Robert Bowen Griesche's Obituary
Robert Bowen GriescheSeptember 9, 1921 – May 3, 2009Resident of Orinda, Berkeley native After living a long, full life, Robert (Bob) passed away Sunday May 3 in the arms of Lillian, his wife of 65 years. Bob was born in Berkeley, the only child to Bessie and Gus Griesche. He attended Thousand Oaks and Garfield (now called Martin Luther King) in Berkeley and University High School in Oakland. He was very proud of achieving his Eagle Scout Merit Badge. It was in his 12th grade English class that he met Lillian Price and started walking her to class. They dated for 5 years while Bob attended Cal Berkeley, and while in ROTC at Cal he enlisted in the Army. Upon receiving his BS in Business Administration from Cal in 1943 as a Corporal, Bob was accepted into Officer Candidate School. Lillian and Bob married in Berkeley in 1944 after Bob completed OCS. Lillian’s father James Allen Price was the minister and he and Lillian's mother welcomed Bob into the large Price family. Bob proudly served his country during WWII as a First Lieutenant Supply Officer and was stationed in the Philippines 1944-1946. Bob and Lillian were living in Berkeley when their first daughter, Allene, was born in 1948. Their other two children, Anne and Rob were born while the family lived in Concord, before they moved into Bob’s childhood home on Sonoma Avenue in Berkeley. Bob worked for Henningsen and Associates. He was active at North Congregational Church, and then First Congregational Church in Berkeley. After building their dream home in Orinda in 1963, Bob worked for The Wood Products Industry Fund, commuting to Burlingame. They joined Orinda Community Church where Bob was an usher. His last job before retiring in 1987 was Business Manager for a law firm in Oakland. Once retired, Bob enjoyed volunteering at SIRS and Mended Hearts, where he served as treasurer for many years. He took computer classes at Rossmoor and loved to stay in touch via email. Friends and family remember him as a sweet and generous gentleman who loved to tell jokes and work on his investments and spreadsheets. He was curious and detail oriented and would often surprise his family by knowing intricate details and far away locations. The family enjoyed many fun vacations including Berkeley Tuolumne Camp in the Sierras, annual summer trips to Lake Tahoe, a tour of historical sites on the East Coast, trips to visit newly born grandchildren, and visits to Germany to see Allene and her family who live near Hamburg. Bob was very proud and grateful that his entire family was close, loving and giving. Bob is survived by his wife of 65 years, Lillian, his three children Allene Pistorius, Anne Leahy Jones, and Robert Price Griesche; his four grandchildren Anne Keller, Maria Schoof, Nick Leahy and Sara Griesche; and two great-grand children Theodore and Hanne Schoof. Bob will be sorely missed but his memory will live on. Private service. Donations can be sent to Mended Hearts, John Muir Chapter 309.
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