Robert David “Diz” Dismore: October 8, 1949 – July 31, 2026

LONGVIEW- Robert David Dismore — known to nearly everyone as “Diz” — was born on October 8, 1949. He lived a life full to the brim: a devoted father, a Vietnam veteran, a gifted musician, an outdoorsman, a beloved fitness instructor, and a man who never met a mountain, a melody, or a moment with family he didn’t love fully.

Diz’s love of baseball took root early. As a boy, he could always be found on a ball field, and he never tired of telling the story of the triple play he made in the sixth grade — running down a fly ball in right field among the blackberry bushes, firing it to third to catch a runner off base, and completing the play at home for the third out. It was the kind of story that got better every time he told it, and we loved him for it. That love of the game never faded; he was a devoted Mariners fan his whole life, whether he was in the stands or cheering from his living room.

Diz served his country in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War, a chapter of his life he carried with quiet pride to the end.

In his early years, Diz married his high school sweetheart, Linda, and together they welcomed a daughter, Tammy. He was, above all, a proud and present father — He spent countless hours teaching Tammy to play softball, and he never missed a game or a dance competition. That devotion to the people he loved would define him for the rest of his life.

Music ran through Diz like a second heartbeat. He was a remarkably gifted guitar player, blessed with the rare ability to play entirely by ear — though he also studied music formally and could read it just as easily. He spent his younger years playing in bands on the side, and one group even cut a record; their single, “Rendezvous Hotel,” became a local hit. He could teach anyone to play, and he did, generously and joyfully.

The outdoors called to Diz just as strongly. He climbed peak after peak across the Oregon and Washington Cascades, pouring countless hours into the learning, the training, and the sheer adventure of it. When he wasn’t on a mountain, he was drawn to the water — kayaking, walking the beach, or camping in the shadow of the peaks he loved so much.

Diz also poured his energy into his community. He danced in cabarets and taught aerobics, becoming one of the most popular instructors around — known and loved for his positive attitude and his gift for motivating everyone in the room. “Your morning Sunshine” he was often called. He taught with a smile, and people came back for him as much as for the workout.

Diz’s path to that calling came from his own hard-won journey. He battled alcohol addiction in his earlier years and, through tremendous strength and determination, achieved decades of sobriety. That victory shaped the rest of his life and gave him a depth of understanding he carried into everything that came after.

At 40, Diz went back to school and earned a master’s degree in psychology — a bold second chapter that led to a career devoted to helping others. He spent years supporting people through some of their hardest moments, working with those facing mental health struggles and addiction. He worked at PeaceHealth for 12 years and at Kaiser for 10, as a Mental Health Counselor until his retirement, bringing the same compassion and steady presence to his patients that he brought to his own family.

Diz spent his later years traveling, and in 2010 he met his wife, Arlin. Together they made their home in Longview, Washington, with a view of the mountains he’d spent a lifetime climbing — a fitting place to land.

Diz and Arlin spent their years together doing what they loved, side by side. They played guitar and sang together, cheered on baseball and football games, and shared a love for Chinese garden restaurants. Weekends often found them out hunting for treasure at estate sales and garage sales — always on the lookout for the next “gold mine” find. It was a decade full of music, laughter, and simple joys shared together.

Life’s paths don’t always run in a straight line, and Diz’s time with his family had its share of distance along the way. He met that distance the same way he met every hard thing in his life — with patience and the belief that love was always worth returning to. Today we choose to hold on to the father he was — present, devoted, and proud — and let that be what remains.

This past year, Diz faced pancreatic cancer with the same strength and determination that carried him up every mountain and through every performance. He will be remembered for his generous spirit, his music, his devotion to his family, and the joy he brought to everyone lucky enough to know him.

Diz is survived by his wife, Arlin; his daughter, Tammy; his stepson, Mike, his grandchildren, Katie, Hannah, and Maddie; his two great-grandchildren; his brothers, Bill Morvee and Tom Kellebrew; and his sisters, Carla Aguilar, Sherry Carpenter, and Cathy Johnson. He was preceded in death by his parents, Bryan and Ina. He leaves behind a legacy of love, music, and mountains climbed.