On the morning of Wednesday, March 13, 2016, 48 days after losing his wife, Robert Paul Crimi died peacefully in his Idyllwild home.
Bob earned diplomas from Pasadena High School, Aurora College and USC, and was drafted into the U.S. Navy serving two years during WW II before being honorably discharged as an officer.
He worked 33 years in banking, starting as a teller and retiring as vice president of auditing for Security Pacific Bank’s head office. Bob was California’s first chartered auditor and served as president of the Chartered Auditors of America.
He sailed to Hawaii and Tahiti on a 40-foot sloop, dependent upon the celestial navigation he learned for these occasions. He was awarded several prestigious honors, was known to be a faithful churchgoer and staunch Republican, and numerous ledgers attest to his careful management and accounting of funds.
Robert Crimi was a principled, capable and educated man with a good head for figures, but these are not the things for which he will be remembered by his three children, four grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, 10 great-great-grandchildren and numerous friends.
They will remember him as one who used his well-managed accounts to further the work of charities and to invest in the lives of friends and family members. They will remember him as a man who valued good health and strong relationships, logging over 15,000 walking miles and hundreds of volunteer hours hand in hand with his wife, Betty, over the course of their 80-year romance. They will remember a man dedicated to knowing and serving Jesus Christ throughout his 97 years.
A man with a wry wit, a mathematical intellect and a tender heart. A man who loved, encouraged and supported his offspring with his example of godly living and an annual birthday check. A husband who patiently loved his wife through the indignities of dementia even as he suffered the progressive effects of congestive heart failure. A man whose heart continued beating long enough for him to stand and tell the crowd at her memorial service that his Betty was a good wife and mother.
Thirteen days after accomplishing this final goal, Robert Paul Crimi, knowing all his debts were paid in full by His Savior, gratefully closed his final account.
A celebration of Bob and his beloved wife, Betty, will be held at the North Park Community Church at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 14, in San Diego. All who knew and loved Bob and Betty are welcome. For those who wish to honor his memory with a gift, donations may be made in her name to any of the following: Aurora University development office (designation: Crimi Scholarship Fund), 347 South Gladstone Ave., Aurora, IL, 60506-4892; Camp Maranatha, P.O. Box 1736, Idyllwild, CA 92549; Advent Christian Village, P.O. Box 4305, Dowling Park, FL, 32064-9982; or Idyllwild Community Church, P.O. Box 537, Idyllwild, CA 92549-0537.