ELKO - Robert (Bob) Renier passed away at the age of 87 peacefully and surrounded by family the evening of Thursday, November 23 in Elko, Nevada. He was a character up to the end and "Grandpa Bob" will live on in the hearts of his family. He was born March 18, 1936, to Cyril and Marion Renier in Sacramento, California. He was the biggest baby that hospital had ever seen. It was the one and only time anyone would ever say he was big (in stature, anyway)!

To many he was "Banjo Bob", though he secretly wasn't fond of that name. He went on to learn the piano (honkytonk style) and entertained countless people along the way. He could fix anything, his favorite projects being antique clocks and guns.

He was a history buff and a wealth of information. We suspect he was likely born about 100 years too late. He had a passion for all things old and recognized that each item he collected had a story to be told. He was especially fascinated by the California Gold Rush (having a family history connecting him to this era) and panned for gold himself in his earlier days.

He was a man of adventure, his favorite occurring in South America where he was part of a two-month long Jeeping expedition into the jungle in 1978. He spent a lot of time camping and exploring with fellow members of the E. Clampus Vitus and spent many a day traveling across the deserts of California and Nevada in his Jeep. His annual trip with the Jeeper's Jamboree into the Rubicon went on for decades. He has many good friends that accompanied him on these adventures, and they are surely looking forward to reconnecting with him in the afterlife. They'll be happy to see him, it's probably been a little boring without him.

While he was a native of California, he found peace and solace in Jarbidge, Nevada and bought a place there in 1984 where he had more adventures and made many more good friends and memories. It is there that he created a place of refuge for his family to enjoy. While it won't be the same without him, we'll be sharing stories and keeping his memory alive around the campfire there in his yard and the old cowboy cabin bar he so lovingly fashioned.

He recently shared that after spending a lifetime chasing happiness in adventure and collecting, he realized that everything he really needed was right in front of him all along (his family). He will be remembered by both his family and his friends through the stories and memories that only he could have created. All who knew him would agree that he was one of a kind.

He served in the Marine Corp reserves for six years in California and served two years of active duty in the army at Fort Riley, Kansas. After discharge, he worked for the Civil Service on jet engines at McClellan Airforce Base in California.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Marion and Cyril Renier, and is survived by his daughter Annie Andreozzi (Delmo Andreozzi), grandchildren Michael Andreozzi (Paige Andreozzi), Emily Wegner (Timothy Wegner) and Lizzy Bell (Kyle Bell) and great-grandchildren Mary Margaret, Lucy, Cecilia, Madeleine, Michael, Matthias and Charlotte.

There will be a funeral Mass at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Elko, Nevada on Saturday, December 9 at 11:00 a.m. A rosary and viewing will be held at Burn's Funeral home Friday, December 8 from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. A celebration of life will be set for this summer in Jarbidge, his final resting place. Not many have their own canon, but he does, and it will be fired in his honor at that time. In doing so, we hope to keep all our fingers.

Dad, "When it's night-time in Nevada we'll be dreaming, of the old days, on the desert and you..."

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Elko Daily on Dec. 2, 2023.