City staff is mourning the loss of retired Fire Chief Robert “Bob” Hasbrook, who passed away on Jan. 9.
Hasbrook served as Bartlesville fire chief from 1995 until he retired in 2012.
“Chief Hasbrook provided leadership for our fire department during some of our community’s most challenging disasters, including the fires that destroyed the Shin’enKan home in December 1996 and the May Brothers Building in 2009,” said City Manager Mike Bailey. “He was a good chief and a good man. Our hearts are with his family during this difficult time. He will be missed.”
Hasbook was born Dec. 4, 1946 to Ethelda Frasier, an army nurse, and Robert Walker Hasbrook, a Navy physician’s assistant. When Hasbrook was 7, the family moved to Carl Junction, Mo., where he attended school. He also served as an Explorer Scout with the Missouri Conservation Commission.
Hasbrook married Diane Coleman in 1967. The couple had two daughters, Connie and Nancy. He married Kathy Gay Bliler in 1978. He is survived by Gay and daughter Connie, as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
His firefighting career included service with the Neosho Fire Department, the Western Taney County Fire Protection District in Branson, Mo., and Bartlesville. He also served as the past president of Bartlesville noon Rotary and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bartlesville, and on the Executive Board of the Cherokee Area Council No. 469 and as a trustee of Bartlesville First Church.