Robert (Bob) Duane Lacey

Robert (Bob) Duane Lacey (5/5/21 - 8/16/17) died peacefully in his Carmichael, Ca home. Bob is now joyfully reunited with his wife Gale (1920-2005), son Bob Jr. (1948–1999), and brother Joe (1918-2007). Dad is survived by four children Mary Lacey, Colleen (Pete) Higgins, Sally (Bill) Archambault and Thomas (Janet) Lacey; a step daughter Laurie Boyd, ten grandchildren: Lacey Higgins White (Jason), Brendan Hig¬gins, Kevin Higgins; Eileen Lacey, Rose Lacey; Rachel Archambault; Patrick Lacey, Ryan Lacey, Matthew Lacey and Rachael Lacey; and two great grandchildren Connor and Teagan White; and sister Helen White who Dad absolutely adored and is still going strong at 102 years old. Bob was born in Oakland, Ca attended St Ignatius High School in San Francisco and the University of Santa Clara before being drafted into WW2 and entered active duty in August 1944 where he served until his honorable discharge having achieved the rank of first Lieutenant in January 1947. A very private man, Bob only recently opened up about his WW2 experiences. To his delight, some of his family was able to recently retrace some of his WW2 steps in Germany, including the famous Remagen bridge which Dad crossed in March, 1945. Bob earned both a purple heart and a bronze star medal for his heroism in battle. Bob raised 5 children and was a dedicated and passionate Catholic his entire life. Upon returning from WW2, Bob was a talented singer (“The Irish Tenor”), ultimately performing professionally in San Francisco, including publishing a handful of albums. In order to support a growing family, Bob, his brother Joe, his father and brother-in-law Bob White, built a successful home construction corporation in the Bay Area. Later in life Bob developed and built a multiple hundred unit apartment complex - the Los Padres in Salinas, CA and owned and managed the Empress Apartments in Woodland, CA both of which he very successfully managed into his 80s. For many years, all of his grandchildren very much looked forward to the annual trip with Grandpa – that included ski trips, Sea World visits, Disneyland trips and Giants-Dodgers games. Watching on live public TV in 1951, Dad and his father witnessed the most famous homerun of all time -- Bobby Thompson’s “shot heard around the world”, inspiring Dad to become a die-hard Giants fan when they moved to San Francisco in 1958, and he was unquestionably Willie Mays’ #1 all-time fan. Bob was an avid outdoorsman who at a very young age developed a love affair with Yosemite and also took many fishing trips to Alaska. Dad shared this love of the Yosemite and the Sierras (skiing) with his children and grandchildren who have carried on his passion for the outdoors. In honor of Bob’s life, remembrances can be made in his name to the Catholic Church.