Robert Clayton Rutledge Sr.

1936 - 2024

ROBERT CLAYTON RUTLEDGE, SR.

April 4, 1936 February 28, 2024

Bakersfield When someone told Bob Rutledge to have a nice day, he always responded, I intend to. He kept that intention until the very end. Despite the numerous health challenges that old age brought, Bob rarely complained and was always happy to see another day. That's not to say he was a saint, and Bob would be the first person to tell you he wasn't. He was gruff, hot-tempered, stubborn, and like most people made some bad decisions and got into some trouble along the way. He was also a very hard worker and incredibly generous. Bob would be the last person to talk about the good things he did, and he certainly wouldn't want his family to pay good money to boast about him in the newspaper, but he's gone now, so here goes.

Bob was born on April 4, 1936, in Paragould, Arkansas. Four months later, his mother Marie brought him and his older brother John by train to California to join his father Henry, who, like many people from that area at that time, migrated to California to find work and escape the Dust Bowl. After a few moves around the Central Valley, Henry found work as the foreman at Frick's Dairy on Vineland Road just east of Lamont. Bob and three of his siblings attended Weedpatch School (the Okie school written about by Jerry Stanley in his book Children of the Dust Bowl) and graduated from Arvin High School in 1955. In addition to his chores on the dairy during the school year, Bob was an Eagle Scout, was on the football and track teams, played trombone in the band, and was in theater and Future Farmers of America. He worked in the fields during the summer 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, making 90 cents an hour. After graduation, Bob joined the National Guard and enrolled at Bakersfield College; however, he couldn't attend BC because he worked on the dairy in his dad's place for a year while Henry was disabled by an accident.

When Bob was a freshman in high school, he met EJ Wolff, a Bakersfield girl in the 7th grade. Whether dating or just friends, Bob paid for EJ's extracurricular activities. She wouldn't have been able to participate in things like Aquanettes, the BHS Hostess Club, or Job's Daughters without Bob's monetary support. They became engaged during EJ's senior year of high school, married on August 16, 1957, at the Lamont Methodist Church, and promptly had four children.

While raising their family, Bob worked milking cows, sandblasting, and painting, and then went into the bait and tackle business when he opened Bob's Bait Bucket in 1977 and Kern River Bait in 1985. Bob was at the Bait Bucket almost every day of the year until he became physically incapable of working anymore. The biggest tragedy of old age for Bob was not being able to work or contribute to society in some way.

A testament to his hard work occurred in 2007 when Bob was named Sportsman of the Year at the Kern County Fairgrounds. Bob was recognized as a champion for local sportsmen's rights and, almost single-handedly, the political driving force behind the opening of Lake Ming to fishing.

In addition to being a shrewd businessman, Bob was an animal lover and protector. He and EJ took in every stray cat that found them, fostered kittens for the SPCA, paid the adoption fees at local animal shelters for people who couldn't afford them, and regularly attended Kern County Animal Control meetings to voice their opinions. Bob was also a feeder at Hart Park for The Cat People for many years.

Bob was a great cook. He finally made it to Bakersfield College, where he studied Culinary Arts and graduated in 2004 at age 68, the oldest graduate in his class. He freely catered many holiday dinners, wedding receptions, birthday parties, and special events for people and organizations he loved for years after receiving his degree.

Bob was a conservationist. Among other things, he rescued the fish in Truxtun Lake when it was drying up and transported them to Hart Park, petitioned the City Council to ban plastic bags and used only paper bags at his stores, planted trees and picked up trash at the Panorama Vista Preserve, and painted over graffiti in his neighborhood. Most importantly, Bob began the local practice of sinking Christmas trees in Buena Vista Lake and Lake Isabella to provide natural habitats for the fish.

Bob was a philanthropist. One of the many ways he demonstrated this was by purchasing the animals from disadvantaged 4H youth at the fair and donating the processed animals to the homeless shelter.

Bob's final philanthropic act was donating his body to UCLA Medical School, where he is now helping ten medical students learn how to be doctors.

Bob's spirit will live on in EJ, his wife of 66 years; sons Clay (Tammy), Joe (Susan), and Ben (Tina); daughter Robin Paggi (Pat). Also, 11 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; and adopted son Harold Beletzuy and his family.

Bob's family would like to thank the dedicated medical personnel who helped him during his final years, especially Tony and the staff at BSMART physical therapy, who were strong and caring allies as Bob fought Parkinson's, and the dedicated team from Hoffmann Hospice, who took such excellent and compassionate care of him during the past six months. We'd also like to thank long-time family friend David Gamble, who provided invaluable support during the last year, and cousin Kathryn Johnson, who helped EJ through Bob's final moments.

A celebration of Bob's life will be held on Saturday, April 20, 2024 from noon - 3:00 pm at Hart Park, Section 7. If you want to honor him, please plant a tree, pick up trash, adopt an animal, or donate to The Cat People, the Bakersfield SPCA, Kern County Animal Services, or Hoffmann Hospice.

www.bakersfield.com/obits