Robert Leite

Robert Raymond Leite

1942 - 2026

Robert Raymond Leite (Bob), 83, of Solvang passed away peacefully on January 17, 2026 at home with his wife Linda and sons Greg and Chris at his side. Bob was born on Oct. 23, 1942 in San Francisco, CA to his parents Ray & Jo Leite.

Bob met Linda in San Francisco and after dating for a couple of years, married in 1967. In 1971, Bob & Lin moved to Santa Barbara where he continued his career in Mechanical Engineering at Infomag, Applied Magnetics, SBRC and Raytheon. In 1976 the family moved over the hill to Los Olivos where they had a love affair with the Santa Ynez Valley for the next 50 years.

Bob believed in giving back to the community and was quite active, holding positions at the Los Olivos school board, the Wilding Art Museum, the Airport Authority and the Mission Men's Club. He was a member of the Vikings since 2015 and active in many of their community events. Bob was an avid golfer, woodworker, fixer of all things and a sports car enthusiast. He was a storyteller extraordinaire and a good and loyal friend. Bob was a patient and loving Dad who taught his boys the best aspects of life: respect, acceptance, truth, honesty and the importance of hard work. He gave Linda his devotion, his admiration and his love for over 58 years.

Bob is survived by his wife Linda, sons Greg (Kitty, Haley, Kyle and Jacob) and Chris (Nicole and Jameson) and siblings; Anne (Paul), Jay (Marlene), and Connie (Maurice) along with many nieces and nephews. He will be missed and remembered in many endearing ways and his voice will live in our memories forever. Our thanks and love go out to our family and our wonderful community of friends for their support, prayers and fond remembrances of Bob.

A memorial mass will be held at Mission Santa Ynez on March 28th, 2026 at 9am with a reception following afterward in the church hall.