Robert Dale "Bob" Shaner

1924 - 2021

Bob Shaner passed on to heaven on Tuesday, August 3, 2021, at the age of 97. Bob touched many lives with his wonderful creative imagination and will be dearly missed.
Bob was born to Sophia and Harry Shaner in Porterville, CA. He grew up in Porterville and graduated from Porterville High School in 1941.
He entered the Navy in July 1943 when he was 19 and graduated from midshipmen school in September 1944 at the age of 20. He served as a first lieutenant on the LST 475 in the South Pacific during WWII as an Ensign and retired twenty years later from the Naval Reserve as a Lieutenant Commander.
Bob married his high school sweetheart Olive (Ollie) Premo on May 4, 1946, in Porterville, California. While Ollie worked at the university, Bob completed his bachelor's degree in criminology and graduated from the University of California (Cal) in 1948. Following graduation, the two of them moved to Kensington after purchasing a lot from Bernard Maybeck. Since they had to promise to construct the house themselves, Bob built the family home in the evenings after work, on weekends, and during vacations.
Bob was active in working with East Bay Regional Parks to establish fire breaks in residential areas. He was also an advocate for maintaining native plant species in Wildcat Canyon.
Bob's motto was to greet life with humor and find a way to make each day a little bit better for having lived it. His bird houses, metal sculptures, wooden sculptures and other creative works of art are cherished by many. He also loved to tell stories of growing up in Porterville, the life aboard an LST and the history of Kensington and Wildcat Canyon to the fortunate guests who passed through the Shaner household doors.
Bob began working as a Deputy Probation Officer in 1948 ascending through the ranks to become Director of Juvenile Hall, Director of Institutions, and retiring in 1983 as Chief Probation Officer of Alameda County. During his time in the department, he returned to Cal as a lecturer in the School of Criminology. He created many probation handbooks and organizational techniques that were copied by other counties in California.
Bob leaves behind a legacy of having led a life by example showing all who knew him what it means to be a true American, a Naval Officer, a public servant, a loving father, a dedicated friend, outdoorsman, and a creative builder.
Bob is survived by his children Sue Zeiler, Doug Shaner; grandchildren Sherri White, Paul Keith, Michelle Lopez, Greg Shaner, Alex Shaner, Jordan Shaner; and eight great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Ollie Shaner, his daughter, Jana Shaner and his sister, Thelma Lagace.
He will be missed by all whose lives were touched by him, but we can rest easy knowing he is watching over us from above. A Celebration of Life is pending. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent in Bob's name to: Porterville Historical Museum, 257 North D Street, Porterville, CA 93257 or Asotin County Historical Museum, 215 Filmore Street, Asotin, WA 99402.