Robert Wilkins, 79

Robert Wilkins, 79, passed away in San Francisco, CA, on July 25, 2017, after battling cancer. He is survived by his sister Lynne Wilkins of Westlake Village, CA, his son, Scott Durward, of Reno, NV, and his daughter, Amanda Wilkins, of Mill Valley, CA. Bob’s parents, Harold and Pricilla Wilkins, his sister Diane Noyes Cole and his wife Julia Wilkins predeceased him.
Known for his incredible sense of humor and gift for storytelling, Bob was born in Chicago, IL, in 1937, and later moved with his family to Cazenovia in 1949. He called his Cazenovia era “the golden age,” where he had a “perfect childhood,” spending much of his time on the lake in his dad’s boat. He graduated from Cazenovia Central School in 1955, and most recently attended his 60th class reunion. He remained very close to his “Caz gang,” and decorated his California home with mementos of the town.
A physics major at Bucknell University, Bob served as social chair of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and graduated in 1959. He served a six-month stint as a 1st lieutenant in the US Army Signal Corps at Fort Marmoth, NJ, and after being honorably discharged in 1967, he moved to the California Bay Area to work as a power systems sales engineer for Westinghouse Electric Corp. until his retirement in the mid 1990s.
After retirement, Bob went on to his second career as a media escort, working with authors who came to the Bay Area on publicity tours. He earned a reputation as the publishers’ favorite, and in total escorted over 500 writers. He found the whole experience not only enriching, but also life-changing.
A private memorial celebrating Bob’s life will be held at the Wilkins’ family ranch in Idaho next summer.