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
JOSEF SZIGETI says:
August 15, 2017
I am having hard time embracing the loss of my dear friend Bob. I am devastated. He was one of my best friends. We lost a dear soul and an amazing human being. He was one of the most kind, thoughtful, non-judgmental person I have known. We talk often about his kids and my son while exploring life and philosophy in our morning breakfast. I treasure the time I spent with Bob. He was teasing me about the so many ways I destroy the English language. He was so kind, so smart, so giving and full of LOVE. He was a father figure to me. I am a better dad to Jordan because of Bob.
Rhonda Rafael says:
August 15, 2017
Over the past 29 years of working for Mr. Lavoie, he frequently reminded me how lucky I was to have such a wonderful job and such a wonderful boss. He said that the fact that he was so good looking was just icing on the cake! We recently began to discuss retirement in the not toooo distant future. He was not ready to retire yet, and he insisted I couldn’t possibly not want to walk into the office every day, how bored I would be. We agreed to continue on, but begin to wind down in certain areas. He was so excited about working on all of the new ventures on the Willdan horizon.
I know how he cherished Pam, Michelle and Anne-Marie, and his grandchildren. He loved his family dearly. He discussed almost being where he needed to be for a comfortable life of retirement with Pam.
Mr. Lavoie was one of the most honorable and dignified men I ever met, always taking everything in stride. He had a great sense of humor and loved to tease, but had a very kind heart. He was my boss, but more importantly, my very dear friend. The only possible explanation is that a wonderful man, who was an honest attorney, was very much needed upstairs. It is impossible to believe that he is gone. I am sure he is running along a beach with Bandit saying that I should be writing this on my own time.
Rhonda
Patti Wisniewski says:
August 16, 2017
Such a loss! He always had such a big presence at our family gatherings. I remember him as always so jovial and willing to partake in whatever crazy fun was going on! He always had a smile and friendly welcome whenever I saw him. A favorite memory I have of him is the time when he and I were filling up and tying water balloons so Cecilia and Elizabeth could toss them in the backyard. It started out as a very organized and efficient system where we took turns filling them up and handing them to the girls. It was all neat and calm. None of us were dressed or prepared for water balloons. All the adults around us were shouting out reminders…”don’t get water on the patio”, “make sure the girls don’t get too wet”, “this is only a little balloon tossing on the grass”..etc, etc. Bob convinced one of the girls to get me with a water balloon and I in turn convinced them to get him. Of course, within minutes we had a full on water balloon battle and when it was all over the entire patio was wet and Bob, Cecilia, Elizabeth and I were soaked from head to toe. I remember the girls laughing and so happy that their grandpa would allow himself to get his regular clothes all wet having silly fun! He was such a good sport and brought lots of giggles to his grandchildren!
I will forever keep him in my prayers and will miss him dearly at our gatherings!
Patti Wisniewski
Tom Carr says:
August 16, 2017
Sent a gift in memory of Robert L. Lavoie
Cherene Lindley says:
August 18, 2017
I worked with Bob at Willdan for 23 years.
Here’s just a small slice of how he was. Some years back, my nephew and husband bought a small neighborhood market; they had no absolutely no business experience and still less legal know-how. I threw myself on Bob’s mercy to review the real estate rental contract but only if he had time. The next day he brought it back all commented and struck-through. I marched into the meeting with the real estate agent and bowled him over with my “waiver of subrogation” and liability arguments. Walked out with most of Bob’s changes approved and two free months rent. My family members’ jaws dropped at my performance, not knowing it was all Bob. Of course Bob, conscious of my family’s situation, wouldn’t hear of taking any pay.
Probably there are a hundred other stories like mine, where Bob helped someone without a second thought. Mahalo