I am a father of two adult children and have been married to my wife, Teresa, for 46 years. We met on a blind date as sophomores at Loyola Marymount University and married 5 years to-the-day later. My career was with William Pitt Jewelers / Robbins Brothers for 40 years working primarily in Asset Protection and Consumer Finance. They were a wonderful family business to work for. I grew up on the Central Coast – Santa Maria -and have a sister two years my junior. I graduated from St. Joseph High School in Santa Maria, where I enjoyed being on the basketball team and the socializing that comes in a small school environment. I am incredibly proud of my children and the genuinely good people that they are. Time spent with the grandchildren is treasured and, in many ways, is a bit of a do-over relative to all the time spent away from my kids during my working years. I have always been a ‘collector’ of things I find interesting and cannot resist a good estate sale. Now that I have retired, I promised my wife and family that I would begin to liquidate, so I spend a lot of time selling on eBay. I am also proud to be a member of Monrovia Kiwanis and enjoy the camaraderie and the things we do to help our community and, specifically, children in Monrovia.
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
My daughter, Katie, is a mother of two and married to the pastor of a church in Orange County. She has blessed us with two grandchildren; Micah who is 6-1/2 and Madelyn who is almost 5. My son, Matthew, owns a solar company, Indie Solar. He is single and lives in San Diego. My wife is one of eight children, so there are plenty of cousins, nieces and nephews for us to enjoy.
Q: Please tell us about your current, past, or future career. What do you love most about what you do?
After 40 years in a career that was pretty much 24/7, I love the freedom that my retirement allows me to be available and spontaneous. We enjoy a lot of little ‘road trips’ and entertaining with friends. My time collecting and selling on eBay has been a lot of fun and opened some interesting doors as friends of friends begin to reach out to me for help and advice when trying to downsize or liquidate the estate of a loved one. I get a lot of joy when I am able to be a good resource..
Q: What are a couple of your favorite restaurants in our community?
We eat out pretty often, so we are fortunate to live in a community with so many good options. It would be difficult to pick a couple because we genuinely enjoy so many of them.
Q: How long have you lived or worked in our community?
We have lived in Monrovia for 39 years now and have had the same neighbors on both sides all of that time. We love the sense of ‘community’ that we enjoy on our street and feel blessed to be here. When we moved in, we were the ‘kids’ with small children. We have now come full circle and enjoy the excitement of having new families move onto our street.
Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in our community?
Another impossible choice to make. The real joy is that there are so many people that are interesting in their own rights. I have met so many people that are friendly and willing to share the gifts of their knowledge, advice and friendship. I would encourage people to get involved in one of the many clubs or service organizations – that’s why I joined Kiwanis! – to help them meet new and interesting people.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
I’m a pretty simple guy when it comes to travel. I have very little interest in traveling abroad with so much to see in America. I would love to spend time in the Northeast and to get back to Alaska.
Q: What is one of your favorite movies? TV shows?
The Shawshank Redemption and most sports movies related to overcoming the odds. I cannot think of a single network TV show that I make time for now. Bosch, Ozark and Stranger Things are favorite Netflix shows.
Q: What advice would you give to people?
My wife and I have had a ‘date night’ for over 40 years. We purposefully chose a midweek night to avoid the conflicts that pop up on weekends. The point is to talk, so we do not include other people or go someplace like a movie where taking is not possible. Even now that the kids are gone and we are both retired, we look forward to what has now become ‘date day’ so we can have that exclusive time to share with each other. My advice is to create a similar means to nurture whatever relationship you are working on.
Q: What is something on your bucket list?
NCAA Final Four, train trip across the Canadian Rockies and a Bruce Springsteen concert.
Q: What is your go to band when you can’t decide what to listen to?
Pink Floyd
Q: What current or former local business makes you the most nostalgic about our community?
I miss Pilgrim Pottery and I root for and try to support Cafe Mundial.
Q: If you could choose anyone that is alive today and not a relative, with whom would you love to have lunch? Why? And where locally would y’all meet for this lunch?
I would love to sit down with someone who REALLY understands cryptocurrency. I am fascinated and terrified by it and would love to understand it more. I would probably take them to Jake’s so we could comfortably linger and have the space for visual aids.
Q: What is your favorite thing about Monrovia or something unique about our community that you like?
I love that it is a walking city. Whether walking to town or around the neighborhood, there is beauty all around and every home has its own special charm.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?
Exactly where I am today. Life is good.
Q: Even for friends or family, what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
Because I make an effort to be social, most people might not know how much I enjoy my solitude. As a baby, I almost died of a respiratory illness. It is by the grace of God that I am alive.
Q: What is the most beautiful place you have ever been?
Hard to beat the beauty of Telluride.
Q: What is your favorite month? Favorite holiday? And what is the best single day on the calendar?
December / Christmas / Christmas Day. Joy / Gratitude / Family.
Q: What would you rate a 10 out of 10?
My wife!
Q: Who inspires you to be better?
No brainer, my family: wife, children & grandchildren.
Q: What is one or two of your favorite smells?
Bacon and coffee!
Q: Finally, what 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
Family, peaceful, grateful
