I just received the startling and sad news that one of my high school classmates, Robert Paoli, has passed away.
I was never close to Rob. I remember him as a very big guy who played football and wore shorts all winter. In the years since I last saw him, he rose to captain of the volunteer firefighter corps in Marinwood — the fire department that would put out the grass fires that broke out on the hills around my Lucas Valley home every summer. He also went to Louisiana to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
In my memory, Rob was never unkind. His obituary makes it clear that he was loved by many. It’s a sad loss. He is survived by his wife and his five-year-old daughter. A trust fund has been set up for the family, and the information for donating is in the article.
I just heard the very sad news of Robert Paoli’s passing. We use to play football together through High School, but I remember him most for being such a great guy. We spent some fun times together and now I wish I would have said hello more often and kept in touch.
We’ve lost a special person.
-Saeed Qureshi