Robert Owen Morin

He was born on February 17, 1930 in San Pedro, CA, to Pauline and George L. Morin. When his father, a career Navy aviation mechanic, was assigned to North Island, the family moved to San Diego.

A 1947 graduate of Hoover High School, he played varsity football and basketball there. Known for loving math but hating socials, he performed comedy routines with a friend at the school dances. His sense of humor continued throughout his long life.

With a natural ability to understand machines, he worked for the Cash Lewis Company repairing office machines from 1945-1955 while attending school and then full-time. He briefly attended S.D.S.U. where he was a member of the J.V. football team.

During the Korean War he served on active duty in the U.S. Navy while being deployed on both the U.S.S. Douglas A. Munro and the U.S.S. Dixie.

With the help of the G.I. Bill for Veterans, he enrolled at the University of Arizona in Tucson, where with grit and determination he faced down the desert summers with beans and beer, graduating in 1958 with a B.S. in mechanical engineering. While attending U of A, he worked part time at Western Office Equipment, gaining praise from them for his mechanical ability, organizational skills and determination to do an honest job.

Later, while employed by General Dynamics in San Diego as an aerospace engineer for the Atlas Missile program, he met the love of his life, Regina O’Connell, on a blind date in 1960. Their wedding, on December 30, 1960 in La Jolla, began a marriage of 61 years, blessed by two daughters and a long-term residence on the Point Loma Peninsula. He retired in 1996 after 38 years as an aerospace engineer, first for General Dynamics, then for Martin Marietta, and finally for Lockheed Martin.

Bob listed surf fishing as one of his favorite pastimes, but prospecting with a bunch of gold-fever buddies near 29 Palms every May for almost 50 years was a close second.

He was predeceased by his parents, his sister Shirley Luhnow of Covina, and niece Sandy Michelsen of La Verne.

He is survived by his wife, Regina (Reggie); daughters Lisa Carcia and Catherine Goldenberg; sons-in-law David Carcia and Moshe Goldenberg; and grandchildren Max Goldenberg and Talia Goldenberg.

Private family services will be held at Miramar National Cemetery on Thursday, 22 September followed by a private memorial gathering for friends and family.

The family wishes to thank the doctors, nurses and technicians who cared for him in the 5 DOU unit at Kaiser San Diego Medical Center.

Memorial donations in memory of Robert O. Morin may be made to the University of Arizona School of Engineering, The National World War II Museum or the Southwestern Prospectors and Mining Association (P.O. Box 904, La Mesa, CA, 91944-0904).