Robert Willmore Obituary

Robert O. "Bob" Willmore, 89, of South San Francisco, Calif., formerly of New Kensington, died Saturday, Nov. 4, 2006, at his home. He was born Sept. 13, 1917, in Waterbury, Conn., son of the late Charles Blakely and Zipporah Bryant Small Willmore. He grew up in Massena, N.Y. and New Kensington. He is survived by two daughters, Francine Marie "Wicky" Woerthwein, of Jacobus, and Paula Lynn Willmore, of Turlock, Calif. He had six grandchildren: Charity Hyde, Joshua Woerthwein, Amanda Pressel, Matthew Woerthwein, Justin Miller and Lisa Miller, and three great-grandchildren, Erica McQuartin and Mikayla and Nicole Pressel. Bob graduated from New Kensington High School in 1937. He attended the University of Wisconsin (Madison) in liberal arts and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1941 with a degree in business administration. He also completed many graduate courses. Most recently, Bob was a partner and an owner of The Pacific Valuation Group, Inc., before retiring in 1997. Previously, he was employed at Tait Appraisal Co., in South San Francisco; Pan American Mortgage, Equitec Financial Group, Inc., in San Jose, and Monex International Inc. and Clark Dodge and Co., in San Francisco. He previously lived in Western Springs and Chicago, Ill., where he was the partner in charge of research at Blunt Ellis and Simmons, Investment Bankers; Growth Research, Inc., and Growth Industry Shares, Inc. In Milwaukee, Wis., he worked for A. 0. Smith Corp. In Pittsburgh, he worked for South Penn Oil Co., Pittsburgh Steel Corp. and National Supply Co. In San Francisco, he had been a faculty expert at Hastings College of Law's litigation advocacy program. In Chicago, he had served as director on the boards of Cetron Electronics Corp. and Crown Rheostat Supply Co., a company founded by his grandfather. He had many professional licenses at the stock exchanges and in the fields of life and disability insurance, real estate and commodities. He also qualified as an expert witness before Superior courts in the California Counties of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernadino, San Joaquin and in Cook County, Ill. He had been a member of the American Society of Appraisers, the International Association of Financial Planners and the Investment Analyst Society of Chicago. He played the violin and loved classical music his entire life. He was a member of the worldwide musical fraternity Phi Mu Symphonia. He also enjoyed gardening, especially growing roses and gladiolas. He was an intellectual who took college courses well into his 80s, and he loved to read. Bob was especially interested in history and politics. He also was good with his hands. He was good at cabinetry and building additions that required electrical wiring, concrete and carpentry skills. Mr. Willmore?s lifelong hobby was photography. Eventually, he specialized in stereo (3D) photography. He had thousands of stereo slides. In his young, lean years, when he couldn?t afford something, he would figure out a way to make it. He built a telescope for his daughters and built photography equipment that he needed. He was a member of St. Robert Catholic Church in San Mateo, Calif. Bob was preceded in death by two brothers, Charles Edward "Ted" Willmore and James Arthur "Jim" Willmore. Pacific Interment Services, San Francisco, is in charge of cremation arrangements.