Robert L. Lavoie
May 02, 1951 - August 09, 2017
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Robert L. Lavoie
May 02, 1951 - August 09, 2017
Obituary
ROBERT LOUIS LAVOIE, our beloved Bob, left us too soon on Wednesday, August 9, 2017. Born on May 2, 1951, to Maurice Emil Lavoie and Evelyn Terese Grondin, Bob had a very mobile upbringing and lived on Air Force bases from coast to coast. He was lucky enough to spend a majority of his childhood at Hickam Airforce Base on Oahu, Hawaii. Bob served as student body president of Radford High School, and then attended University of Hawaii. Bob told many stories of his work as a cameraman for KHON, the Honolulu NBC affiliate, throughout that period.
In 1972, Bob met the love of his life, his beloved Pam, on a blind date where they sailed to Na Mokulua, two islets off the windward coast of Oahu. It was love at first sight. Bob married Pamela Jean Clark aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach. After moving from Hawaii to the mainland Bob worked as a cameraman for KOCE, the PBS affiliate in Orange County. He put himself through law school and graduated from Western State College of Law.
Bob practiced law for forty years in Orange County, most of those as a partner with Lavoie & Jarman in Anaheim. He took great pride in serving as General Counsel for Willdan Group, Inc., where he loved not only his job but the people he worked with for thirty seven years. Bob was a forty year member of the Kiwanis Club of Greater Anaheim (KCGA) and served multiple terms as Club President and President of the KCGA Scholarship Foundation. Bob also served for over thirty years on the board of RIO, the Rehabilitation Institute of Southern California.
Bob and Pam were blessed with two beautiful girls, Michelle Marie LaVoie Wisniewski and Anne-Marie LaVoie Wilhelm, who in turn blessed them with five grandchildren: Cecilia, Alina, Maya, Elizabeth, and Jakub. He was a wonderful father-in-law to Jason and Kuba and a loving father to multiple cocker spaniels. Bob was witty, intelligent, and most of all good looking. He loved life, especially weekends with his family around the BBQ and in the swimming pool.
Bob was affectionately known as the “Kahuna” because of his gentle soul, wisdom, sense of fun, and outpouring of love for others. Devotion to family was at his heart’s core. His family responded in kind by worshiping the ground he walked on. The world will never be the same without the twinkle in his eyes. To our dearest husband, father, brother, grandfather, Uncle and friend – ALOHA!
The Celebration of Life will be held at The OC Mining Company August 16, 2017 at 12:00pm.
The Lavoie family has requested that in lieu of flowers donations be made to the KCGA Scholarship Fund, PO Box 53, Anaheim, CA 92815, 714-225-7745.
Share your favorite memories of Bob through his online memorial: https://www.oconnormortuary.com/obituaries/Robert-Lavoie-2/#!/TributeWall.
22 responses to Robert L. Lavoie
Alan Burns says:
August 14, 2017
First time I met Bob he had a full beard and drove a cool 356 bathtub speedster Porsche. He was the new law clerk at Rourke & Woodruff. We had a lot of fun pulling pranks of each other then. When Bob was Deputy City Attorney for Tustin and there was a big fire in town, we left messages on his chair that all the newscasters wanted to speak with him. We put Connie Chung and Tricia Toyota on the phone slips and hid behind the counter to watch his reaction. We had a great laugh about that. On the Kern River I will always remember his elephant skit that he performed with his brother. Bob was a good friend and one of the nicest people I have known. I will miss you Bob.
Alan Burns
Christina (Leu) Boyless says:
August 14, 2017
Mr. Lavoie…such a wonderful person! My heart is heavy with this news. My love and condolences to the whole family!! I have many cheer videos captured with his camera skill, he put the pep in PepPops, and was always so very supportive and kind and caring. He searched high and low for Nadia on VHS and even made me a copy (one of Anne Marie and I’s favorite gymnastics movies). He made such a positive impact on my high school memories and I am genuinely grateful for that. My love to the whole family.
Terry Reinbold says:
August 14, 2017
Bob was a true friend who helped me and my company many times. He had a great regard for people and their interests. We had many talks about photography. He loved KCGA and its Scholarship Committee, as he led both very successfully. He was someone to look up to and admire. He was a good friend to me and I will sorely miss him.
Aloha Kunane
Ann Derse says:
August 15, 2017
I had the good fortune to have worked with Bob for 32 years. The man I will remember was always cheerful and spread his cheerfulness to others. You couldn’t help but feel upbeat and energized after a conversation with Bob. I looked forward to hearing stories about his family’especially his grandchildren. Bob absolutely adored his family. He touched so many people here at Willdan and was truly a good friend to many of us. Words that come to mind when thinking about Bob’s character: Loyal, Honest, Optimistic, Confident, Humorous, Gentle, Compassionate. He will be missed!! My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
Estelle Cope says:
August 15, 2017
I worked with Bob for more than 27 years. He was the kindest man I have ever met. My heart goes out to his family. May he rest well.