Oakhurst CA — Robert "Bob" Franz Joseph Fruehe peacefully passed away at the ripe old age of 89 on Friday April 5th, 2024. Bob had "no regrets" and was ready to join his wife Nancy (nee Parks) who preceded him and is resting in Yosemite Valley, their happy place. Bob leaves behind his children; sons Robert "R.J.", William "Bill", Timothy and wife Barbara, John and wife Tina, and daughter Alice; her Grandchildren Jillian and husband Forest, Kyle and wife Sarah, Tanya and husband Zack, Skylar (also resting in Yosemite), Connor, Kirbee and husband Robert, Johnny, Cameron, Wyatt, Cassie, and Dillon; his great grandchildren Kaira, Hazel, Merritt, Millie, Mackenzie and Kennedy; his sister Lela Ann and family, brother-in-law John D. Parks and wife Susan and family; and many friends through his many hobbies. Born on the 6th of December in 1934 in Festus Missouri, Bob was the son of Robert W. Fruehe and Fern M. who ventured West to Downey California in July of 1939. Bob's middle names come from Franz Joseph Fruehe, who adopted his father around 1920. We believe his blood grandfather was Lawrence Thomas Cunningham and we confirmed this on a genealogy trip in 2004. Bob's parents met as neighbors when Fern was 11 and they married when she was 14. Fern pumped gas all day for her father Harold "Harry" Poe at the family station on Danby Road for 10-15 cents/gallon the day little Bob was born. According to Bob, the Doctor who delivered him asked for payment and his folks had little money so they gave him 9 gallons of gas from the 50 gallon drum. That's about $1 for "delivery" charges.

His parents Robert W. and Fern spent time in small towns in Southeast Missouri including Farmington and Carondelet. They left Missouri with $150 and all their possessions on the back of a flatbed truck on a journey that took 11 days to California. Bob likened this time to the Grapes of Wrath. Jobs were scarce and it took World War II to create some jobs and prosperity. Bob remembered heading down to the store to get a loaf of day-old bread for a nickel and his parents raising rabbits in the backyard to supplement meals. He also recalled going to a war bond rally in Downey (around 1942) and a new Kaiser car was being displayed. The Andrew Sisters were there singing Rum and Coca Cola.

After graduating from Downey High School in 1952, Bob attended Fullerton College (home of the Hornets) and obtained an A.A. degree. Working for $1.40 an hour at the Century Industries munitions plant in San Pedro, Bob saved and bought his first new car, a 1955 Buick Century for $2,800 with a $85/month payment. He sold it 6 months later for a 1954 Oldsmobile 98 convertible because his then girlfriend didn't like the Buick. The Olds turned out to be a boat, so he traded it for a 1954 Ford Econoline. In 1956, Bob and his buddies went to Cliffie Stones Hometown Jamboree in Compton, where he met Nancy and her friends. Dance parties were alive and well. Nancy at the time was attending nursing school at the LA County Hospital. Several nights a week, they ventured over to Olvera Street for taquitos at Cielito Lindo (something the family did for decades). Interestingly Cielito Lindo opened for business in 1934. Bob had to get her back by 10pm curfew or he would face the wrath of Miss Bumpus.

In 1957, Bob was drafted into the Army thanks to Eisenhour, where he used his typewriting skills to enlist service men and write a daily love letter to Nancy (They filled a bag). Bob doesn't

recall the proposal, but she wanted to get married and they both knew he would get more pay from the Army which they could save up, so they spontaneously bolted to Las Vegas. They stayed at the then new Stardust, got married at the little White Chapel for $15 and had lunch at the Calico Mine at Knott's Berry Farm on the way home. Upon return from the Army, Bob went to work for Shell and Nancy rented an apartment near her Nursing school. The apartment near Pio Pico had a murphy bed. When Nancy graduated, she took a job at a small hospital in Long Beach. Unfortunately, she got pregnant and had morning sickness and never worked at the hospital. They paid $65/month for an apartment in a fourplex but with a baby coming, the landlord wanted $90/month. Bob thought he could get a house for that price. Aunt Meg helped them acquire their first house on Radnor Lane in Lakewood for 10% down on a $12,000 house (a $96 monthly payment). Nancy ended up working briefly at a hospital in Lakewood so they could get a TV and some nicer furniture. With 3 boys in the 2 bedroom house and a 4th recently born, it became too crowded so Nancy found a new home in a new town called La Palma and persuaded Bob to take the plunge for $1 down with the GI Bill. They lived on Kelly Circle for about 37 years before retiring to Oakhurst in 2003.

Bob worked for the chemical division of Shell and a bad boss fueled him into buying a carwash which turned into a solid business for him that benefitted from his mechanical skills. He could take anything apart and fix it and had little fear (aside from a rainy forecast). Having a partner allowed Bob to semi-retired early which left time for us kids and his many passions (aka hobbies), which started with antique cars. His father helped him find and restore a 1919 Model T Ford while in his 20's, a car that graced many parades and remains in the family. There were many others including a 1909 Model T, 1913 Model T wide track touring, 1958 Ford Wagon, 1949 Mercury Woody, 1939 Mercury Woody, 1935 Ford Roadster, some vintage scooters and a Penny Farthing (Google it). Bob and his Dad were founding members of the Long Beach Model T club in 1954 and helped create the Signal Hill Climb races. Model T's had 20 HP engines, compared to 300+ HP cars today, so getting to the top of the hill was an achievement. In 1955, Bob drove his Model T in the opening day parade at Disneyland and got to meet Walt Disney (no selfies available). He knew Ford's history inside out and could pick out the flaws and mistakes with other cars. His Club took a full private tour of (Ford) Fairlane museum in Dearborn Michigan on Rouge River and this included holding Henry Ford's actual 1919 driver's license (the year of his Mom's birth and his Model T).

Bob jumped into photography at an early age and added a darkroom to his new home in the 1960's. Long before Fotomats came to every town or 24 hour photo processing was available at Target stores, Bob was developing his own pictures at home using Kodak film, chemicals and paper. We had well documented childhoods with drawers of black and white pictures, enlargements and even a few color pics. Seems crazy that no one prints pictures anymore. He had great cameras (a Leica) and think of the skill required to take pictures when you only had 24 chances and you wouldn't know if you got a good shot until days or weeks later. He got into video cameras and digital cameras before anyone else and we have years of videos to watch.

Bob dived deep into Morse Code and amateur (Ham) radio. Long before texting, email and the WWW, Bob was having conversations with people all over the world. As kids, we would see

these post cards in the mail from all continents and were blown away. Again, no CNN or global awareness in the mid 1970's. Bob was always tinkering. He built his own pocket radio long before the Sony Walkman. He got into bicycles and was building them one after another, till he had no room in the darkroom. He had Bianchi's and Colnago's before anyone heard of them. Bob got into motorcycles and cruised up and down the Coast on his Honda Goldwing. He was helping us build dirt bikes while adding a few street bikes over the years. This largely ended when he handed over 1 of his 9 lives after dropping his big bike on the 91 freeway to avoid a stalled car. Growing up in the Fruehe house was never boring with Bob's other hobbies including tropical fish and the largest aquarium in the neighborhood, Slot Cars and Race Night with all of us kids, Kite Making, Summer Backpacking trips into the High Sierra's, fishing on Irvine Lake, Deep Sea Fishing, camping trips in the Fruehe Trailer, rainy day trips to the Hobby Shop to buy models and on and on!!!

Bob restored watches for anyone that wanted one, as well as accordions, which he learned to play as a child. Few can say their dad put on accordion shows, which we always prompted, and fewer can say they knew Dick Contino. Bob attended the Accordion Festival in Cotati for many years. His last hobby was radio-controlled RC airplanes. Bob had dabbled with gas engine model planes (with control lines) when we were kids. In Oakhurst, he heard about RC planes and mastered flying on software simulators before heading to the field to learn more. Bob joined the Fresno Radio Modelers Club and became a regular at the flying field in Madera, where he was known as OB (Oakhurst Bob). At his peak, Bob had about 10 really cool planes hanging from his rafters and was known for his OB Special which always had his fellow club members holding their breath as his plane did a giant loop into barrel roll with a death spiral!

Bob may have gone overboard on his hobbies and spent way too much time in his garage (OG mancave), but there was no denying Bob's love and commitment for his wife Nancy. They didn't necessarily have the storybook marriage nor share political views (Michelle Obama meet Rush Limbaugh), but that allowed them to cover all philosophical bases and be great understanding parents to 5 kids when the world around them was changing rapidly. Bob enjoyed taking Nancy to Hawaii where they could just relax and enjoy time together. Bob also really enjoyed the annual summer Yosemite trips that Nancy planned for over 25 years where he could spend quality time with his ever-growing family of grandkids and friends. Bob listened to this unrelatable music (Tchaikovsky and Gene Autry) but shared his turntable for Led Zeppelin's last album. Bob never tossed a baseball with his kids but rooted for us during the many games sitting next to Mom. He always had a couple bucks if you needed it. We never felt a lack of support. The ultimate defining show of commitment was Bob caring for his wife for her last 15 years while she declined from Dementia, the last years in particular. Bob was stoic and never asked for help despite our offers.

Bob loved telling corny "Dad" jokes almost till the end. After a recent bout of Pneumonia, he said…I feel like the Arizona. You know what that is? It's an upside-down ship in Pearl Harbor. In the end, Bob proclaimed he was ready, he had lived a beautiful life with no complaints. Bob had exhausted his short bucket list and enjoyed Gunsmoke reruns almost to the end. Special thanks to Maria, Cody and Ivy for helping take care of Bob and Nancy when they needed it most.

A celebration of his life is being planned in Yosemite. Bob was a wonderful father and role model; the end of an era and he will be sorely missed. Whoo wee!!