Robert M. Damir
(1925 – 2014)
Robert M. Damir (Bob) was born in Fresno, CA, December 22, 1925, to Mamprey and Esther Damir. He was the sixth and youngest son of Armenian parents who left their homes in Betlis and Erzerom in western Armenia and came to America to escape the genocide.
Bob was raised in a large and loving Armenian family. He attended the Fresno Pilgrim Church Sunday School as a young child until his family moved to Riverbank, a suburb of Modesto, where his father went into the fruit business. Like many new immigrants, the Damirs spoke only Armenian at home. This was the time of the Great Depression, and Bob told stories of shelling walnuts and driving to San Francisco to sell them at the Crystal Palace Market, a San Francisco tradition of that time. There were also good times driving through the Damir orchard and picking peaches off the tree to eat, which were so delicious in comparison to the peaches of today, and summers filled with work throwing large fruit boxes onto trucks.
While growing up in a small Central Valley town, he became very active in his school and community. He became well-known as a singer in the local Catholic Church and in his high school band, and was nicknamed the “Bobby Breen of the San Joaquin”. It didn’t take long for Bob to develop into an entrepreneur and business man. He started a photography business taking portraits, and by age 17 he and his brother managed the family dry fruit processing plant in Merced.
After graduating from high school, Bob enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II, but the war was over before he could be deployed. His brother, Homer, was not so fortunate and was killed during the Normandy invasion. Bob completed his military duty by attending Naval Officers Training in the reserves.
After the war, Bob was off to Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he graduated in 1949 with an MBA. He then started a spice business in San Francisco, and while living there met and married Margaret in 1957. They soon started their own family, and were eventually blessed with three sons and two daughters. With a family to support, Bob made a decision to attend night classes at USF Law School while working as a real estate appraiser during the day. He graduated and passed the Bar Exam on the first try. Bob was an attorney at law for over 40 years, and a Bankruptcy Trustee for the U. S. Bankruptcy Court for eight years. Among his more interesting career experiences, Bob was privileged to become William Saroyan’s attorney. After Saroyan’s death, he and two other men took Saroyan’s ashes to Soviet-occupied Armenia for burial. This was in 1982, and the delegation received a hero’s welcome and celebration in honor of William Saroyan’s life.
Bob was a man of deep personal faith in Jesus Christ. He accomplished many great things, among them starting a Christian high school in San Francisco. He was the greatest husband, father, and grandfather . His children say that he personified such traits as integrity, tenacity, brilliance, warmth and fun. He walked through every stage of their lives caring, teaching, reasoning, correcting, challenging and advising them. In his own words from his diary: “I want to grow in my faith, to do God’s will more and more as His servant, and to leave a legacy to my children and grandchildren that demonstrates the depth of my faith.”
Bob passed away peacefully on April 23, 2014, and is survived by his wife, Marge, his five children Theresa Damir and husband Michael Krieger; Garrick Damir and wife Julia; Nonda Ebbinghaus and husband Bart; Christian Damir and wife Jennifer; and Timothy Damir, as well as eleven grandchildren: Corinne and Jenna Skover; Gabriel and Michael Damir; Elise, Briana and Luke Ebbinghaus; and Samuel, Joshua, Nicole and Benjamin Damir.