Allan Robert (Bob) Saxe passed away peacefully in his Morgan Hill home on September 2, 2025. He was 87.
Born August 4, 1938, at O’Connor Hospital in San Jose, Bob spent his childhood in Santa Margarita, California. He and his younger brother Al were the sons of educators; their mother Mary (Smith) was a teacher and their father, Alfred Saxe, was a principal and superintendent. They moved to San Jose when he was 11. Their home was conveniently located right across the street from their middle school. Bob was elected student body president in both middle school and high school. (San Jose High School, 1956).
He attended Stanford University for his undergraduate studies, upon graduation he joined the Marine Corps and completed Officer Candidate School. He then attended the University of Notre Dame for law school. There he met fellow student and future law partner Norm Matteoni, also from the San Jose area. Norm and Bob laid the groundwork for a lifelong friendship by driving together from South Bend, Indiana to San Jose during breaks in the school year. After law school, Bob returned to the Marines. In 1964, as a lawyer in the Judge Advocate General, he was assigned to the 3rd Marine Division in Da Nang, Vietnam. He remained very close to his fellow Marines for the rest of his life and organized several Marine Corps reunions.
Upon his honorable discharge from the Marines, he came home to San Jose. He started working as an attorney at the County of Santa Clara Office of the County Counsel. He went to Stanford football games with his brother and Dad, something that started as a boy and later established as a tradition with his own children and grandchildren. He volunteered to coach a youth soccer team through San Jose’s Police Athletic League and stayed the coach of the same group of players and team (Asturias) for several years. In 1969, he was introduced to Marilyn McClintock. They were soon married and moved into their house on 19th Street in San Jose. They welcomed two daughters before moving to Morgan Hill in 1972 and having a son. He left the County Counsel’s Office to form the law firm Matteoni and Saxe. Later, he served as the City Attorney of San Ramon for many years, with his grand finale being a win in the United States Supreme Court.
Bob thrived as a husband, father, grandpa, lawyer, and gardener. He and Marilyn were lovingly married for 42 years until Marilyn's passing in 2011. He spent over 50 years tending to his trees and plants, growing a wide variety of fruits including pomegranates, multiple types of persimmons, apricots, peaches, tomatoes and more. He enjoyed attending his grandchildren’s sporting events and hiking on his land in the California hills.
He is survived by his brother Al Saxe, his children, Bonnie (Joe), Monica (Hunter), Ben (Rebecca) and grandchildren Ciera, Shelby, Chase, Abby, Charlie and Sid. Visitation will be on Thursday, Sep. 11 from 5:00-8:00 P.M., with Vigil Service to commence at 6:30 P.M., at Habing Funeral Home, 129 4th Street, Gilroy. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, Sep. 12, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Catherine Parish, 17400 Peak Avenue in Morgan Hill. Interment to follow at Mt. Hope Cemetery, followed by a 3 p.m. Celebration of Life at the Morgan Hill Cultural and Community Center, 17000 Monterey Rd.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Bob’s memory to: The Boys and Girls Club of Silicon Valley, 15 W. San Fernando St., San Jose, CA 95113
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