Robert Wilhelm, Sr., died on Feb. 14

Robert Wilhelm, Sr., chairman of the board of Wilhelm Trucking & Rigging Company, Portland, Oregon, US, died February 14.

The company was founded by his father, Rudie Wilhelm, Sr., in 1910, and Robert, Sr. joined the company full-time in 1937, following completing his education at the University of Oregon. He made a major impact almost immediately by establishing a rigging operation to complement the various heavy-haul projects. Under his leadership, the company won multiple hauling SC&RA Jobs of the Year Awards - in 1972 and 1985.

As an original member of SC&RA, he always held the association in the highest regard, according to his son Robert Wilhelm, Jr., the company's president. In the Over the Long Haul book commemorating SC&RA's Golden Anniversary in 1998, Robert Wilhelm, Sr. said: "In reviewing the last 50 years we have been associated with SC&RA, we are appreciative of the value we have received from our relationship with its staff and the supportive membership. It has been most rewarding to be able to contact a member or staff executive to receive a quality answer to a particular problem. We gratefully thank everyone for their past favors and wish the best for the future."

Robert Wilhelm, Jr. reported that his father died after a short illness, in his home, with his family nearby. "He had been going to the office up until the week prior to his death," he said. "He loved trucks!"

Robert Wilhelm, Sr. was preceded in death by his wife Jeanne by three years and one day.