Robert C. Benetti

1936 - 2023

Robert C. Benetti (Bob)
July 26, 1936 - August 30, 2023
Robert passed peacefully in his sleep on August 30, 2023. He was born in San Francisco on July 27, 1936, to Paul and Dorothy Benetti. His roots there ran deep through his mother, who had walked its wooden sidewalks and survived the great earthquake and fire of 1906, while he was connected to the culture of his North Beach neighborhood through his father, an Italian immigrant who worked for A.P. Giannini's Bank of Italy (later the Bank of America). Bob's youth, and perhaps his entire life, was defined by countless games played and organized on San Francisco's blacktops, ballfields, and gymnasiums. After graduating from Galileo High School in 1955, where he was a strong student and varsity athlete on multiple teams, he went on to San Francisco State, where he continued to participate in athletics and earned bachelor's and master's degrees in Recreation. Apart from several years in the Army between high school and completing college, he lived his entire life in The City that he loved.
In the early 1960's Bob joined the S.F. Recreation and Parks Department and served as a director at a number of different sites, forming lifelong relationships with a myriad of colleagues and community members. He had particularly strong ties to Eureka Valley Playground, for it was in that neighborhood that he made his home for the last half century, and there that he met his beloved wife Margie and became father to his son Jeff. Above all, Bob was a coach, both by profession and most crucially, by personal constitution. He guided a great many teams of mostly children in his working years, and indeed, well into retirement. While many of these teams enjoyed traditional competitive success, the lessons which Bob sought to impart, and the goals which he set, always went far beyond the immediate concern of the scoreboard. Recreation, in all its forms, was always about cultivating character and community for Bob. He sought to offer people the opportunity both to play and also to develop as individuals and as a collective; to strengthen not only their physical skills but also the ties that bind teammates and neighbors. He was a great friend and mentor who always gave generously of his time and considerable talents.
While many benefited from those qualities, Bob's greatest legacy was with his family. He was devoted to his wife Margie, with whom he enjoyed a special bond for over 30 years, and proudly embraced his role as Jeff's dad, guiding his development first as an athlete, and eventually to becoming a wonderful father and grandfather himself. To his grandsons Chris and Steven, he was always "Papa," and demonstrated a level of commitment few will ever know. Papa's steadfast support and boundless affection for them manifested not only on the basketball court, where he held some of his most treasured coaching roles, but also in his encouragement of and contribution to their studies and daily development as young men. The joy of being Papa to Chris and Steven was eclipsed only in his later years by his promotion to "Papa Bob" to great-grandchildren Caroline and William, who brought him much delight and laughter. And not to be forgotten is his furry companion Sadie, "His Girl," with whom he spent many happy days in recent years.
Bob was preceded in death by his brother Paul and his wife Margie. He is survived by his son Jeff (Francine), grandsons Chris (Koree) and Steven (Chris), great-grandchildren Caroline and William, sisters-in-law Sally and Suzanne Mahoney (Jerry, deceased), sister-in-law Beth Wooley, and niece Leah McGirr (John). He will be sorely missed by so many who knew and loved him, though he is undoubtedly cheering them on from above still today.
Friends are invited to attend the visitation and vigil services Friday, September 15th from 4:00 to 8:00 pm with a Rosary at 7:00 pm at DUGGAN'S FUNERAL SERVICE – THE DUGGAN WELCH FAMILY, 3434 17TH Street in San Francisco. All are also invited to attend the celebration of life at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, 18th & Collingwood Sts. on Saturday the 16th at 12:00 Noon. Private interment is to take place. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to either the San Francisco Parks Alliance or to the San Francisco Police Activities League.