Robert Bruce Grant

Robert B. Grant: A Life Well Lived
We all hope to lead a life of worth and purpose-using our natural abilities and life experiences to the highest effect, treasuring those we hold most dear, and making a mark on the issues we care about most. By this measure, Bob Grant's life was an unparalleled success, leaving behind a legacy of professionalism, integrity, generosity and kindness.
Born and raised in Tustin, Calif., alongside his parents (Victor and Bettie) and two brothers (Jay and Kerry), Bob loved sports of all kinds, particularly enjoying basketball and baseball, and excelled in track and field in high school-setting records for both long jump and javelin are among his many claims to fame. He graduated from Tustin High School in 1961, and studied at Santa Ana Junior College before setting off to get his bachelor's degree at Cal State Fullerton.
Shortly thereafter, Bob earned his CPA and began his distinguished career in public accounting working for the Internal Revenue Service, Arthur Young & Company, Coleman & Grant, and Deloitte. He served as Managing Partner of Deloitte's Orange County office, and continued to serve clients as a sole practitioner after his retirement from Deloitte at age 62. Bob's technical acumen and strategic leadership helped countless clients and professionals reach their potential, and he was a strong and caring mentor to all those who had the pleasure and privilege of working with him. His professional legacy will endure through the lives he touched and the indelible mark he left on the firms where he worked.
His skill as a financial expert was outshone only by his generosity of spirit. Bob was widely acknowledged for his charity work, bringing his gifts of "head and heart" to Orange County's most vulnerable neighbors. He was passionate about his work with Casa de Amma, serving those with special needs, Family Assistance Ministries, bringing life-giving support to those in greatest need throughout Orange County, Casa Recovery, offering treatment for mental health, and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, funding innovative research for type 1 diabetes, among other worthy charitable causes throughout his life. He made perhaps his greatest mark on the Orange County Community Foundation, serving on the board for nearly a decade and as Board Chair, and on many committees after his Board term ended. Bob contributed in countless ways to the Foundation's success as one of the largest and fastest-growing community foundations in the nation.
On the personal front, he delighted in his family and friends, loved to throw a good party, and created a sense of welcome and warmth for all who knew him. He had a competitive spirit, laughed loudest at his own jokes, and warmed the hearts of the many he called "pal." He lit up every dance floor he ever stepped foot on-eyes closed, one with the music, rocking his signature moves. As he got older he also seemed to get younger, bringing endless joy and love to his grandchildren with whom he has a deep and special bond. When he wasn't golfing with his buddies, surfing, skiing, boating, or lighting the backyard on fire with his beloved weed torch, you could find him immersed in playful banter with his bestie Betty, the love of his life and wife of 46 years.
Physically healthy all his life and often thought to be invincible, Bob was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis at the age of 79. After a brave, wholehearted and steadfast battle with this heartbreaking disease, he passed away eight short months later with his family by his side at Providence Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, Calif., on December 30, 2023. His resilience endured until the very end, as did his positive spirit, and his strong faith provided a sense of peace and curiosity as he transitioned into the unknown.
Two months prior to Bob's passing, he threw one final party for himself-an 80th birthday family talent show. Twenty-five humans from the Grant clan came together to eat and drink, sing and dance, and laugh and cry, as we celebrated this most special man and all the ways he's touched the lives of those closest to him. It is without question that he left this earthly plain knowing how deeply loved he is. He was a pillar of strength and support with a sense of humor to be reckoned with, and he will be dearly, dearly missed.
Bob was always intrigued by his Scottish roots and so proud of the Grant Family Crest, and there's no one who embodied its motto more fully: Stand Fast. The most determined man you'll ever meet and an immovable anchor for his family, even as he took his last breaths. A true Grant in all his glory.
Bob is survived by his wife Betty, five children (Chris, Casie, Kelly, Bobby and Jamie), five grandchildren (Rylie, Preston, Andrew, Makenna and Micah) and two great grandchildren (Maverick and Jenna Jade). And his departed best dog friend Jackson has been undoubtedly and excitedly awaiting his arrival to the Spirit world.