Bobbye Cullen DeCook

Published 8:17 am Tuesday, June 1, 2021

Bobbye Cullen DeCook

November 15, 1939 – May 3, 2021

Bobbye passed away peacefully at the age of 81.

Bobbye lived a life, rich in experiences and friendships. She was born in Wild Cherry, Arkansas to Cleffie and Garland Staggs but they moved to West Plains, Missouri when Bobbye was around 5 to promote their children’s education. There she grew up among a large and close family and began her first career as a medical technician. She left West Plains and moved to Kansas City where she met and married a TWA captain, Bernie Cullen. They moved to San Francisco but early in their marriage Bobbye was widowed when Bernie had a tragic drowning accident.

Bobbye was a real estate agent in Marin when she met Fred DeCook, the man she would be married to for 47 years. Fred was building his own real estate firm and she became the training director for new people coming into the business through his firm. But she loved antiques and appreciated beautiful furnishings, so she opened a small shop in San Anselmo, CA. It was so successful that she then opened a large and quite prosperous store in San Francisco, where she catered to the decorator trade. For 25 years she traveled to France and England twice a year cultivating her enormous interest in antiques, art, food and culture. Fred went with her on many of those trips. They enjoyed living in San Francisco and built a home in Stinson Beach and then lived in Healdsburg, CA for 10 years. They settled in Bend in 2004 to be close to her aunt, Dee Davis and her husband, Jim Davis. She kept in frequent touch with her lifelong friends in Marin, CA and family in Missouri.

Bobbye was a true Renaissance woman. She sang, taught dance at Arthur Murray Studios in Kansas City, was a voracious reader, an avid Bridge player and a superb cook. She was known as the “Sauce Queen” among friends who participated in her frequent social events where good food, wine and conversation held sway.

Bobbye loved the natural world. She was a Master Gardener and every year she would plant a rich and colorful garden. As she aged, she simply recruited others to assist her in this endeavor so that she could be surrounded by nature.

Everyone who knew Bobbye liked her. She and Fred were a wonderful team. She had a sense of humor that put people at ease. Filled with warmth and fabulous taste, she made friends feel at home and welcomed. She is and will be missed by many.

Bobbye is predeceased by her parents, Cleffie and Garland Staggs, her first husband Bernie Cullen, her brother, Wayne Staggs, and her sister, Betty Webb. She is survived by her husband, Fred DeCook, her three stepsons Jack DeCook, his wife Kerstin (their children Allyssa, Kylee and Jake), Thomas DeCook, and Peter DeCook, her nephew Justin Jones and his wife Louise (their children Logan and Emily), and her Aunt Dee Davis and grandson, Jesse Colson.

May Bobbye’ garden of love forever bloom in our hearts.

Donations in her memory can be made to the Humane Society.

A Celebration of Life is being planned for August in Bend.