santa Monica should already be known to them. To our knowledge, no one from Bob’s family has been to Santa Monica at this point, so a non-family third party must have scattered his ashes. With a well-directed inquiry to anyone involved with me, the City of Santa Monica, the Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation, or the Route 66 Alliance, we could have involved them with us in a way that could have paid proper tribute to Bob’s memory and talent. Now that the ashes have already been scattered, we won’t have that opportunity, but yes, if it was agreeable to Bob’s family, then anything that was already done will suffice. Please forgive my lack of clarity in my earlier email. No offense was meant to anyone.

  3. I just watched the first half of “Cars” last night for the first time. It’s entertaining. However, I think ALL will agree that the character Fillmore does NOT remind one of Bob at all. Neither did the character’s vehicle look like Bob’s VW art bus. Bob was erudite and well-spoken. Sure, he was a hippie, but also an intellectual and accomplished artist.

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