On a warm, sunny, June afternoon, with family and friends by his side, Robert Emil Scolari went to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. For three years and eight months, our dad’s courage never faltered as he fought Pancreatic cancer.
Dad was: husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, great-great-grandfather, and friend. Always a friend. Dad’s friends called him Bob, and our mother often called him Rober’.
Bob was born in 1928 to Marie and Emil Scolari. Bob grew up in Lompoc where he met his future bride, Vivian Adkins. Bob and Vivian became man and wife in October 1946 just after Bob joined the United States Navy.
In the Navy, Bob was a radio operator stationed overseas in Guam, and later, Adak, Alaska. He lost part of his hearing in a freak accident while listening to radio signals.
Bob attended the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, California, and when the Korean War began he returned to active duty in the Navy.
In 1952 Bob returned to art school, and in 1953 Bob began his first commercial art job in the Bay Area.
In 1958, having had enough of the city, Bob moved his family back to Lompoc, the family of five living, for awhile, in Vivian’s mother’s, two-room cabin, west of Lompoc at Ocean Park. Bob then opened his own commercial art shop, next to the gas company on south H Street. There he designed logos, created advertising displays, and hand-lettered signs for many Lompoc businesses. For several years he designed and produced the colorful posters advertising the annual Lompoc Flower Festival.
During the Lompoc boom years Bob’s business grew and expanded, with additional work coming from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Then, in 1966, Bob went to work for Martin Marietta Aerospace as an artist, and later became Supervisor, Publication Services, while continuing to hold on to his home based business. Bob retired from Lockheed Martin in 1990.
Over the years Bob was a member of the Lompoc Kiwanis Club, the Elk’s club, and he taught classes at Adult Education campuses. Bob was a charter member of the Lompoc Historical Society and a member of the Lompoc Alumni Association, working closely with the scholarship committee.
Our dad had many interests throughout his lifetime: Sea Scout, gymnast, fencer, sailor, camper, backpacker, fisherman, canoeist, archer, marksman, and avid bicyclist (logging many recorded miles into one of his ever-ready notebooks). As a young man Bob played steel guitar, and in his later years he learned to play the Native American flute. He was a knife maker, and a knife thrower. He was a photographer, a carpenter, and a leather craftsman. For many years he handcrafted fine jewelry. From his earliest years he drew cartoon characters, with many people being blessed as recipients of his humorous illustrations.
Dad was a master silkscreen artist, perfecting his own, patented serigraphy technique for etching aluminum. Nearing 80, our dad took up the fine art of painting, creating a series of acrylics, some featuring the Aurora Borealis flickering over icebergs, and other depicting the vast emptiness of desert landscapes. Dad was a tru Renaissance man who shared his knowledge with anyone who showed and interest.
We miss you Dad…
Bob Scolari is survived by his wife, Vivian, and son, Steven, of Lompoc, CA; his daughter, Kathleen, and her husband, Ron Carr, of Peoria, AZ; his daughter Yvonne, and her husband, Stan Wolczak, of Santa Barbara, CA; as well as many nieces, nephews, and grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, please contribute to the Alzheimer’s Association, the Cancer Society, the Wounded Veterans Association, or to a charity of your choice.
