Robert Leslie Duni

Born on December 17, 1946 in Culver City, CA, he grew up in Lindenhurst, NY and graduated from Lindenhurst High School in 1965. Robert served in the Air Force from 1967 to 1971 and later became an air traffic controller until losing his job after taking part in the unsuccessful PATCO strike of 1981. His ensuing tenure as a phone and printer repair technician with IBM took him from Essex, VT to cities across the United States including Tuscon, AZ, Honolulu HI, and eventually Sacramento, CA. Moving to Sacramento brought his wife Linda (McBride) into his life, and they married in 2004.

Robert deeply appreciated beauty found in the world and loved sharing his many interests with loved ones, both human and furry. He planned many adventures exploring the outdoors and as an avid fly angler he annually traveled to Newfoundland to catch the Atlantic salmon run with his good fishing buddy. He was a talented photographer, beautifully documenting countless adventures and special moments throughout his life. A New Yorker to the core, he was a dedicated New York sports fan and especially loved the Yankees. He read the New York Times daily and explored the cultural inspirations he found there, from sharing recipes with his daughters to finding new picture books to send to his grandsons to catching a movie or a traveling art installation with his wife.

Robert rarely sat still and made the most of each day, whether it be attending a live concert, playing a round of golf, identifying a hawk above, or selecting the best ingredients at the market to create a delicious plate of food. He was an avid gardener, carefully tending to his fruit & vegetable garden and the landscaping around his home. Robert had traveled to most of the states in the US, including taking a cruise in Alaska. International travel included trips to Canada, France and Italy. He and Linda frequently returned back east to visit family and friends in New York and Vermont. Robert made lifetime friends and showed immense love and loyalty to his family, friends and colleagues.

Robert had a lifelong love of dogs, especially golden retrievers. He loved Ruby and Jeter and cherished time spent with them alongside Linda, walking the local paths and playing in the pool.

Robert is survived by his wife, Linda, daughters Megan and Devon Duni (Travis Smith), grandsons Myron and Malcolm Duni-Smith, sister Linda Besemer (Norman), nephews Philip and David (Cathy) and niece Michelle Holbrook (Richard). He is also survived by Linda’s son, Jermaine Evans (Ashley), and grandchildren, Blane and Cooper.

He was preceded in death by his parents Pat and Esther (Shack) Duni.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 11:00 on Friday, April 28th at Woman's Club of Lincoln, 499 East St. Lincoln, CA. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations can be made to Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary or to the Nature Conservancy.