Bob Eustace

Our dear friend, Bob Eustace, passed away peacefully January 31st.  Bob had been ill for many years, but continued to be as active as possible, serving as director for the past year and a half.  A WWII veteran, Bob shared his experiences as a war photograper to middle school children, as well as our own boating community.  He spoke to a packed house at Sequoia on December 7, 2001, just weeks after the September 11th attacks, to give us a glimpse into the war in the Pacific after Pearl Harbor.  It was said that those talks were one of the things that kept him going, to share the history of a time that seems to be fading away in our memories with every passing year.

Bob shared so much more with our club.  For many years, Bob was our Santa at the children's Christmas party, sailing in on Rob Lacomble's red boat to cheering children waving from our club's deck. It was a joyful time for all to see Bob come into the club in his own personal red suit, booming voice, and huge bag of toys for the kids. Bob would have loved to continue in the role, but illness sidelined him.  He would still show up for the party in later years, perhaps to critique the new guy in red.

Bob was active in the junior sailing program, assisting in the shore boats.  He spent so much energy maintaining the shore boats, especially Blue Max, that many of those boats are still afloat thanks to his commitment.

Bob was a wonderful person to chat with, and he would share his stories of he and his wife, Charlotte, visiting Glaciar National Park by motorcycle/sidecar, of how they used to manage a motorcycle clubhouse, and their grandchildren.  Bob could be seen on Tuesday nights, spending the evening at the club by the fire, reading a book while Charlotte enjoyed the company of Ladies Card Night. 

In many ways, Bob was the heart of this club, a generous soul with a gift of connecting with people of many different ages, and with a true love for the members and Sequoia Yacht Club.  Bob, you will be missed so very much.