Bob Gray was born on August 16, 1943. His grandparents, Charlie and Lilian Vance came to Tustin in 1917. Charlie was president of the First National Bank of Tustin

His ‘kid “jobs included delivering newspapers and working at the Tustin Food Center. A graduate of Tustin High School and the University of Denver, he became a banker then moved on into the construction and home maintenance business. He married Vicki Adler from Denver in 1966 and brought his bride home to Tustin.

As a young man, he was an accomplished water skier and fast pitch softball catcher in the industrial league after learning his skill in Little League. He later became an avid golfer with a 10 handicap and hole-in-one to his credit.

He was initiated into the Santa Ana Elks in 1967 and was their Exalted Ruler in 1976-77. He was also a member of the Tustin Chamber of Commerce and served as a director of the Tustin Area Historical Society.

In 1985, he joined Charioteers, a high school car club with old high school friends. Bob and Vicki traveled to many car shows throughout California, Arizona and Colorado in his treasured ’57 Chevy Nomad.

Bob was everyone’s friend and was always ready to offer a helping hand. He was best known for his awesome sense of humor.

Bob and Vicki had been married for 51 years when he passed away on 8/30/2017.

In Bob’s memory, Vicki purchased a computer for the Tustin Museum and established the Vivian Owen Learning Center. She has built extensive historical databases covering census records, voter registrations, historic homes, local officials, and other aspects of Tustin's history for research purposes. With the help of Tim Zierer, they have written over 120 biographies about Tustin pioneer families.


Having no children, the couple established a scholarship endowment fund at the University of Denver.