Born in London, England, he lived his childhood in England and Ireland, before coming to the USA in his teen years. He died on July 10, 2023 at the age of eighty-three from: respiratory arrest; ; cardiac arrest; and end stage heart failure. During his childhood in England, three of his family’s homes were bombed to the ground by the Germans. His family, thereafter, lived in “The Poorhouse” for a significant length of time, and then with other family members. Bob was severely beaten by his father during his childhood, and left home before he graduated high school. He graduated high school and continued his studies at California State University, Northridge, earning a B.A. Degree in English. Throughout his earlier childhood, he had been an abused child, as were his two sisters and his brother. Robert was also sexually abused, raped, by a member of the Catholic clergy during his childhood. He suffered from Post Stress Traumatic Disorder which he refused to have professionally treated, throughout his life.

Robert was drafted into the United States Army, during the Viet Nam War, but did not serve in any war zone, because he was an English citizen, not a USA citizen, under the rules of The Geneva Convention. Robert barely escaped being court martialed during his otherwise undistinguished period of service. After being discharged, he moved to California where he met and married Karen Woodbyrne. During their marriage of over fifty-five years (at the time of his death), Robert was often a functioning alcoholic, gambled, and was financially irresponsible. After about forty-eight years of marriage, Robert had to undergo extensive open-heart surgery, during which time, he suffered a cerebral hemorrhagic stroke which left him severely and permanently brain damaged. He abandoned his wife within weeks of his stroke and left her indigent. Throughout his marriage, he had abused his wife physically and emotionally, refusing to accept psychiatric treatment. There will be no funeral or memorial service in Oregon. Robert Woodbyrne will be remembered, but not fondly or sadly.

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