Robert Cetti Obituary

Robert "Bob" Cetti, passed away peacefully 7/29/2008, surrounded by family, in a room filled with love. Born in El Paso, Texas, November 26, 1932, Bob's family relocated to the Phoenix area when he was in elementary school. An Eagle Scout, Bob attended North Phoenix High School, graduating in 1951. Bob attended Phoenix College and Arizona State University, later completing his degree in law. Marrying wife Bobbe in 1959, Bob was active in Phoenix Little Theatre and Arizona Repertory Theatre. In 1965, Bob and family relocated to Brea, California, where he formed and operated a successful business. An avid boater, Bob and his wife became members of the Catalina Island Yacht Club, where Bob attained the rank of Commodore in 1998. Following retirement, Bob was able to combine his love of travel and writing as a Contributing Editor to Orange Coast Magazine. He captured his extensive travels in articles for newspapers throughout the US, and was recognized with two first place awards in the Southern California Best Reporter competition. Returning to the Sonoran Desert he loved, Bob spent his last years in the Phoenix area. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Bobbe; two daughters, Stephanie Cetti and Shawn (Cetti) Hutchings of Kansas City, a son, Todd Cetti of Palmdale, CA, and four beautiful grandchildren. We love you and will miss you. A visitation will be held Friday 8/1/08, from 5-7 PM, at Phoenix Memorial Park, 200 W. Beardsley Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85027. A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday 8/2/08, at 12 noon, at The Church at Litchfield Park, 300 N. Old Litchfield Park Road, Litchfield Park, AZ 85340. In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested to Mayo Clinic Cancer Research.

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Published by The Arizona Republic from Jul. 31 to Aug. 1, 2008.

Memories and Condolences
for Robert Cetti

2 Entries

William Cetti

August 2, 2008

A MEMOIR ABOUT MY BROTHER

Bob was a special person who touched many people's lives. He was my "big" brother, in the true sense of the saying.

He trail-blazed the way and helped me find direction in my life. He set the bar of success that I have mimicked throughout my life and provided the inspiration for me to be myself.

He had lots of gifts he shared with those who surrounded him, including the gifts of laughter, writing, acting, directing, music and just generally making people comfortable. He made countless contributions to society with his business and social activities.

Oftentimes the bar of success he set in life was much higher than most could reach. Regardless of how demanding his personal standards were, he always provided me with direction and the goals that have guided me through my life. Not aware of how much I idolized him; my brother treated me as an equal even though we were separated by 13 years of age. He acknowledged my small successes and cheered me on when I needed encouragement.

Our relationship was not one of many words, but rather one of understanding. Just being in the same room, we could communicate to one another without making any statements. Our spread in age disappeared when we were together and each of us recognized the importance of being brothers and sharing life experiences.

Raised in a strict Italian-American family, my brother still managed to enjoy life during his childhood and survived countless pranks that he and his friends played during his high school years.

I was very young when my brother was in high school, but I still remember the stunts and the discussions between him and my father. Bob had the unique ability to allow my father to express his anger without taking it personally; even when my father’s Italian-Cuban anger was at its peak.

Bob left me with many memories, but the strongest was one occurred when I was about five years old. We lived in a house near 7th Avenue and Heatherbrae and he was babysitting me while parents were out shopping. A speeding black Cadillac raced down our street and ran over our dog-Dusty. Dusty was the love of my life, and Bob’s also. Dusty was instantly killed, and Bob acting much older than he really was comforted me until my parents arrived home. This was a defining moment in our relationship that converted him from just my brother into my idol.

We shared many of the same interests in life, including music. He specialized in piano and I in Trumpet. My musical talent eventually combined with his theatrical talent in a Phoenix Little Theater play called Hat Full of Rain. I recorded a trumpet sound track of a broken-down jazz trumpeter practicing to regain his place in the world. It was a terrible soundtrack, but he praised me and used it during the entire run of the play, never commenting about its poor quality.

When I was in high school, I had a 1957 Chevrolet and he needed a car larger than what he owned to take his family on vacation. He drove a brand new red Corvair, the rear engine Chevrolet that made Ralph Nader famous. We exchanged cars for a week.

I had driven his car to Circle K and didn’t know how to use the clutch; it jumped the curb of a Circle K store and came within inches of the stores’ window. Later I found out that my parents had told him about the incident while he was still on vacation, but he, like always never said anything to me and thanked me for the use of car as if nothing had happened.

A final memory that I would like to share about Bob was when Bob, my father and myself decided that the three of us should spend a weekend together in Oak Creek Canyon. He organized the trip. He got the tent, the supplies and picked up my dad and me for the drive to the Canyon.

It was an interesting trip since we arrived about midnight and had to find a place to pitch the tent in the dark.

The first thing that happened was my father tripped and rolled down the hill and into the creek. Bob rescued him and got us all to bed. But my dad’s leg was seriously injured and he couldn’t help with any of the activities at the camp.

The next morning it was pouring rain. We had about 4 hours sleep and everyone was slightly on edge. Bob bravely built a shelter for a fire and started to cook the breakfast. Unfortunately, in the haste of setting of camp we left our food out and the skunks enjoyed it the night before; leaving us hungry.

Never without a plan, Bob organized me and him into a fishing team that would solve the breakfast challenge. We fished up and down the creek trying hard to catch or even snag a fish. We never caught anything, except a few old sticks from the bottom of the creek.

Cold, wet and hungry, the camping trip came to a dramatic close when a Forest Ranger told Bob that we had set up camp illegally and had to move on. Bob used his best negotiation skills and was able to talk us out of the fine that was associated with illegal camping. This was the last camping trip that the three of us ever tried together.

Always trying to take care of his little brother, Bob offered me employment at his company, counseled me when I was straying, provided leadership during the death of our parents and helped me settle my uncle’s estate in El Paso, Texas.

Bob found his true soul mate when he met Bobbe. The two made a team that can't be duplicated. They raised a lovely family, and each of the children have been highly successful, not only in business but with their own families. It is his children that are his legacy. Not all parents can accomplish what he did and deliver to society the contributions from their children, like he did.

Bob has been my idol and my role model since I was born. I am going to truly miss him.

My brother died too young. He had more to give and too share, and it is a great loss, not only for me, Bobbe, the children, the family and his friends, but also for those who were not fortunate to have had the experience to meet him and to appreciate the greatness of the man.

George Wilcox

August 1, 2008

Bob was my best friend and our "tribe" leader when we lived in Douglas. An exceptional person.

Shawn, do you remember when we got together for a couple of evenings when you were teaching in Corona ?

Our thoughts are with your family and Bob will certainly stay in my memory.

George Wilcox

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