Robert Edward Crussell passed away July 8 in Las Vegas, NV, after a long, brave battle with cancer. He and his wife, Nan, had moved to Nevada this year from Newcastle, CA. Bob was born September 15, 1932 in Sacramento to Herbert and Ruth Crussell. He spent much of his youth living in the Bay Area and at Donner Lake, but for most of his adult life he lived in the Sacramento area. The last 40-plus years were in Newcastle. Bob served 4 years in the U.S. Navy during the Korean Conflict. He was a graduate of CSU Sacramento where he obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology. He also was an avid private/commercial pilot and for 6 years he flew with, and for, Commander Bill Eveland doing the weekday KFBK Radio traffic reports. For 26 years prior to that, he worked in the data processing and accounting departments for McClatchy Newspapers, in the Sacramento Bee location. He retired from McClatchy in 1985. That is where he met his second wife, Nan, as she worked in the editorial department of The Sacramento Bee. They enjoyed a 44-year friendship, and a blessed 16 happy years as husband and wife. Bob was a lover of sports and the outdoors. He enjoyed auto racing, ice skating, racket ball, yoga and especially jogging. He was the proud winner of a third-place age group award in the Portland Marathon when he was 70! He loved traveling with Nan, and they enjoyed numerous trips to Britain, Europe and Nova Scotia where Nan has a large family. He was a member of the Eureka Masonic Lodge in Auburn, CA, having served as the Master in 2016. Bob was predeceased by his parents and by his first wife, Patricia Armstrong. He is survived by his widow, Nan Nichols Crussell; daughter, Cynthia Crussell; son, Michael Crussell; stepson Nick Sharrer; honorary daughter, Samantha Birkett; and three grandchildren, James, Alice and Elliot Sharrer. At Bob's request, no funeral will be held. A memorial service will be announced at a future date. A dear friend pretty much sums up our beloved Bob: "He could walk into a room of 10 people and come out with 11 friends." He has left a huge void in so many of us now.
Published in The Sacramento Bee from July 14 to July 16, 2018
