Bob Kimble was born on Aug. 27, 1936, in San Francisco. He sailed away from this earthly realm on March 6, 2025, in Quincy, California. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Averil, and his daughter Toady (Karen) Kimble Shea, son-in-law Pete Shea, and grandson Miller Shea of Scituate, Massachusetts.
Bob grew up in Albany, California, and loved being on the water in his father’s Sea Scout program on the San Francisco Bay. Graduating from St. Mary’s High School, he joined the Marine Corps Reserves and was stationed in San Diego, where he enjoyed a lot of surfing. He wanted to fly, and did, as a radar operator. His love of the water would stay with him all his life.
Bob got his degree in engineering at California State University, Chico, which led him back to southern California as an aeronautical engineer at Wiley Labs. This career was not to his liking, and he returned to Chico State, getting his second degree in teaching. He met his first wife there, and they had a child, Karen, fondly known to most as Toady. They moved to Quincy, where Bob started his 21-year career as a teacher at Quincy Junior/Senior High School primarily teaching math, astronomy, physics and photography.
His summer months were spent kayaking, his winter months skiing, as the Quincy High Ski Team Coach and a leader of the Saturday Ski Program for kids. Bob’s other joy was flying, which he’d do every chance he got.
He met the love of his life, Averil, in Quincy, and they married in 1984. They were married for over 40 years and enjoyed many life adventures together. They worked for the school system but enjoyed doing wedding photography together. When Bob retired from Quincy High, he continued teaching at Feather River College — astronomy, photography, and art appreciation. He followed a dream to learn to become a “serious” sailor, spending many weekends in Point Richmond learning to sail on the bay.
Sailing led him to become not only a teacher of students on the San Francisco Bay, but also to gain his certification to sail anywhere in the world. Bob and Averil enjoyed (with Bob as the captain) many sailing trips together with friends: Mexico, Tahiti, Caribbean, Spain, Greece, Croatia, Belize, Turkey. He loved being able to sail through the Panama Canal. His dream was to have his own sailboat, and he found one in the Florida Keys, where he and Averil spent the winters sailing and living on their catamaran “Just Duet.” They bought a home there after eight years. Although they spent the winters there they still called Quincy home.
Bob’s other loves were almost all exciting ones. His favorite saying was, “You’re not really living unless you experience adrenaline rushes.” This included white water kayaking and catarafting, skiing, flying, mountain bike riding (Red Rocks in Sedona a favorite), motorcycle riding (mostly mountain, but road trips as well), and anything else he might come across. Trapeze was fun, as was scuba diving.
Bob will be remembered primarily for his love of life and all it encompassed, from his personal “adrenaline rushes” to his close ties with long-time friends, his compassion and caring of others, his generosity, and his desire to always learn new things and challenge himself to keep both his body and his mind active. He remembered every student’s name when he’d see them at the Plumas County Fairs. He was born to be a teacher, and he touched many a young person’s heart and mind.
Bob endured a significant loss of sight and Parkinson’s in his last five years, but neither slowed him down too much. He died quietly, at age 88, of complications of pneumonia and resultant heart failure. He was at home in Quincy with his wife and daughter at his side.
We hope all who knew and loved this amazing man will join us on Saturday, July 26, for a celebration of Bob’s life at Sandy Point, Bucks Lake. It will be a potluck, with drinks and ice provided. Bring your stories, your water toys, and most of all your laughter — that’s what he’d like best. We will be up there all afternoon until the area closes at dusk.
