1952 ~ 2016
On July 5, 2016, I left my wonderful earthly family to join my Heavenly family. I will miss my earthly family, but look forward to seeing them again in an eternal twinkling of an eye. I came to this earth on December 11, 1952, the first child born to Robert Smith Thorup and Evelyn Jean Olson of Salt Lake City. I look forward to seeing them again. I will also miss my brother, Gary Richard (Suzanne) and my sister, Rebecca (Chris) Kinzel, all of whom still live.
I graduated in 1970 from Highland High, where I was active in Debate and first met the beautiful and vivacious Nancy Jean Wise, whom I later married in the Salt Lake Temple on July 14, 1977. We were blessed with five incredibly talented and loving children who have been the light of our lives. In 1975 I graduated with honors, from the University of Utah with a degree in Political Science, and in 1978, received my JD degree from the National Law Center at George Washington University, where I served as Articles Editor on the Law Review.
I interned for the Assistant Secretary for Energy and Minerals in the United States Interior Department in 1975, clerked for the United States Army Court of Military Review in 1976, and also clerked for Senior Administrative Law Judge Max Kane at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in 1978-79. My entire time with Judge Kane was spent on the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline case, the third largest case then being prosecuted by the Federal government. In October 1979 I began a nearly 30-year career with the Ray Quinney & Nebeker law firm, retiring as a senior partner in June 2006. I started and ran my own legal services company until June 2008, when I accepted an offer to become Deputy City Attorney at the City of West Jordan. In November 2015, I was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, which necessitated my retirement in March 2016, and ultimately took my life. Professionally, I am most proud of the key roles I played in the litigation and settlement of the "Wexpro Case", which gained well over a billion dollars of benefit to the customers of Questar Gas; and in the drafting and lobbying for the Utah Administrative Procedures Act. I was a Judge Pro Tem in Utah's Third District Court for over 25 years, active in the Utah Bar Association, and wrote a column in the "Enterprise" newspaper for many years.
A lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I served a mission in Japan from 1971-73 under the direction of President M. Tom Shimizu. Afterwards I taught Japanese at the Language Training Mission in Hawaii. During my life I served in many callings. My most memorable were Elder's Quorum President, Gospel Doctrine Teacher, High Priest Group Leader, Ward Physical Facilities, and Stake High Council. I have an unshakable testimony of my Father-in-Heaven and my Savior, Jesus Christ.
I am survived by my eternal queen and companion, Nancy, and our five children, two daughters-in-law, and seven grandchildren: James Robert (Angie Henry), and their children Alexandra, Jonathan, Jackson, and Maxwell; Tamara Lynn Scoville, and her child Grace; Michelle Marie; Kevin Wise (Rachel Hales), and their children Samuel and Sophie; and our youngest daughter, Jennifer Jean. I appreciate the loving support I have received from family, friends, neighbors and medical professionals.
Family Note: Bob was a devoted, generous, husband, father and grandfather who always put his family first. A hard working, silent server, who gave liberally of his time and resources, he handled ALS with patience and grace, never complained, and was gallant to the end. We will miss him terribly.
Richard Fouts
I remember watching Bob on the Debate team. He was a stickler for detail and fact checking. He was all about integrity and insisted facts be double, even triple checked. It's no wonder he became a successful attorney (and I have no doubt he carried his obsession for integrity with him whever he went). I remember having such great conversations with him about everything. He was a Renaissance man. I was very sad to see that he's passed. Rest in peace, my friend.
Randy Spratt
Bob and I were good friends at HHS -- with more than a few adventures and pranks. Everything he did was deliberate, carefully considered, and done from a place of integrity and ethics. From his love-fired yet carefully plotted and successful courtship of Nancy Wise (HHS '70) that lasted a too-short lifetime, to his devotion as a father, to his remarkable and celebrated career, he was a man of his word and a man with a smile. I had a long conversation with him a few weeks before his death, marked by courageousness and concern for his loved ones, and he left this world in the same way he lived in it: with great care for others and having everything in order. This bright star fell from the sky too early, and may his memory be a blessing to many.
Tom (Or Thomas) Mcaffee
Bob and I were good friends in high school and were both very involved in debate. Looking back, I realize we had at least three things in common: (1) we were each intense participants, even competitors, in high school debate; (2) perhaps not unrelatedly, we each applied the skills learned in debate to undergraduate studies and to law school. The only important difference here is that Bob practiced law for a bunch of years, while I practiced just enough to head toward teaching; (3) we shared holding a fellow student at Highland, Nancy Wise, in the highest esteem. And, of course, Bob married Nancy, which made it natural for Lynda (my spouse) and I to think of Bob & Nancy as dear, life-long friends. We left in 1979 and never returned to live in Salt Lake Valley, so we did not really enjoye a great deal of face time with Bob & Nancy. Whenever were able got together, to eat or whatever, it was great times and great memories.
We made it to SLC often enough, but always with too little time and too much to do. But one of my all-time memories will always be spending an afternoon with Nancy late in the summer after Bob's death. We shared memories, yearbooks, scrap books, etc. And it made me realize how much I valued a tremendous relationship with them both---even if it were a bit undernourished. I have occasionally been teased by Highland debaters who were a bit younger then Bob or I, of Bob's performance in a final debate round; apparenlty Bob carefullu but tenaciously relied on a "debate quote" which he attributed to Professor Thomas B. McAffee- the distinguihsed expert on foreign policy. (Story goes that I had told him about this great statement, which he remembered, but did not remember who to attribute it to.) I of course have insisted that this showed Bob's prescience.
Many never knew the real Bob. He could be intense, and some would argue, even arrogant. This was never the whole truth, of course. But Highlanders should know that through the years Bob became more soft-spoken and more tentative than the much younger Bob. As perhaps with many of us, life taught Bob that a little humility goes a long way. I will always treasure my memories with Bob.
Steve Gallenson
My first encounter with Robert Thorup was on the first day of of our 9th grade year at Clayton Junior high school. I walked into my assigned English class, which for some reason was labeled Journalism. I immediately noticed that I was in a class that had all the smart people. Bob walked up to me before the bell rang and asked me "what are you doing in this class"? He explained that this is the Journalism class that writes the school newspaper and you have to be selected by a teacher to be in this elite group. Bob expressed that there must be a mistake given my reputation as a Clayton Gully denizen of the dark side. Bob was the editor and he was not pleased.
After we wrote submissions for the first edition of the paper Bob corralled me in the hall with my article and told me that he was surprised that Mr. Mowry wanted my article to be in the paper and he reluctantly admitted that it was very different and good despite 30 spelling errors.
 Subsequently, that year, Bob became a mentor and friend. We started off roughly but eventually we became pals and he helped bring out a talent I had, that I had never previously recognized in myself. We enjoyed Hugh Rush's debate class together at Highland and he was very pleased to help me get transferred out of ROTC.
I really enjoyed knowing Robert Thorup and his brother Gary. Bob was a very fun person had one of those great, intelligent senses of humor that showed through an amazing twinkle in his eye. He influenced my life in a very positive way.
Kent Kirkham
I was Bob's Zone Leader in the Japan Central Mission. He was an amazing missionary and so smart with the Japanese language. Where did the years go? You left us way too early Elder Thorup!