Obituary: Robert “Bob” McVey

Robert “Bob”  McVey was born 93 years ago in the small town of Stockton, Kansas. He died in the Juneau Pioneers’ Home on May, 2, 2025, two months after suffering a serious stroke.

Bob and his younger sister Shila were raised by their parents Earl and Mildred McVey in the Great Plains states of Kansas and Missouri.  Throughout his life, Bob was interested in science, which impacted his career choice and eventual home base in Alaska. 

Robert “Bob”  McVey

Bob attended Lafayette High School in St. Joseph, Missouri, where he enrolled in as much math and science as possible. There, he met and fell in love with Betty Lou Elam, whom he married in 1953. An excellent typist, Betty helped to support the couple while Bob worked as a mechanic in a local gas station. Bob attended the University of Missouri, earning his Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree in Zoology. 

After working in Alaska for a summer, Bob hired on as a fisheries biologist with the US Bureau of Commercial Fisheries in 1957.  He moved his wife and two young daughters to the rainforest and muddy roads of Juneau, where he became lifelong friends with a group of fisheries scientists and colleagues. Bob and his friends enjoyed deer hunting together. Over the years, these young “Buck Busters” constructed a rough cabin in the wilds of Admiralty Island, where they gathered for hunting in the fall of each year.  

Bob’s initial employment as a federal scientist focused on assuring the well-being of Alaskan fish, in the face of man-made developments like dams, roads, and log storage areas. He surveyed fisheries habitat and reported on his findings to the federal government, considering the possible outcome of developments on Alaska’s fisheries resources.  

In 1966, Bob accepted a position as the Assistant Fisheries Attache in Copenhagen, Denmark. After exploring Europe, the family returned to Alaska in 1970 when Bob took a management position with the National Marine Fisheries Service. He contributed to fishery management plans for Alaska ground fish, crab, and troll-caught salmon, eventually retiring in 1988, after an eight-year stint as the Director of the Alaska Region of the National Marine Fisheries Service.  We have heard that he was fair, even-handed, and decisive as a boss.

Bob had a deep curiosity about the world around him.  In retirement, he and Betty explored Southeast Alaska, fishing and camping on their recreational fishing boat, the “Cloud Nine.”  While they provided child care for their grandchildren, Bob also took classes at the University of Alaska Juneau.  He especially enjoyed a class he took from Cathy Connor on Historical Geology. 

Bob and Betty took breaks from child care, traveling for several weeks at a time.  In 1992, they participated in an archeological “treasure hunt” in the artists’ village of Tubac, Arizona, where for three weeks they sifted through many cubic yards of material, finding various indigenous and Spanish artifacts from the 1700s. 

In 2004 Bob and Betty, accompanied by Jeanie and Liam, travelled to Bangkok, Thailand, to visit Richard, Luann, Laura, and Lydia, who were on an international teaching assignment.  The entire family flew to the resort town of Phuket where they relaxed on the beach and ate delicious Thai food.  Staying high on a hill, they were stunned when, on December 26,  they heard screams and sirens coming from the beach below:  a huge tsunami had slammed into the island, resulting from an undersea earthquake.  Although only two fatalities resulted from the tsunami at their beach location;  many other communities on Phuket and along the coast of Asia and Africa suffered terrible losses of life as a result of this tsunami.

Bob McVey was a wonderful family man. He was well-read, friendly, and kind. He is survived by his wife of 71 years, Betty McVey; sister, Shila McVey Clark of Blue Springs, Missouri; special friend and colleague Dale Evans;   daughters Luann McVey (Richard Steele) and Jeanie McVey; grandchildren Lydia Steele (Jake Ridle), Laura Steele (Max Goldrich), and Liam McVey Macaulay; and great-grandchildren Lucy and June Goldrich; and  Flynn and Iris Ridle. Bob liked nothing more than to be with Betty and the rest of his Juneau clan, visiting and laughing at his own jokes.  

After Bob’s stroke in February 2025, he returned from the hospital to the Juneau Pioneers’ Home where he and Betty lived since 2020.  Back at the Pioneer Home, he experienced severe speech and movement challenges.  The CNAs, nurses, and assistants gave him kind and tender care throughout this difficult time.  We are deeply grateful to all of the Pioneer Home staff, who treated him as a valued family member.   We are also thankful for the thoughtful care Bob received from Dr. Dorothy Hernandez, Dr. Don Schneider, and Dr. Luke Mather in the aftermath of his stroke.  

Bob McVey was an extraordinary person.  His friends and family appreciate him and all of the ways he enriched our lives.  We will always love him and we miss him immensely.  At Bob’s request, no services will be held, but a memorial donation to the Juneau Pioneers’ Home would be welcomed. Betty and family can be reached at PO Box 211413, Auke Bay, Alaska 99821.