Robert "Bob" Eugene Farris

Robert "Bob" Eugene Farris, 83, of Manteca, California, passed away peacefully, Monday, October 18, 2016 at his home. A celebration of life service will be held at 5 p.m., Saturday October 22 at Deegan Memorial Chapel, 111 S. Palm Ave., Ripon, Calif. 95366 (209) 599-3413. Immediately following the service there will be a dinner at the Ripon Roadhouse, 125 E Main Street in downtown Ripon. Robert was born February 10, 1933 in Webb City, Missouri to Gertrude and Arthur Farris. He graduated from Webb City High School in 1950 and from Rolla School of Mines in 1954 in Rolla, Mo. He went on to receive both a Master's degree in Material Science from the University of Missouri, Mexico and a PHD in Ceramic Engineering at the University of Illinois, Champagne. He married the former Linda Gay Tatum on July 13, 1955. Bob and Linda started their family while he finished all his education in the Midwest and then accepted an engineering job with Kaiser Aluminum in California, and moved the young family out west. We like to brag that he had a part in the design of the tiles in the Space Shuttle Program. Bob was a builder. He designed our home in Pleasanton, Calif. and enjoyed building/remodeling the home over time. He had a workshop in the garage and enjoyed spending much of his spare time there on weekends. He admitted to us that if it had not been for a spare bedroom offer from his oldest sister in Rolla, he would have become an architect instead. The Rolla School of Mines did not offer a program in Architecture, but he did take drafting classes for his electives. He was also an avid golfer and once shot a hole-in-one at his local country club in Bella Vista, Ark. Bob and Linda enjoyed their best retirement years in the Ozark mountains. Robert is survived by his three sons, Robert Mitchell Farris and his wife Karen of San Pedro, Calif., Douglas Matthew Farris and his wife Danielle of Escalon, Calif., and Timothy Martin Farris and his wife Winona of Alameda, Calif.; seven grandchildren and one brand new great-grandchild; two sisters Almeda Sullivan of Sequim, Wash. and Emmy Kingore of Joplin, Mo. and many nieces and nephews.  He was preceded in death by his wife Linda Gay Farris (Tatum) in 2010.