Robert Noël Tuomey, the son of T. Douglas and Annette (Doherty) Tuomey, was born at home in Brightwaters, New York, on Christmas Eve, 1925. He passed away peacefully at age 96 on November 28, 2022, at home in Santa Barbara, California, with his wife, Joan, and family by his side. He was predeceased by his sister, Theodora Baxter, brother, Douglas, and daughter, Frances N. Froewiss.
Bob attended public schools in Bay Shore, New York, spent summers on nearby Fire Island, and joined the Marines in 1943. He was especially proud of serving with the 6th Marine Division during the 82-day Okinawa campaign. As he was being readied for the invasion of mainland Japan, the war ended. He then spent several months in Tsingtao, China, assisting with the repatriation of Japanese troops. His life as a young Marine was chronicled with many sketches, each with a story that he was eager to share with vivid detail.
Bob attended St. John’s College and Law School in Brooklyn and spent three years at the Art Students League in Manhattan. At the dawn of the Cold War, Bob joined the FBI as a Special Agent, and received special recognition as a marksman. While serving in San Francisco, Bob met Joan Niesen, a United Airlines stewardess from Tacoma, Washington. They were married in 1954 and started a family in Puerto Rico.
Opportunities led the family to Los Angeles and then to Bob’s hometown, Brightwaters, where the six children spent most of their school years. Bob left “The Bureau” after 10 years and became an executive with a division of Allied Van Lines, allowing him to travel the world on business, often with Joan. On the side, he picked up his father’s LA Times syndicated column about DIY home maintenance and wrote it for several years. After leaving the corporate world, he kept busy as a real estate appraiser and home renovator.
In 1995, Bob and Joan moved to Santa Barbara, California, where they enjoyed retirement, often playing tennis, a pastime they shared for 50 years. Together, they also volunteered for many local charities. His lifelong love of art led to another pursuit, painting, which he enjoyed at every opportunity. In his final years, he worked at the local farmers market selling eggs with his daughter Diane. Chatting with customers and fellow vendors was one of the great joys of his long, busy life. As Bob was fond of saying, he was always “looking for something to do.”
Bob is survived by his wife of 68 years, Joan, children Robert, Diane and her partner Robert Tropper, son-in-law Robert Froewiss, Michael, Nancy, Steven, grandchildren Evan, Ivan, LuRay, Theo, and many beloved nieces and nephews.
