Robert (Bob) Ernest Eckert

Robert (Bob) Eckert lived his entire life in Lompoc. His mother was Ethel Louise Barnes Eckert (aka. Louise) and Father was Melvin John August Eckert (aka. Pete). His birth was at 211 N. H Street at 6:45am, on his mom's cedar chest. Later, the family would move to 508 N. H Street, where he would grow up with his parents and three sisters, Betty Jean (deceased 2022), Phyllis (deceased 2020) and his baby sister, Allyce Ann (deceased 2017).

During WWII, he worked in the fields picking and packing carrots and then attending school during the day. While attending Lompoc High School, he played most sports. He loved football but also played baseball and basketball. He got up in the wee hours of the morning before school and went to work for Reedson's Dairy, where he did mostly the loading of trucks and delivering of milk. After high school graduation in 1950, he attended Santa Maria Community College where he again played football and studied Business Administration.

Bob joined the U. S. Navy on April 24th, 1951, during the Korean War, on the USS Thaddeus Parker (DE 369). He traveled the world and would receive a National Defense Service Medal and a Good Conduct Medal. His training was in Artillery, but his main job duties on the ship were working in the galley and cooking. He served four years and was honorably discharged on April 19th, 1955. He returned home to Lompoc and to the family business, Eckert's Electric (est. 1946). He helped the business grow from a residential/commercial wiring and repair company to getting large contracts with the U.S. Government. He and his team wired some of the first Ground Global Positioning Systems locally at Vandeberg Air Force Base and in the years following, he was involved in wiring tracking stations located all around the world. Thule, Greenland made a great impression on him and was one of his favorite places he worked.

Bob was a bachelor most of his life until he met Dorothy (Dottie) Bouslaugh in the mid 1980's and they married on June 4th, 1989, when he was 57 years old. Dottie had a large family, with 5 adult children, 12 grandchildren and later numerous great grandchildren. He enjoyed his time traveling the world with Dottie and visiting with their family and friends. While on their honeymoon, they met a young couple (Stephen and Kerri Houghton) in Australia who just gotten married themselves and not only became lifelong friends, but he considered them family, as if they were a son and daughter.

Bob did not have children of his own, but he had numerous nieces and nephews, grand nieces and nephews, and great grand nieces and nephews from his three sisters.

Bob was a lifelong member of the Elks Lodge Lompoc 2274 for 62 years and the American Legion. He was an A&A Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, SJ, USA with one of the highest honors of 32 degrees, a Life Member valued since 1963, with the Santa Barbara orient of California. Bob was a proud member of Al Malaikah Shriners Hospital, Shriners Hospital International. His number one philanthropic contribution was to Shriners Hospital for Children. His heart was truly with the children and making their lives better. Lastly, he was a union man and belonged to IBEW International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Bob always enjoyed deep sea fishing for albacore tuna with his Uncle Charlie, in the waters off San Diego. He also enjoyed hunting locally for coastal deer and in Colorado when he had the time.

In the days and weeks leading up to his passing, he was blessed to be at home with the help of the family and dedicated caregivers. At the time of his passing, August 17, 2025, at 7:27 pm, Bob was in his home, with his dog Keiko, his bird Petey, and surrounded by loved ones.

Services will be held on, Saturday, October 25, 2025, at 1000am, Lompoc Cemetery, with reception to follow at the Lompoc Elks Lodge.