Very sad news indeed. When I first moved to Seattle (from the UK) in 1998, armed with my lowly LP12/BasikPlus/K9 and Nait 1, Bob was my go-to guy for all things Linn and Naim. Though I got off the bandwagon after a while, I still went in often and had a chat with him, right up to last summer if I recall.
His store was the best on Seattle's 'hi-fi row' (Roosevelt, just south of 65th), mostly I think due to the fact that the staff always seemed to love music first, equipment second. Bob was always honest, charming and had a wicked sense of humour, and I for one shall miss him dearly.