Robert LeRoy Travis Junior

Robert LeRoy Travis Junior, was born in Oakland, California on Monday, October 7, 1940, to Travis Mildred (Patterson) Travis and Robert LeRoy Travis, Sr. He entered the world at 4:48 am, and he never stopped with the early morning wake up calls!

Known as Bobby and then Bob to his family and friends, he never liked being addressed as Dr. Travis despite earning his PhD in 1969. However, some of his carving buddies did call him Dr. Bob just for fun...

Bob spent his early years in Clear Lake Oaks, California in a house built especially for him by his father and grandfather following an abscessed lung diagnosis. Bob would often share stories of the two men building the Clear Lake house, during World War II, from whatever scrap materials they could scavenge during the week. The father-in-law / son-in-law duo made the trip from Oakland to Clear Lake, by way of Mt. St. Helena, and back every weekend, cussing each other out every step of the way! As a polio survivor, Bob Sr. complained of leg pain when his father-in-law, Virgil Patterson, drove too fast on the curvy roads, and Virgil complained of car sickness when Bob Sr. drove too fast. They each likely drove too fast just to spite the other! 😊 It's no wonder Bob Jr. had such a witty and playful sense of humor!

Following the birth of his brother, Roger Lee, in 1950 and the death of his grandmother, Ursa (Butler) Patterson in 1951, the Travis family moved from Clear Lake Oaks into the Patterson home in Hayward, California. Bob loved living with his grandfather, known to him as Gramps, who proved to be a tremendous influence during the next chapter of Bob's life. Gramps instilled in Bob an ethic to work hard to achieve his life's goals. With Gramps' encouragement, Bob attended the College of San Mateo on his way to fulfilling his then goal of becoming a farm advisor. It was there Bob met Mary Fendrick, and she quickly became another of those life goals for which Bob received much encouragement from Gramps. Bob and Mary were married in 1963.

Together Bob and Mary built a life that would be the envy of most. They had two children, owned a beautiful home in Davis, California, lovingly restored his Clear Lake Oaks childhood home and used it as a family cabin until 2004, built an amazing log home in Montana and traveled extensively throughout the continental U.S. during every single year of their amazing 62 years of marriage. Bob would rather get behind the wheel and brave the open road than hop on a plane to go anywhere, but they did take several cruises together and were able to see parts of Alaska, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America.

Bob's hope of becoming a farm advisor evolved into a PhD in Plant Physiology, which allowed him to enjoy a career as a professor at the University of California, Davis for nearly three decades. He was well respected in his field by his students and peers alike.

Bob's passions were his family, woodcarving, playing guitar, their home in Montana and collecting. He collected carvings, guitars, coins, Confederate paper money, Bauer pottery, classic cars, and many other interesting things. Bob was a founding member of the Caricature Carvers of America, where he served for almost 30 years and contributed to the groups many publications on woodcarving. He also played guitar in local bands as a young man in Hayward and even played gigs at the Coffee House at UC Davis when he was a student there. In his retirement he reignited that passion and enjoyed playing his favorites from Johnny Cash, Credence Clearwater Revival and the Ventures, among others.

Bob passed away on October 27, 2025, due to complications following head trauma received from an accidental fall. He is survived by his loving wife Mary, their two children, Robert Lee Travis and Lyn (Travis) Hooper, and many friends. He was a friend to everyone he met and was loved by so many, but Bob will be missed most by the ones he loved with his whole heart.