Robert Judson DeGrasse

Robert J. DeGrasse died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 93 on February 19, 2010 in Modesto, California. He resided there for the last year and a half of his life, under the loving care of his elder son and daughter-in-law, after suffering a significant stroke in 2008.

Robert was born in River Forest, Illinois on October 8, 1916. He spent the final 30 years of his life living in the Santa Cruz and Aptos communities where he was an active, and talented, watercolorist.

He began his artistic life as an illustrator for Walt Disney where he worked on such family favorites as Dumbo, Snow White, Fantasia, and Pinocchio. In later years, his seascapes hung in galleries throughout Carmel, Monterey and Santa Cruz. He also spent time teaching watercolor and sharing his knowledge.

In the 1940's, when WWII broke out, Robert served his country as a Navy hardhat salvage diver in the North Pacific. At the end of the war he settled in the South Pacific for several years working as a seaman. During this period of his life he fell in love and married Kathryn Lubbe, his wife of 50 years. Together they started their small family with the birth of their first son, Robert, in Honolulu.

From Hawaii, Robert and Kathryn moved to Southern California where they had their second son, David. Robert continued working as a seaman, and eventually transitioned to marine hardware sales in Newport Beach. He stayed with this until the early 1970's. He was truly man of the sea, and was most at peace when doing anything associated with the ocean.

Robert was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Kathryn, in 1998. He is survived by their two sons; Robert DeGrasse Jr. of Modesto wife Tamaria, her two grown children and their families and David DeGrasse of Santa Cruz wife Dyanne and their son Timothy DeGrasse.