Derace & Daniel Robertson

ENCINITAS – It is with great sadness that we announce Derace Orput Robertson passed away on May 17, 2021 in her home in Encinitas, CA. She was loved greatly by her extended family, friends and neighbors.

Derace was born May 16, 1960 in Long Beach, CA, the only child of the late Robert Edward and Iris Elouise Orput. She married Daniel Kent Robertson on October 12, 1996 in Vista, CA and he recently preceded her in death on November 30, 2020.

She is survived by her brother-in law, Jeff Robertson, in Ashburn, VA; her husband’s twin Dave and wife Merry Jane Robertson in Flint, MI; brother-in law Scott and wife Theresa Robertson in Reading, PA; her sister-in law Ann and husband Robert Lockwood in Cincinnati, OH; and her mother-in law Claudine Robertson also in Cincinnati, OH. Derace is an aunt to nine nieces and nephews, and a great aunt to a great nephew. She is also survived by her cousin Beauregard Houston Montgomery who resides in New York City.

Derace grew up in Vista, CA and wanted to be a journalist. While she attended Palomar College locally, she earned a Copley Newspaper scholarship, a Certificate of Achievement in Journalism, and graduated with an Associate of Arts degree in 1980. She then went to the University of Missouri near her mother’s farm to complete her Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1983.

After graduating, Derace worked in journalism as an executive assistant for over 15 years at The Copley Press, the then parent of the San Diego Union Tribune newspaper. After Copley, she took great pride in her different positions as an administrator for other major companies in the San Diego area through the years.

Derace was soft spoken but was very much into heavy metal music and attending renaissance fairs. She enjoyed and often sunbathed in the beautiful garden she had created, surrounded by roses she had transplanted with great care from her mother’s own garden. She was a lifelong avid reader, most often with one of their beloved cats, J.C. and Sylvester (and P.I.T.A., previously), on her lap. She was an aficionado of beautiful and unique music boxes, and played piano well. Her home was also well protected by her intriguing collection of gargoyle figurines. Derace was also a fantastic baker and her desserts were always the highlight of the dinner parties and social events she and Dan went to. Her ready smile and kind heart made her friendship a blessing to all who knew her.

A combined memorial service will be held for Derace and Dan at Eternal Hills Memorial Park in Oceanside, CA on Saturday, June 5 at 10:00am. Pastor Emogene W. Alvin will be officiating. The memorial service will also be live streamed with more information to follow.

With a lot of their family and friends living in the Midwest, a combined memorial service for Derace and Dan will also be held at Stony Hill in Miamisburg, Ohio on Saturday, July 10 at 11:00 am.

The family is very grateful for the loving friends and neighbors that showered Derace with love and prayers, especially after Dan’s passing. A special thanks to the Hospice Team and care givers Emogene Alvin and Jill Forill who gave Derace loving care and support each and every day.

Please share your thoughts with the family at the website: dignitymemorial.com.

Daniel K. “Dan” Robertson

Aerospace Engineer and Cellular Technology Patent Holder

April 10, 1962 – November 30, 2020

ENCINITAS – It is with very sad news to announce that Dan Robertson passed away on November 30, 2020 in Encinitas, CA. He was a very outgoing and energetic friend and co-worker to many people in the San Diego area, and with many friends across the country. Dan enjoyed tennis, parties, sports, and sailing a lot. Dan is survived by his wife of 24 years, Derace Orput Robertson. They did not have any children.

Dan was born in Galion, Ohio as part of a family of five children to John and Claudine Robertson. He is survived by his older brother, Jeff Robertson, now in Ashburn, VA; his twin brother Dave and wife Merry Jane Robertson in Flint, MI; his younger brother Scott and wife Theresa Robertson in Reading, PA; his younger sister Ann and Robert Lockwood in Cincinnati, OH; and his mother Claudine Robertson also in Cincinnati, OH. Dan is an uncle to nine nieces and nephews and a great uncle to a great nephew.

Growing up, Dan was always interested in math and science and graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelor’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering in 1985. He immediately moved to San Diego to work with General Dynamics Space Systems, where he was a guidance and control engineer designing the flight paths for Atlas and Centaur rockets for NASA and government programs. As a Senior Engineer Dan got to travel to Cape Canaveral, FL several times and was part of the launch countdown team to give the final “go” for liftoff. Dan really enjoyed the excitement, and the stress of that role. Dan created a lot of friendships at GD that have remained close throughout all these years, even after General Dynamics closed the San Diego facilities in the mid ‘90s and many of his engineering group moved away to Denver, Colorado and elsewhere.

Dan was an active member of the GD Convair Toastmaster’s club and won awards for his hilarious impromptu speeches. In the GD sailing club he won trophies for races on San Diego Bay and Mission Bay. It was also during his days at GD that Dan met his sweetheart Derace through common friends. They were married on October 12, 1996 in Vista, CA and purchased their home in Encinitas.

After General Dynamics, Dan switched from rockets to a newly evolving technology in the mid 1990s; cell phones. He obtained a Masters Degree in Telecommunications Engineering from San Diego State University in 1997 and worked at Denso Labs in Carlsbad for several years as an engineer designing the latest communications technologies that were used in cell towers and cell phones. His diligent work paid off and he was even awarded several patents by the U.S. Patent Office in the early 2000’s.

Dan’s quest for technology and research led him to pass the Patent Bar exam and he became a registered Patent Agent in 2001. He specialized in researching new technologies, preparing and defending patents with several law firms in the San Diego area for many years.

Dan was an active member in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Society. Socially, he loved sports and was always touting the latest Padres or Chargers game, and his Bearcats when they would make the NCAA tournament on occasion.

A memorial service for Dan and Derace will be held at Eternal Hills Memorial Park in Oceanside, CA on Saturday June 5th at 10:00am. The event will also be live streamed. A second memorial service will also be held at Stony Hill in Miamisburg, Ohio on Saturday, July 10 at 11:00 am. Dan will be surely missed by his family and all that knew him.