It's with heavy heart I can say today an early member of the Outriders of Southern California has passed away. Anyone who ever knew or crossed paths with Bob Anderson, a true gentleman, could never uttered a bad word. Anyone who ever saw his 270 Offy powered 29 red roadster pickup knew his talents. His wife Marlene's Black Hupmobile was a work of art and the 32 roadster and recently finished 32 3-window showed his skills were well beyond mine for sure. I had the pleasure of knowing him for 40 years plus and sat with him many times in his garage in Huntington Beach discussing the 12 Port GMC he was always going to build. He loved Huntington Beach like no other and worked in the oil fields which are for the most part gone owning his own instrument repair company. He will be missed by all of his friends and definately me.
He was a cool guy. I only got to hang out with him once when Coonan was shooting our roadsters for issue 32 of TRJ on the beach in his home town.
Jimmy six, you summed Bob up perfectly right there. I was absolutely gutted this morning to hear of his passing. He had been unwell for a short time and unfortunately this was inevitable, but still something I never wanted to hear. I can honestly say that meeting Bob back in '97 was a major highlight of my life and the friendship he extended to us Kiwis over the past 20 or so years has been humbling. We have stayed with Bob and Marlene on several occasions, both in his beloved Huntington Beach and also at their property in Kernville, and have ridden many times in the 'Offy', the roadster, and 'Marlene's' new 3-window. I was very fortunate to ride shotgun with Bob on the 3-window's maiden voyage to Ed Newett's celebration of life a couple of years back, and was hugely honored to be handed the keys to the roadster a few years back to drive my family to the Early Times Picnic. I too have spent many, many hours bench racing with Bob in that Huntington Beach garage, drinking beer (or in Bob's case bourbon), and watching reruns of Gunsmoke! Through Bob's involvement, several of us Kiwis had the privilege of crewing on the Ed Newett 8-Ball roadster out at Bonneville over several years. I'm definitely no flathead expert, but I figure boring and stroking an old Merc block to 310", with a welded stroker crank. then bolting a 6-71 on top and making it live at over 160mph in a roadster is not for the faint hearted, but Crew Chief Bob seemed to make it all work! Bob was the guy who drove us across LA with his trailer to collect my '36 3-window project and deliver it to the shippers for me back in '05, and over the subsequent years he has given me a couple of early Ford parts from his stash to ensure I build it 'right'. He's gotten us into shops and private collections that we otherwise never would have known about and negotiated deals on parts for us that only Bob could pull off. That Offy roadster pickup still looks as good as the day it was built over 30 years ago, and is full of little 'Bob' tricks that make it work on the street, another feat that's not for the faint hearted. Bob and Marlene even put it in a shipping container back in '98 and brought it down to New Zealand to attend our Street Rod Nationals, driving over a thousand miles topless without a hitch ( apart from the Offy's 'dislike' for our crappy gas.) He was about halfway through his restoration of the 'Hodge' T, the 'Grandaddy of Hot Rods', but had decided he was 'running out of time' to get everything done, so was going to pass that on so he could build his next and last car, the 12 port GMC powered T Coupe. Sadly that was not to happen. It has been an absolute honor to know Bob. He was the staunchest traditional hot rodder I have ever met, (and the only way to build a hot rod was 'Bob's way), but he was also the most generous, kind and caring gentleman you would ever come across. He was always happy to share his knowledge, his home, his family and friends, always interested in what we were doing, and generous with any assistance he could provide. Bob, you will be missed by many the world over. Bear.
Condolences to the Anderson family and friends on the passing of Bob. Great tribute to a gifted Hotrod Guy. May he Rest in Peace. Regards, Stogy
I Couldn't agree more with what has already been said. Bob was a great guy and I feel privileged to have known him for the past 40 or so years. He was a huge influence on my life in a very positive way. He was a friend and a mentor who also just happened to be one of he very best car builders that I have ever had the pleasure to meet. Bob's friendship was treasured worldwide. He will be greatly missed. He raised a great family, had a great marriage to Marlene, raised a couple of great kids, built some great cars, and still had time to try and teach a kid like me how to operate a lathe. In retrospect, his help with how to run his lathe was probably the least important thing he taught me. I only hope that I can be as positive an influence on a next generation hot rodder as Bob was on me. Steve Coonan
Let me add my comments to this sad news. Claire and I first knew Bob and Marlene from about 35 years ago. We went to the Outriders gatherings starting at his place in Huntington Beach, other street rod events and then at their Kernville home parties. Their street rods were exceptional. But more importantly, Bob was neat guy and a good friend. We have many good memories of Bob Anderson. Don Montgomery
I saw the offy at the 35th LA roadster show and again at the 50th. I didn't get the pleasure of meeting him. RIP. My condolences to all the family and friends.
Thanks to all for your rememberances, Bob sounds like a Great guy. Must have been a thrill to ride in that Offy P/U! Condolences to his Family and Friends.
Hi, The Anderson family has asked me to post this. They are touched by the outpouring of condolences and support from those who knew Bob. There will be graveside services at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday April 14th at the Good Shepard Cemetery, Mausoleum, and Family Service Center located at: 8301 Talbert Avenue Huntington Beach, CA 92646 There will also be a gathering at Bob’s garage at 841 Frankfort Avenue in Huntington Beach starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday. All those who wish to attend are invited. Steve Coonan
Bob was put to rest today appropriately in a casket the color of his 29 and 32 Fords. At minimum there were 100 maybe 150. Bob touched many lives and I was lucky to one of his many many friends. There were a lot guys who brought their hot rods which his wife Marlene encouraged.
Thanks for the update JD. I looked for flights after Steve posted above, but simply couldn't get over there in time. I believe our mate 'Kromie' was going to speak on behalf of us Kiwis. That casket is a class act, just like Bob. Bear.
A big thanx to all that shared Marlene & Bob’s hospitality over the years. Bob will always live on in our hearts and memories. Bob along with Ed Newett Jack Underwood, Ray Malzo and few others were the “Mayors of the Beach”. Bob & Ed we’re the ones that got me in the Outriders at a time when one didn’t ask “how to get in?” If they liked you and had 4 members in agreement you were in. All it took was one of those guys to say no and you weren’t. Fortunately Bob and I made friends when I was a young Hot Rodder and we shared many interests. Thank you Steve and Geoff (TRJ) for making the trek from Nor-Cal and all of our Outrider Bros. Along with all of The Anderson Family and Friends. Bob had a fitting Color on his Casket as shown above “Great Paint Job in his favorite color!!!!” I’m lucky to have had him as a friend. .
The Jalopy Journal
