If it were possible to gather all the people and families that Bob Roninger has helped in Scotts Valley and the San Lorenzo Valley into a single place, it would probably require a stadium the size of Levi Stadium in Santa Clara.
Imagine all of the customers he served as manager of Citizen’s Utilities, the water company in Boulder Creek from 1959 to 1971.
Imagine all of the homeowners and contractors whose problems he helped solve as the manager of the plumbing and electrical department of Scarborough Lumber and Building Supply in Scotts Valley, where, after decades as manager, he would continue to serve until he was 90.
In the 51 years he has lived in Ben Lomond, he was commander of the American Legion – Bob is a World War II vet, president of the Kiwanis Club, a lifelong member of the SLV Boosters Club and a long-term supporter of the SLV Museum and the SLV Senior Center.
On Sunday, some of his friends – plus his four children, 11 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren – gathered to share the birthday cake given to him by his friends at the Ben Lomond Market and sing “Happy 100th Birthday.”
He lost his beloved ‘Tomi’ – Neoma Glenys Roninger, in 2004. They had been married 65 years. His daughters are Vicki Scarborough and Debbe Jolly, and sons, Bob Jr., and Jerry Roninger.
His birthday was last Thursday. He was born in St. Louis Missouri on Feb. 23, 1917, six weeks before the U.S. would join World War I.
Bob grew up in Denver, where he worked in the Roninger and Son grocery store owned by his father and grandfather.
In an 45-minute interview on Friday, a relaxed and fit Bob told stories of working in the grocery and developing a lifelong love of cars, and of fixing things
You name it, and Bob probably has fixed it.
When he bought his first car, a 1931 Ford Model A Roadster, with a rumble seat. He said he called it Blue Betsy. He recalled in detail how he souped it up, with new wheels, new transmission, a twin-axle rear end, and a carburetor. Before World War II was an auto mechanic. In the war, he was a maintenance engineer or the Army Air Corps, then worked in aircraft maintenance at airports in Denver and Garden City, Kansas.
He worked in the building materials department of Montgomery Wards, then went to work for a natural gas utility. “I was first man to sell natural gas heat to the government, a gas furnace to the National Guard Armory.” After a transfer to Sacramento in 1958 to manage Citizen’s Utilities, a water company. That brought him to Boulder Creek in 1959, and he has stayed in the Santa Cruz Mountains ever since.
“I put 16-inch wheels on the back and 15-inch on the front,” he said. “I went 100 miles an hour.”
Bob watches the news every day, on television, at noon and in the evening. He especially has followed the weather this winter. “There’s about twice as much rain this year as there was last year,” he said.
Bob does love animals. He used to have dozens of pet rats and a few rabbits as a youngster.
He doesn’t have many health secrets.
“I don’t take any prescriptions.”
“I gave up smoking after 26 years.”
When he was asked that question all centenarians are inevitably asked: What advice would you give folks for living a long and full life? – “Don’t die!,” he said with a twinkle.
