Robert Edward Berney, 86, passed away on November 27, 2018. In 1954 he earned a Bachelors degree and graduated from the ROTC program as a Distinguished Military Graduate at Washington State College (later Washington State University WSU). He went on to active duty with a regular Army commission and trained at Ft. Benning with the latest class from West Point, earning both Ranger and Airborne certifications going on to spend his first 18 months with the 82nd Airborne Division. After four years in the Army, Robert returned to WSC to get his MA degree in Economics. He earned a PhD in Economics from The University of Wisconsin under a Ford Foundation grant in 1963. After earning his PhD in 1963 at Wisconsin, he spent a year with the Royal Commission of Taxation in Ottawa, Canada and then two years at ASU before joining the Economics Department at WSU, teaching public finance, money and banking and macroeconomics at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He retired after 33 years at WSU in 2000 as a full professor, having spent seven years as Director of Graduate Programs in Economics, seven years as Chair of the Economics Department, a year as Chair of the Faculty Senate, a year visiting at Indiana University, a year with the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, an agency of the Federal Government in D.C., and six years on loan to the Federal Government, mostly as Chief Economist for the U. S. Small Business Administration. Robert is survived by his long-time life partner Georgette Toews, two sons, a  daughter, two grandsons and a sister. He was predeceased by a son and a brother. Services will be private and held at a later date in Washington. In lieu of flowers donations can be made in Robert's name to The Nature Conservancy, The American Himalayan Foundation, The Robert E. Berney Endowed Fellowship in Economics Sciences of Washington State University or The Peter William Berney Scholarship Fund of Washington State University.