Robert "Bob" James Eytzen

Robert (Bob) James Eytzen (87) was the first child born to Abraham and Hilda Eytzen in Mountain Lake, Minnesota on January 17, 1937.  When Bob was 11 years old, his family moved to Blaine, Washington where he later graduated from Blaine High School in 1955.  He attended Pacific Bible Institute in Fresno, California for one year following high school.

In 1958, he married his Ferndale sweetheart, Mary Evelyn Schroeder, and they travelled through their marriage together for 65 years.  They raised their family of 4 children in the same Ferndale house for 50 years where Bob proudly tended to blueberries, raspberries, grapes, and an assortment of fruit trees.  His favorite past times were hiking, gardening, and nature photography – anything that kept him in God’s beautiful outdoors.  Bob was a long-time active member of the Birch Bay Bible Community Church where he taught Sunday School, Bible classes, and much more.

Well-known in Whatcom County as the “Pepsi man,” Bob delivered beverages for Walton Beverage for 32 years.   His love of Pepsi went far beyond his job and into the home where he proudly displayed his vast collection of Pepsi memorabilia.  His job gave him the chance to befriend many people, as he was always quick to chat with anyone he met.  Later, after his retirement, Bob couldn’t keep idle and worked as the groundskeeper for Enterprise Cemetery for eleven years.

Bob is survived by his wife Mary (Schroeder) Eytzen, sons Roger (Joanne) and Norman (Sara), daughters Rita Schultz and Nancy (Brad) Klassen, sister Verna (Donald) Doerksen; grandchildren Ian (Dana) Eytzen, Ivan (Tianna) Eytzen, Erica Eytzen, Melinda Schultz, Christina (Kyle) Schultz, Maxwell Eytzen, Keira Eytzen, and great-grandchildren Veda and Zoe Eytzen; and Ryker, Mercer, and Turner Eytzen.

On Saturday March 23, 2024, Bob had his homecoming with Mary by his side at the Christian Health Care Center in Lynden.  We are sure he is happy to be reunited with his parents, baby brother Albert, and son in-law Raymond Schultz.