Robert Claude Board

Robert C. Board, a resident of Citrus Heights, CA since 1977 passed away at 80 on July 18, 2022 in Roseville, CA. He was born in Stockton, California to Robert C. and Dorothy (Vigna) Board on January 16, 1942.

Although Robert was born in Stockton, he would soon move to Bakersfield, CA when his father was transferred there. This is where he started his education but in 1951 his family moved to Porterville, CA where he graduated from Porterville High School and attended Porterville College. He loved sports and played on the varsity football team for several years at Porterville High School.

While attending college he signed up with the US Navy. He served as an airman aboard the Seventh Fleet attack aircraft carrier USS Ranger in the Western Pacific. His home port was Alameda but he sailed to Philippines, Japan and Hong Kong. While on board the Ranger he went on many excursions provided by the navy. Bob has always enjoyed learning about different cultures and their people and this gave him the opportunity to experience to learn about these places and their people.

After he completed his military service, he went to Alaska to find employment. He became a driller’s helper in the exploration for oil on the North Slope of Alaska. While returning to the base camp after setting shot lines, a blizzard blew in trapping him and two other men in their vehicle. The three men sat inside the cramped vehicle for three days before the storm subsided and then they made a decision to take a chance and walk out. Of the three men, Bob was the only one to have frost bite since he was cramped along the outside of the vehicle and his heel rested against the frigid metal of the vehicle. He was flown to the Fairbanks Hospital where he received surgery to remove the flesh on his heel. It took a year to fully recover from three skin grafts.

He returned to his hometown of Porterville briefly after his recovery. This is when he made a decision to attend Foothill College in Palo Alto where he majored in electronics. During this time, he rekindled an old friendship with another classmate, Judith Potts, from Porterville High School. In 1966 they were married in Carmel, California and this was the beginning of a 56-year marriage.

Robert continued his education at San Jose State and worked at Hewlett Packard and Intel in the Bay Area. Because of his interest in sports, he started a company baseball team at Intel and they played in a Santa Clara County League. He also organized lunch time volleyball games at several companies where he worked. In 1977, he and his family moved to Citrus Heights to a different career in electronics in the Sacramento Area and continued his education at several places including UCD. He retired in 2012 after working in electronics since 1966.

One of his other interests was history whether it was local, California, the US Civil War or world history. He especially enjoyed visiting historic sites where his family had once resided or had played a role in early California history. One of the highlights of his life was visiting Italy and meeting some of his mother’s family and seeing the small villages where they had once lived. He was proud to be a 4th generation California on his paternal side and he was also very proud of his maternal Northern Italian heritage.

Bob also was a Cub Scout leader and a 4-H leader.

Robert’s survivors include his wife, Judith Board of Citrus Heights, CA. A son, David Board and his wife Kimberly Allcock, and four grandchildren, Oren, Calind, Naomi and Aara Board all of Reno, Nevada.

Services will be held August 4, 2022 in the chapel at Mount Vernon Memorial Park, 8201 Greenback Lane, Fair Oaks, CA at 12 p.m.

Donations can be made to the American Diabetes Association at donations.diabetes.org