Robert Peck

Robert C. Peck passed away on February 25, 2026, in Santa Fe, NM, at the age of 99.

Known by friends and family as Bob, he was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Born on June 13, 1926, in Berkeley, CA, he grew up in Sacramento, CA. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in electrical engineering. Following his marriage to Melvina Jarvis, the couple moved to Los Alamos, NM, in 1951. Bob worked for the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory for 40 years before retiring to Santa Fe.

He was a kind, quiet man with a ready sense of humor-very practical and a do-it-yourselfer. In the early days of private housing in Los Alamos, he and Mel bought a lot on Barranca Mesa, and he served as his own contractor to build their house. Bob did the electrical work himself. No doubt his was the only house in town whose master bedroom had a switch next to the bed to turn on the coffeepot in the morning, as well as a lighted switch that went off when the outside lights were turned off, indicating that his teenagers were home by curfew.

Bob had a wonderful bass voice and loved to sing. He was a member of the UC Berkeley Men's Octet in college, the Los Alamos Choral Society, Four Knights in a Row (a barbershop quartet in Los Alamos), and the Santa Fe Men's Camerata. He particularly enjoyed playing classical guitar. After retirement, Bob served as a DJ for a classical music program on KSFR radio in Santa Fe.

Bob's father worked for the railroads and instilled in him a love of trains. Family vacations were often taken by train, and he would take day trips to Lamy, NM, to see the trains come through, or to Colorado to see the Durango and Silverton narrow-gauge railroad. He loved to explore the now-deserted narrow-gauge railroad tunnels, looking for railroad spikes. When his children were young, he built a model electric railroad complete with hills, tunnels, signals, and switches.

Bob maintained the radios onboard his Navy ship, the Belle Isle, and later built his own radios. Once retired, he volunteered for many years repairing tape recorders for the Talking Books Program of the NM State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.

Los Alamos was the perfect place for Bob to enjoy his love of the mountains. He was an enthusiastic hiker and loved to picnic in the Jemez and at Bandelier National Monument. Each summer he took the family on vacation to Colorado in the camping trailer, which he painted to match the family car. That trailer also made trips to both coasts and most of the western national parks. Bob was delighted by the spectacular thunderstorms in Los Alamos. During storms, he would sit outside on the covered patio enjoying them, capturing lightning with his camera.

Bob was predeceased by his wife, Mel; a son, Steven; and longtime friend Mary Ranken. He is survived by daughter Cindy Burnett of Rindge, NH; son George Peck of Santa Fe, NM; grandchildren Shary Parker (Tammy), Kim Delisle (Zac), Carolyn Peck (Stefan), and Ashley Peck (Kenny); as well as great-granddaughters Parker Siksay and Belle Delisle.

The family wishes to thank the staff of Kingston Residence for their kindness and care for Bob in his last years, and also the staff of Christus St. Vincent Hospital for their care of both Bob and his family in his last days. A private service will be held at a later date.