Robert Reid

Robert George Reid took his final breath in the early morning hours on September 22, 2022, ultimately succumbing to his battle with Lewy Body Dementia. Thanks to a life well spent, Robert put up an incredible fight to the very end, with his doctors often remarking about his impressive physical health. His heart was fortified both physically and with an unwavering will to live by his daily walks, along the Monterey Coast, hiking with his beloved dogs (Goldie and Maui), and actively seeing the world through travel. Robert, known to his immediate family as "Bobby," was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to the late Donald Lloyd Reid and Doris Ann Reid (Alexander), joining older sister Terry. As a child, the family moved to Fullerton, California, where Robert attended Hermosa Drive Elementary School, and Ladera Vista Junior High before graduating from Sonora High School in 1973. He made lifelong friends in his Lovell Place neighborhood, and his family made wonderful memories at their beach house in San Clemente. Although he had a passion for music, he ultimately studied Forestry and Land Management, graduating from Cal Poly with his Bachelor of Science. This readied him for his career as the City Forester of Monterey, CA. After 30 years with the City of Monterey, Robert retired and was honored by the Society of Arboriculture with the True Professional of Arboriculture award. Outside of his successful career in forestry, Robert's years in Monterey were filled with many lasting friendships and love for his wife Jacqueline McManus, to whom he was married from 1992 until she succumbed to cancer in 2011. As a widower, Robert continued his lifelong passion for Sports fishing, spending hours on his boat in Monterey Bay and focusing much of his travel to the coasts of Mexico and Maui. His shared love of travel and appreciation of time spent with friends helped him connect with his second wife, Kathi, with whom he found a renewed optimism and openness for life. Marrying Kathi in 2015 led Robert to become a family man, something he had not yet experienced, but he came to clearly love. His final years were spent with his grandchildren, whom he taught about the tiniest and most grand aspects of nature, cheered for on the sidelines, and snuggled up with for Animal Planet viewings. His authenticity as a person unwavering in who he was and always saying what he meant, is something his family will carry on in their hearts. When Robert (or Grandpa) said something, he meant it. His words of love and encouragement were trusted and will always be kept close.Robert is survived by many friends and his loving family: his wife, Kathleen Reid (Kitchen) with her children and grandchildren; his sister Terry Vorell (Reid) with her husband Jim and their family; and his late wife's sisters, Maureen and Ellyn McCarthy (McManus), Ellyn's husband and son Connor. May we all remember to walk with Robert's same authenticity as a person and spend time as he did, marveling at the world around us.