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On December 11th 2006, Bob Soderman passed away, peacefully surrounded by his family. The love he shared with so many people and the lessons he taught simply by the way he lived, will continue to touch us and generations to come. A celebration of Bob's life will be held on January 13th at 2:00pm at the First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto. 1140 Cowper Street, Palo Alto CA 94301. Remembering Bob Some months ago, Bob had come to worship in a wheelchair. I was used to seeing him with a walker, but this was new and made me a little sad. One of the struggles I think most of us have, when talking to a person we've grown to love, and knowing that their long struggle with something like cancer may soon be over, is knowing what to say. I gave Bob a hug, and asked him how he was doing. "I'm still here!" was his usual quip, and then I asked him "If I were to pray for something for you, what would you want me to pray?" He hesitated, which in the years I had known Bob was somewhat unusual. Bob always seemed to have a quick answer to questions, and an opinion on just about any subject, and he was never one to mince words. But this time, he paused. "I've had a really good life," he finally said, "and I think right now I just want to go peacefully. You should pray for that." So I did. When I thought of Bob, I prayed that when it was time, it would be peaceful, and that Bob wouldn't suffer. Though the doctors had given him very little time to live, Bob paid them no mind. A month later, there he was at another church gathering. "I'm still here!" We sat and chatted about this and that, including some DVDs he had bought which he was looking forward to watching. Some new medications had relieved a lot of the pain he had been in, and he was full of smiles and war stories..... well, he was full of beans! I was blessed to see him a few more times after that. "I'm still here." I kept praying. I didn't want this world to lose him, but when the time came, I wanted his wishes to be honored. Bob had spent a lifetime doing for others, and though I can't claim to know him as well as his family or dearest friends, I suspect that he was rarely one to ask for anything for himself. When I learned that truly his last days were at hand, I prayed more often for him. Then, word came that he had moved on. I'll miss him, but I think the image I'll keep of him in my treasure chest of memories will be him opening the door to his house for one of those Las Vegas nights, capped off by a huge meal, feeding dozens of friends and family, and Bob surrounded by those who had moved on before him - back with people he's missed - and all of them welcoming the next guest to the party with a cheer of "We're still here!" Craig Wiesner Below is an obituary about Bob's life that ran in the San Jose Mercury News and Palo Alto Weekly. If you would like to add your memories of Bob, or messages to his friends and family, please send them to craig@reachandteach.com. Bob passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Dec 11, 2006 in Menlo Park. Born in San Francisco in 1919, he received a B.A. and graduate degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. With his late wife Ruth Stahl, he raised his family in Concord, MA for 35 years. He returned to CA in 1977, living first in Los Gatos. Then after Ruth died in 1986, he married Martha Frances Weber and moved to Menlo Park. Martha died in 2000. During WWII he worked with Dr. Fred Terman (the father of Silicon
Valley) at his laboratory in Cambridge, MA and overseas on radar
countermeasures for which he received the Presidential Certificate
of Merit. Bob wrote what is considered the definitive report on
The Effectiveness of Radar Countermeasures in the European Theater
of Operations. After the war he joined the General Radio Company
(now Teradyne, a leading electronic instruments company in Massachusetts
and in Santa Clara) where, for the next 40 years, he held various
Engineering and Management positions. He received many professional awards and was honored by election
to Sigma Xi, Tau Beta Pi, Phi Beta Kappa and was selected as a
Fellow of the IEEE. He was a member and chairman of numerous professional
societies and international conferences, while publishing over
40 technical papers. Bob has a long history of support for social and educational
programs, including Boy Scout Explorers in Concord, MA, where
he was also chairman of the town Finance and Personnel Committees.
He was a trustee of the GenRad Foundation. Bob has also been active
in the First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto, a volunteer at
the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, and a long time sponsor of the
G.I. Forum Scholarship Fund. Bob is survived by children Don and his wife Linda of Saratoga,
Dick and his wife Mel Martin of Cumberland, MD, and Nancy and
her husband Tom Richey of San Jose, and stepchildren David Weber
and his wife Astrid of San Francisco, Meg Weber-Gil and her husband
Ric Gil of Albany, and numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.
He is also survived by dear cousins Ray Demiris and Henry Martens.
Bob was predeceased by his step-children Steve Weber and Jon Weber. Bob embraced every facet of life with energy, love, and thoughtful
caring. He will be remembered for his generosity of spirit, his
storytelling, his affection for children -especially his grand
and great-grandchildren in his large extended family, his view
of life through the lens of a video camera, and his positive,
up-beat nature. A celebration of Bob's life will be held at 2 p.m. on January
13, 2007, at First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto, 1140 Cowper
Street, Palo Alto. (650)325-5669 In lieu of flowers, donations in Bob's memory may be made to American Cancer Society at 1650 South Amphlett Blvd, Suite 110, San Mateo, CA 94402 or (800)227-2345. I keep thinking of the often overused word "kindness"
whenever I remember Bob. He personified it-- offering his help;
offering gentle, supportive words; telling uplifting stories;
making those lucky enough to be around him feel very important. Dear Family and Friends of Bob Soderman, Julia Julia Truesdale Keady |
