Obituary of Robert Bryant McGee

Bob was born to Beatrice and Morris McGee on the island of Okinawa, Japan on August 27, 1957. He passed away suddenly at his home in Capitola on Monday, January 9, 2023 of bilateral bacterial pneumonia. He is survived by his daughter Pam, her husband Mike, and his grandchildren Ethan and Rileigh Van Valkenburgh, long time partner Marsha Mullins and her daughters Allison Land (Rob) and Crosby Fiedler and his grandchildren Cora, Anthony, Cece and Tyler. He is also survived by his siblings, Cindy Wright (John), Bill McGee (Sam Sutrino), Sue Clark (Rick), and Buddy McGee, his niece and nephew Jennifer and Jefferey Clark and by his ex-wife Laurie Vermeulen (Jim) and their son August Vermeulen. The following memoriam is written by Bob’s beloved daughter, Pam Van Valkenburgh: Bobby McGee. Just saying his name made people smile. I bet you’re smiling right now because some wonderful memory of him just ran through your mind. Some funny “dad joke”, a story he told from his childhood, or just remembering what a great guy he was. From jumping out of a plane with Boy Scouts to taking the back roads everywhere, my dad lived life how he wanted and loved every minute of it. He was definitely a kid at heart and never felt nor acted his age. If my dad had a motto it would have been, “Let’s try it and see”. He was outgoing and carefree and never got wrapped up in the drama of others. He loved the outdoors. You could find him any afternoon after work at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, in the arcade, eating a corn dog or watching a concert. He never missed a year of the Monterey County Fair, walking around with a beer in one hand and a funnel cake in the other. He loved taking road trips and bike rides with Marsha. His favorite trips were those he and Marsha would take to Yosemite for the day. He would sing every song that came on the radio along the way; he had the best taste in music. Family was very important to my dad and he always did whatever he had to do to support us, even working two jobs at times. Whether in person at Oracle Park or from his living room at home he loved watching Giants games with Marsha, her daughters, Allison and Crosby, and their families. Making Mother’s Day breakfast together for Marsha was something special they remember doing with him. They loved how much he cared for Marsha and how he was always there for her. He was happiest when he was spending time with his grandkids; Ethan, Rileigh, Cora, Tyler, Cece and Anthony. To them he was known as Papa Bob, Grandpa and Papa Train. Whether it was going to the Mystery Spot, Good Old Days, staying home playing with his electric trains or simply sitting on the couch watching t.v., it didn’t matter, he loved every second with them. He and my husband Mike loved hanging out in the garage having a beer and “shootin’ the shit” as he would say. He was a great brother to Cindy, Bill, Sue and Buddy. He never missed an opportunity to play a prank or practical joke on any of them. When they all got together there was no telling what could happen. You’d laugh so hard you’d have tears running down your cheeks. He definitely had a very “unique” sense of humor. What many people may not have known about my dad is that he was a very talented artist although extremely humble and would never see himself as such. My dad was a very hard worker and dedicated to his job. Because of this I often thought my dad was a workaholic but honestly I think he just really enjoyed his work and being around people. My dad was never the kind of guy that could work a typical 9-5 office job. Over the course of 40 plus years he worked primarily at various Chevron gas stations around the Monterey Peninsula and Santa Cruz. The Santa Cruz station was informally referred to as “Bob’s station” by his coworkers. He also worked at the Monterey Beacon and the Monterey Union 76 gas stations and he was a forklift driver at Orchard Supply Hardware which he loved. He thrived working in a public setting and he worked all hours of the day and night meeting people from all walks of life. He loved getting to know them and helped many of them. He never thought of himself as being better than anyone. He was empathetic to others and never judged. Some of my greatest memories with my dad are tide pooling with our dog Sassy, camping in Big Sur, hiking Garland Park, Great America trips and simply driving around Monterey after school in his Jeep Grand Cherokee and hearing him tell, “I remember when…” stories. He was a great man and I am so proud to be his daughter. I think the thing I’m going to miss the most about my dad is not being able to reminisce with him about the times he and I shared together. All the places we went, the things we did and the numerous inside jokes that we had. There will never be a day that goes by that I won’t miss him and life will never be the same without him in it. I’d like to end this memoriam with a quote from my dad, “Pull my finger” We will be having a celebration of life BBQ to honor Bob on Saturday, May 20, 2023 at 1:00 in the afternoon at the Del Rey Oaks Park: 999 Angelus Way, Del Rey Oaks, CA 93940