Robert Gerald Wainio, beloved father, brother and uncle, died peacefully on October 25, 2023 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was 84 years old.

Robert, whom his friends and family called "Bob," was born on August 5, 1939 to George and Helmie Wainio in Eveleth, Minnesota. His father George was a watchmaker and his mother worked for the "Ma" Bell telephone company. Bob grew up in Duluth, Minnesota, and in 1957, graduated from Duluth Central High School where he had played both football and the violin. He went on to attend the University of Minnesota, studying engineering.

A perpetual entrepreneur, Bob got his first job at five years old, as a "sandwich man," advertising steamer excursions on Lake Superior. Bob was a hard worker and early on combined his vocation with his love of adventure, traveling the United States, installing audio tutorial equipment in colleges and universities. In 1976, he and his first wife Ann Hayes settled in Western Kansas, with their two children, Heather Dawn and Bryan Gerald. There, Bob and Ann purchased the Trails End Motel, running the motel together for many years.

In 1982, Bob relocated his family to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, to attend Rhema Bible College. Bob would live in Tulsa until his death, though his travels often took him away as he went on search of adventure.

Bob loved the outdoors, especially when he could be on a tennis court. He was a wanderer and a scholar, collecting interesting stories and an appreciation for new foods along the way, a trait he deeply instilled in both of his children. Bob was also a member of the Civil Air Patrol, obtaining his pilot's license in the 1970s and flying a small Bellanca Viking airplane, taking Bryan and Heather all over the US, Canada and Mexico. With a soft voice, a kind heart, and a mischievous twinkle in his eye, Bob spent a long life thinking, reading and traversing and will be missed by those who loved him.

Bob is survived by his sisters, Marilyn Halonen and Cheryl Stellenberg, his daughter Heather, his niece Melissa Bray, and his nephews Shawn Stellenberg and Darren Cusanovich. He is preceded in death by both of his parents, his brother Norman, and his son Bryan.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, December 2, 11am-1pm at The Canopy, 19 East Reconciliation Way, in Tulsa. In lieu of flowers, donations may be provided to Clarehouse, the organization that took care of him in his last days.