We lost a great man. On April 8, 2021 Robert (Bob) Higbee passed away in his home.
Bob was born on June 5, 1936 in South Dakota. In 1939, his parents (Cecil and Leah) moved the family to California and after living in several places, ultimately settled at the upper end of West Dry Creek Road. Bob grew up in Dry Creek along with his brother, Ray, and his two sisters, Donna and Sara. They grew up hard-working but enjoyed the pleasures of country living.
Bob attended elementary school in Geyserville and high school in Healdsburg. He was an active student – student body president his senior year, and participated in basketball, tennis and track. He attended Stanford on a coveted naval scholarship.
After college graduation, he repaid his time to the Navy as an officer and an engineer. After four years of service, he left the Navy and returned home to marry Virginia (Ginny) Hall. Bob and Ginny settled in near San Jose until 1966 when they moved to raise their family in Sebastopol on a lot with a home and a 3-acre apple orchard.
ob worked and commuted for years to both San Francisco and San Rafael. Although he had a difficult commute, he always made time on the weekends to be with his family, work on the house, and in the orchard. The Higbee household was ground zero for many fun gatherings, not to mention most of the neighborhood kids. Because of his love for animals, the family always enjoyed the purr or bark of a spoiled furry friend. Each summer, Bob and his family enjoyed wonderful adventures together on road trips throughout California and the Western states, houseboat voyages on Lake Trinity and Lake Shasta, trips to Alaska, Mexico, Disneyland, and more.
After retirement, and an empty nest, Bob and Ginny continued to travel, play golf, visit friends and family, and enjoy their time together. They moved to Windsor in 2003 to enjoy a lower maintenance home and to continue their local and international explorations. Bob traded his chores in the orchard for tending to his hummingbird feeders and enjoying the hummingbirds’ endless shenanigans.
Bob had a wonderful sense of humor, was generous to a fault, and was simply one of the nicest men you could ever meet. He will be missed every single day.
Bob is survived by his wife, Virginia Higbee, his children, Susan Higbee-Chong and Richard Higbee, his grandchildren, Rebecca and Kyle Chong, his siblings, Ray Higbee, Donna Glaser, and Sara Courtney and their extended families, and his sister-in-law Vivian Nunes. As per his wishes, private life celebrations will be held with his family. To honor Bob, donations in his name may be made to the American Cancer Society or the Humane Society.
