Robert "Bob" Ross Kelly Jr.

Born on June 9, 1931, at Queen of Angels Hospital in Hollywood, Bob was baptized at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills. Both of his parents hailed from Canada, and his father, Ross Kelly Sr., sought out sunnier, warmer weather for his family. The family relocated to Santa Monica, where Bob attended St. Monica’s Catholic School and later Santa Monica College.

In 1949, Bob met the love of his life, Jeannie Gray, at the Del Mar Beach Club. It was love at first sight, and in those days, couples didn’t wait long to marry. Bob and Jean, along with their parents, drove to Las Vegas, where they were married at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church. They then moved into their first apartment on Ocean Park Blvd. in Santa Monica, where their first child, Kathy, was born. As their family grew, they bought a home in Mar Vista, directly across the street from Bob’s sister Charleen and her family. Soon after, Randy, Patti, Tim, and Jack were born. When their house became too small, the family moved to Woodland Hills in 1958, where their youngest son, Brian, was born.

A true entrepreneur, Bob’s journey took him from the liquor business to the restaurant industry. In the 1960s, he opened Green Jug Liquor Store in Panorama City. Then, in 1965, he opened Lanni’s Inn in Reseda, home of the famous bathtub margarita and $1.99 prime rib. Lanni’s Inn became a staple of the local community, and after 13 successful years, Bob sold the business.

In 1978, Bob transitioned into real estate, initially joining Coldwell Banker. Four years later, he opened his own agency, ReMax Realty, in Camarillo. During this time, Bob purchased waterfront property in Kailua, Hawaii, and even bought a Cessna 310 aircraft, which he learned to fly. When he sold his real estate business in 1988, Bob and Jeanie moved to a new home in Camarillo Springs, where Bob indulged in his passion for aviation, now with his beloved Grumman Tiger aircraft.

Outside of his business ventures, Robert was deeply involved in the community, a passion sparked by his father, Ross Kelly. His first real taste of community service came when he joined the Santa Monica Jr. Chamber of Commerce to collect toys for underprivileged children. It was here that Robert was chosen to play "Santa" on the Christmas parade float, joyfully waving and wishing everyone, "Merry Christmas to all!" This marked the beginning of Robert’s journey as a dedicated community “joiner.”

Over the years, Robert became a member of various organizations, including three different Moose Lodges (with lifetime membership in the Santa Monica chapter), The Elks Club, the Panorama City Rotary Club, and several chambers of commerce. He also belonged to the Indian Guides, Boys & Girls Club, the Camarillo Knights of Columbus, the Catholic Youth Organization, the Reseda YMCA, and the Camarillo Aviation Flyers Club. In many of these groups, he served as Chair, contributing his leadership and time.

A particularly proud achievement was his involvement with the Camarillo Kiwanis Club, where he served as Past President. Robert’s passion for community service extended beyond just being a member; he thrived in working alongside others on meaningful projects, and he cherished the friendships and connections he made along the way. In 2021 he was honored by the City of Camarillo as the Senior of the Year for his dedicated service to the City and Community of Camarillo. Though there were times he took on more than he could handle, Robert has no regrets about the impact he made and the lives he touched.

Besides Bob’s many social activities, he has been great to his family. A proud grandfather and great-grandfather, Bob leaves behind 18 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. There was never a time that Grandpa (and Grandma) was not doing something with the grandkids and great grandkids. Whether he was taking them to a Dodger game, flying them for college interview, attending one of their many sporting events, visiting them in college, seeing a school play, traveling to other states to visit the grandkids or even taking them on a trip, he was always there for their benefit. He would never miss any event that included a family member.

As Bob often said, “The Lord has been good to me and my family.” Bob's legacy of love, faith, fun, concern and service will continue to inspire all who knew him.