Roy M. Signer Jr.

1926 - 2016

Roy M. Signer, Jr.
March 8, 1926 ~ February 5, 2016
Pacific Grove, CA
Roy M. Signer, Jr. of Pacific Grove, CA passed away on February 5, 2016. His wife, daughter and grandson were by his side at Monterey Community Hospital where his heart finally just gave out. He was one month away from his 90th birthday. Roy Jr. was born on March 8, 1926 as the only child of Captain Roy M. Signer, USN and Frances (Williams) Signer in San Diego, CA. Roy Sr. was an early U.S. Navy pilot, one of the first to be launched by catapult off of a ship, and he passed his love of all things Navy, especially planes, to his son. Roy Sr.'s career in the Navy had the family move frequently, but when he retired they returned to Altadena, CA, where they had owned a home since the mid-1930's. After graduating from Corpus Christi High School (now called Roy Miller HS) in 1945, Roy Jr. joined the Navy to be a pilot like his father. Unfortunately, the overabundance of pilots at the end of WWII changed Roy's focus to electronics. The Navy funded his education and he attended Occidental College, UCLA, and USC before graduating in 1947 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. The Occupation of Japan and China were underway when Roy entered active service, and he went on to fight in the Korean War aboard the heavy cruiser USS Toledo. Roy retired from the Navy in 1951, but remained a member of the U.S. Navy Reserves for many years. His career in electronics began at RCA working with analog vacuum tubes, transitioned into the digital age designing circuit boards for Litton Industries and culminated designing circuit board material for Mica Corp.
In March 1967, Roy married the girl next door, Sarah (Scanlon) Gunderson of Altadena, CA and with her three children they moved to Newhall, CA where his son David soon joined the family. The family remained in Newhall until Roy retired. In 1996 Roy and Sarah decided to pull up stakes and move to
Pacific Grove to be closer to family. Roy's love of the mountains led him to buy a cabin in Mammoth Lakes, CA in 1960 and he enjoyed the time he spent there every summer for the rest of his life surrounded by the beauty of nature. His favorite activities were fishing, exploring the Eastern Sierras, hiking with friends and family, and especially backpacking. Roy established the tradition of taking at least one family trip into the backcountry every summer and he continued this tradition well into his 60's. Other interests of his included golf, travel, planes, WWII history and HAM radio.
Roy is survived by his wife of 48 years, Sarah, sons Eric (Maria) Gunderson, Richard (Karen) Gunderson, and David (Monica) Signer, daughter Caroline (Greg) Koss and four grandchildren; Laura (Brian) Wiggins, Janel Gunderson, Jeff Gunderson and Alek Koss. All will greatly miss Roy's patience, positive attitude, always-cheery demeanor and quick yet sometimes quirky humor.
A gathering to celebrate Roy's life will be held on June 11, 2016 from 2-5pm at Monterey Pines Grill and Bar on the Monterey Pines Golf Course, 1250 Garden Rd., Monterey, CA. Final interment will be in the Pasadena Mausoleum at Mountain View Cemetery in Altadena, CA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Roy's name to the National MS Society or the Sierra Club.


View the online memorial for Roy M. Signer, Jr.