Bob Pape

1947 - 2024

Bob Pape
July 12, 1947 - January 11, 2024
Bob died peacefully with family at his side after a short and intense battle with acute myeloid leukemia. He is survived by Maureen (Mo), his loving wife of 43 years, and daughters Alethea (Randy and son Cyrus) and Ariana (Craig and son Valen) and son Nick (Bailey and daughter Violet).

Born and raised in Michigan just outside Detroit in the tiny suburb of Royal Oak, Bob had a tight-knit group of friends and fellow wrestlers in high school. Bob was a State Champion wrestler his senior year.

That summer of 1965 Bob joined the Navy with five of his wrestling buddies and after boot camp was assigned to the USS Coral Sea. He flew as crew navigator on a A3D Skywarrior, dubbed "the Whale," the heaviest jet able to take off from the aircraft carrier. He was Honorably Discharged after serving four years during the tumultuous time of the Vietnam War.

Bob discovered his love of learning in college and university. He worked with at-risk youth and adults in recovery while working on his teaching credential, completing his student teaching, other teaching positions, and subsequent administrative credentials. In 1980 he was hired as Principal of Mountain View Continuation High School in Healdsburg and transformed the school into a model for the state. In 1985 he was transferred to Healdsburg High School as Associate Principal where he served a number of years. In all his years in education, he was committed to the best possible results, caring deeply about the success of every student. While at Healdsburg High, Bob coached high school wrestling, the cross-country team and the baseball team (really?) for a time.

When Bob joined the California School Leadership Academy in 1993 he felt he found his home in education. Initially, he was Director of Program Delivery and then served as Executive Director of the Northbay Consortium of seven area counties. Bob and his CSLA colleagues across the state developed and facilitated training modules for Superintendents and Principals to roll out to their teachers as part of their curriculum. As Cindy, his former CSLA colleague and dear friend, recently wrote to him, "You were always one of the best facilitators in the room, able to command respect, generate understanding, and provoke thoughtfulness…all while keeping the crowd laughing."

After a stroke accelerated his retirement in 2007, Bob continued his physical rehab by working with a local personal trainer. Two years in, at Mo's insistence (after all, "…you're a wonderful teacher, a coach and an athlete – I want you to be my personal trainer…"), Next 30 Fitness was born (and a whole new learning, teaching and coaching career) for a bunch of fellow oldsters. Twelve years later it's still going strong with eight women and five men in two sets of 3-days-a-week workout groups.

There is a river of people whose lives Bob deeply touched with his friendship, knowledge, insights, humor and thirst for deeper understanding – relating or teaching with love, with plenty of laughter sprinkled in.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (lls.org) or donating a pint of blood or platelets in Bob's name. A Memorial Celebration is planned for the Spring.