Robert "Bob" Canda

Bob was drafted into the United States Army during the Korean War and was honorably released from duty in 1955 as a Corporal in the Signal Corps. He later earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Production Technology from Oregon State University — Go Beavers!

Bob built a long and successful career with Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale, California, where he eventually retired. Along the way, he joined a camping club called the Roving Rockets, which sparked a lifelong passion for the outdoors. That passion turned into decades of adventure as Bob traveled throughout the western states well into his 80s. His camping evolution mirrored the times — from tent, to trailer, to fifth wheel, and finally to an RV. He was a proud member of the Good Sam and Escapees clubs, as well as the Elks and Moose lodges, which he happily noted provided “cheap hookup rates” during his travels.

Bob loved his beer and gin, dancing to jazz and big band music, trains, maps, and fast cars. Always on the go, he was an engineer through and through — a natural problem solver with the creativity to design and build things that improved his surroundings. Even later in life, dementia never stopped his tinkering.

A creature of habit, Bob ate the same breakfast and read the newspaper every morning. He often said, “If you stop moving, you die,” and he lived by those words, never wanting to stop — all the way to the end. Bob truly did it his way.

Bob is survived by his daughter, Brenda Canda, and her son Austin Rue. Through his late son Roderick, Bob gained an Australian family, including grandsons Robbie and Rhys. Robbie and his wife Carolyn blessed Bob with two great-grandsons, Jackson and Oliver.

Bob will be remembered for his curiosity, independence, ingenuity, and unwavering determination to keep moving.