Robert "Bob" Slakey

1930 - 2021

Robert "Bob" Slakey
February 6, 1930 - September 5, 2021
Sacramento, California - Robert "Bob" Slakey, Sr. — devoted husband, patriarch of a large loving family, philanthropist and prominent Sacramento business man — died Sept. 5, 2021 of natural causes. He was 91 years old.
Bob was born February 6, 1930 in Chico, Calif. He and his twin brother, Tom, were the fourth and fifth children of Roger and Marie Slakey's six children. Bob graduated from Immaculate Conception Elementary School in 1944 and from Christian Brothers High School in 1948. He attended St. Mary's College in Moraga, Calif. for one year, but left school to marry the love of his life, Mercedes Bidwell, whom he first began dating when he was 17 and she 16. The couple was married on August 26, 1950.
In 1950, after enlisting in the National Guard Reserves, Bob began working at Slakey Brothers — a wholesale plumbing, heating, and air conditioning company that was founded by his father and uncle together with their spouses. Roger insisted that his son, Bob, would have to work his way up the ladder. There would be no silver spoons for Bob. He started in the warehouse and worked several positions within the company until Bob became the president of Slakey Brothers in 1972. For the first nine years Slakey Brothers flourished under his leadership. Sales at existing stores grew; new stores were opened; competitors were acquired. But then the recession of the early 1980's hit, and the whole Company suffered. Still, Bob's skills really shone as he and his management team led the Company through these challenging times, and ultimately the Company prospered again.
Bob was an innovator in many ways: overcoming the resistance of many old timers who thought that computers were a useless fad, Bob and his brother Noel brought computers into all phases of the business at a time when all of his competitors were still relying on paper and pencil. Slakey Brothers also instituted a sales training program that was a model for the entire industry and pioneered deluxe customer incentive trips, "Club Slakey Tours de Force," as a way to build the business and strengthen customer loyalty.
In spite of his great success in building sales and profits, Bob always felt that his most important achievement was in developing a company culture of caring and teamwork. And he developed this culture primarily through his actions. He made it a point to know the names of the employees and to know something about their lives. He went to the softball games of employees. Bob solicited the input of many people when making important decisions. He instituted a special company-wide "Ten-Year Dinner" to honor all of the employees who had worked at the company for 10 or more years. He enhanced a profit sharing program which had been instituted by his father, Roger. While he was president of the company, Slakey Brothers was one of the first local businesses to institute a maternity leave. In an industry which is still very male-dominated, Bob promoted women to top positions in the company. He made the work environment safe for women. Perhaps the greatest testament to Bob's leadership was the employee stock ownership program (ESOP) that he promoted when it came time for him to retire. Bob did not want to sell the business to a competitor because it was of utmost importance to him that the Company culture be maintained. He worked with the other members of the Slakey family, with other Company stockholders, with the management team of the Company, and with a lender to put together this complex transaction. This ESOP was a tremendous boon to all of the employees and did, in fact, preserve the Company culture as Bob had so earnestly hoped.
In spite of his busy schedule and heavy responsibilities at work, Bob was an active partner with his beloved wife, Mercedes "Merce," in raising eight children. He was a loving father and was supremely proud that all his children are college graduates, many with advanced degrees. He always considered his family his first and most important responsibility. With rare exceptions he was always home for dinner and often helped the children with their homework. He and Merce would often load up all eight children for weekend outings: hiking at Big Trees State Park, playing in the waves at Santa Cruz or watching his beloved Giants at Candlestick Park. Once the youngest child, Mark, was old enough for an extended trip, the whole family would pack the station wagon for an annual summer vacation. Just think of it - eight children in a car for a long road trip! Thanks to Bob's great organizational skills and uncanny sense of direction, coupled with Merce's calming influence, the trips were always great fun for everyone.
Bob was a devout Catholic, one who truly lived his faith. He treated everyone with dignity and respect. He volunteered his time to a wide range of charitable activities, including training altar servers, teaching religious education and visiting people in state prison. Bob and Mercedes also were very active in their church, working together to deliver meals for Meals on Wheels and helping people as part of the St. Vincent DePaul Society (a charitable organization). They were extremely generous to a whole host of charities and to many individual people.
Bob was known as "Bobo" to 20 grandchildren and 26 great grandchildren. While Bob was wise enough to defer to Merce (who is called "Moosie" by her grandchildren and great grandchildren) in all cooking matters, he was known for one item - his famous "Bobo pancakes." Always sentimental, Bob made especially good use of his handkerchiefs as he grew older. He shed unabashed happy tears at baptisms, first communions, weddings, grandchildren's school plays, birthday cards, and any number of sentimental moments at family gatherings. Bob was good-natured, thoughtful, selfless and kind. He encouraged people to see the bright side of things and had a great sense of humor—even if the joke was at his expense.
When he retired in 1993, Bob continued to stay busy in a multitude of activities. He was on many charity boards and helped on several significant fundraising campaigns, including one to build the St. Anthony parish hall. However, most of his time was spent doing activities with his beloved Merce. They did square dancing and played tennis. Although they enjoyed traveling to many foreign countries, Bob and Merce especially enjoyed road trips all over the United States, including visits to almost all of the major league baseball parks in the country. They also made trips with grandchildren, two at a time, to various destinations throughout the nation.
Bob is survived by his wife of 71-years, Mercedes Bidwell Slakey; his sister, Marilyn Carmazzi; his twin brother, Tom (Marion); his eight children Bob, Jr. (Robyn), Kathleen DeChellis (Michael), Doug (Carolyn), John (Diane), Karen Hull (Maury), Steve (Jackie), Caroline Nierenberg (Nico), and Mark (Vicki); 20 grandchildren; and 26 great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents, Roger and Marie Slakey; and his brothers, Roger Slakey, Noel Slakey and Fr. William Slakey.
There will be a rosary at 7 p.m. on Sunday, September 19 at WF Gormley & Sons, 2015 Capitol Ave., Sacramento, Calif. A celebration of Bob's life will be held on Monday, September 20 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Anthony's Catholic Church, 660 Florin Road, Sacramento, Calif. A reception will immediately follow the ceremony. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made to the Sacramento Life Center, 2316 Bell Executive Lane, Sacramento, CA 95825 https://saclife.org/ or St. John's Program for Real Change, 2443 Fair Oaks Blvd. #369, Fair Oaks, CA 95825, https://saintjohnsprogram.org/. For a live stream of the service go to youtube.com and do a search for St Anthony Catholic Parish Sacramento. Then click on the Bob Slakey funeral Mass.