Robert (Bob) Sanchez, 67, of Seattle, Washington, passed away on Thursday, July 4, 2019, of a rare form of Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia (CMML) which metamorphosed into Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). Bob was born on October 17, 1951, in Oxnard, California, where he was raised. He later moved to Ventura, Visalia, then Santa Maria, and retired in Seattle.
He served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam, earning medals including the Expert Rifle Specialist (M-16). Bob was injured in battle before being Honorably Discharged.
Bob started as a roustabout and worked his way up to become a Supervisor of Operations on an offshore oil platform working for the oil companies: Chevron, Venoco, Plains Exploration and Production (PXP), and Freeport-McMoran.
Bob is survived by his former wife of 33 years, Karen Houle Sanchez; his children, Helene Sanchez and her husband Emmanuel Valdez, of Santa Maria; Melissa Price and her husband Phillip, of Santa Maria; Robert Sanchez of Camarillo; and Nicolasa Poston and her husband Taylor, of Seattle; his brother, Frank Sanchez, of Sacramento; his sister, Rosemary Bridendolph and husband Gil, of Oklahoma; and his grandchildren, Kendra Valdez, Riley Valdez, and Evan Price; and his numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Robert was preceded in death by his parents; Raymond and Marcelina Sanchez; brothers, Jerry Gonzalez, Raymond Sanchez, and Anthony Sanchez; and his sisters, Marcelina Houston and JoAnna Irwin.
Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, July 27, 2019, at 1:00 p.m., at the Joseph P. Reardon Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 757 E. Main Street, Ventura, California. Memorial Services and a celebration of Bob’s life will also be held for his loved ones in Seattle, Washington. Please contact Nicolasa and Taylor Poston for more details on his Seattle Services. Bob will be interred at Riverside National Cemetery on July 31, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. with full military honors and a 21-gun salute.