Robert Firus

Robert Leo (Bob) Firus, 81, passed away March 20, 2012 from complications due to Parkinson's disease. He is survived by his wife, Theresa, and daughter Randi Firus (Tim Bremer).

Bob was born December 19, 1930 in Herbert, Saskatchewan, a small town in the Canadian prairies. He was the youngest of six children of German immigrants Carl and Wanda Firus. His oldest sisters Hilda and Erna were born in Germany. Bob, his sister Elsie and brothers Arthur and Eric were born in Canada. He loved to tell stories about their childhood in Herbert. He was very active in sports and particularly loved ice hockey. Tall for his age, he skated not only with his age group, but also on teams with the older kids. He couldn’t get enough. 

As a young man, he followed his brothers and a sister taking a turn as editor of the town newspaper the Herbert Herald, which the family then owned. During his stint, he held the distinction of being the youngest newspaper editor in Canada. He also he met the woman who would become the love of his life, Theresa (Terry) Adamek, a schoolteacher in Herbert. They were married in 1952 and relocated to British Columbia, where Terry taught grade school and Bob worked part time in the copy room of a major Vancouver newspaper The Province while attending the University of British Columbia. He graduated UBC in 1955 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, joined a major public accounting firm, Price Waterhouse, and transferred with them to Southern California in 1962, a couple years after their daughter Randi was born.

A story he liked to tell about his time with Price Waterhouse was when he was on the Academy Awards audit and assigned to count the ballots for the foreign film category. A fire alarm went off in the building and while everyone else rushed immediately for the exits, Bob paused first to pick up the ballot box and take it with him to safety. As it happens, Gregory Peck was on site that day and when he saw what transpired, he pulled Bob aside and said “now that’s a man who knows what’s important.” Bob later left Price Waterhouse to join a traffic control products company, where he worked his entire career, ultimately holding the position of General Manager. He didn’t take off a single sick day during his just over 25 years with the company.

During his working years, Bob, Terry and Randi would pack up the car every summer for the two- or three-day road trip to Canada – one year to Vancouver to visit Bob’s relatives and the next year to Saskatchewan to visit Terry’s and so on. Family ties were important. In the years immediately following his retirement in 1991, he and Terry traveled the world, making many trips to Europe and one to China. International travel was his lifelong dream and in his blood. All his brothers and sisters were world travelers many times over. Being a detailed numbers guy by profession served him well when he pivoted to researching and planning Terry and his travels. His type-written minute-by-minute travel itineraries (prepared without a personal computer or the internet) were wonders to behold.

Bob had a lifelong love of sports, a love he and Terry shared. A good Canadian at heart, he remained a dedicated fan of ice hockey, both the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks, and followed Angels baseball and Rams and UCLA football as well. He and Terry together played golf and tennis for many years. They also enjoyed dancing to the songs of the Big Band era and always looked forward to the Wednesday night dance with live music at the Cypress Senior Center. Blue Moon was their song.

We will remember most his generous heart and happy nature. He excelled in making others feel welcome and included. It was a point of pride to him that he could recall the names of everyone he encountered. He was engaging and most enjoyed telling stories, especially about his travels and childhood. He could only say good things about anything he did or anywhere he went. Even when Parkinson’s disease began limiting his capabilities, he remained positive. It was inspiring.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, March 29, 2012 in the Church of Our Fathers at Forest Lawn Cypress.