Robert Newton Rockley

Bob Rockley exited this life peacefully at home on June 2nd wrapped in his family’s love. Although the cancer that took his life was unrelenting, he refused to let it define him and left this life on his own terms.

Bob is survived by wife Nina; his son Tobin and his wife Liane; his son Robin and his wife Sheila; grandchildren Damien, Tyler and Aslan; his sister Iris Sylvia; nieces Catherine Stevens and Alana Maxson; nephew Joe Gernert; and his cats Shadow and Shady.

Bob was the most giving of men. His kindness radiated from a special place deep within. Utterly selfless, you knew without a doubt that he would always be there when needed. All who met him were drawn to him by his calm demeanor and warm confidence.

Bob was not tied to tradition of any kind. He had that rare ability to look beyond what was expected, using true innovation and creativity to solve all the challenges that life brought to him. Bob embodied the idea that it was more important to be creative than accepted by society.

Bob’s 40 plus years at Rockley Music allowed him to exercise his creative and artistic abilities. He earned bachelor’s degrees in Sculpture and Interior Design from the University of Denver. He treated problems like an art project, finding solutions that were aesthetically beautiful as well as practical. Bob’s started the guitar and combo department and his creativity in musical instrument repair led him to be a pioneer in many new techniques. Bob was one of the first repair technicians In Denver to use cork pads in clarinets. Always looking to improve upon the established, his oldest son Tobin remembers Bob reworking his alto saxophone to install balsam wood pads he hand-carved. Although we ultimately changed to a new resonator pad, the goal of a brighter sound was accomplished in a true out of the box solution.

Any design changes (paint, fixtures, etc.) at Rockley Music had to pass the “Bob Test”. Another one of his defining characteristics was stubbornness. He is fondly remembered as digging in his heels and not giving an inch when it came to decide the way a department should FLOW. He usually got his way and annoyingly was almost always right.

Bob loved playing his guitar and singing. He played in Tobin’s band Flipside for 10 years. One of the band traditions was getting something to eat after a gig- even if that was in the wee hours of the morning. One of the more memorable band stories is when Liane made a large batch of homemade cinnamon rolls (6 pans) one weekend when the band had a gig. After the baking was done and the rolls covered, Nina insisted that one of the pans be labeled for Damien and Tyler. Liane was surprised by that (the guys couldn’t possibly eat 6 pans of cinnamon rolls) but labeled the 6th pan as Nina insisted. Early in the morning, Tobin, Bob, and drummer/lead vocalist Chris Lenway came home after the gig and polished off 5 pans of cinnamon rolls between the 3 of them! (If the 6th hadn’t been labeled for Damien and Tyler it would have been gone too. There was a hot debate on disregarding the label.)

Bob loved cruising, botanical gardens, museums and great cuisine. Bob, Nina, Robin and Sheila enjoyed many adventures as travel buddies. One memorable trip was a cruise to San Juan where they hiked the jungles in Puerto Rico. Another fond memory was a trip to Disney World. The first day, Bob was walking a bit slowly. The second day he was talked into a motorized scooter. Bob was a bit hesitant but after a few minutes he was speeding through the park with everyone else chasing. That night he said he really appreciated that scooter.

Bob loved his family, especially his wife, Nina. He was immensely proud that he and Nina were married for 55 years. Nina always said that half her heart was his. His last words to her were, “I will wait for you…” and he will.

Bob loved living in the mountains with the incredible view from their back deck. He dearly loved his cats and their many plants. Bob gave the best hugs always asking, “Do you want your hug now?” before wrapping you in his warmth and love. We will all miss those hugs.