Robert David Baldacci

Santa Cruz business leader, husband, father, brother, nephew, and beloved friend, Robert “Bob” David Baldacci of Aptos, California, passed away on Tuesday, August 11, after suffering a major stroke on August 7th. Bob was 53.

There was nothing more important to Bob than his family. His adoration and passion for his wife, Monica, and his dedication to his three daughters, Sophia, Annika, and Gianna, were evident to all who knew him. They were always his epicenter and the cornerstone of joy in his life. Bob met Monica through mutual friends on a blind date in May 2012 and fell in love immediately.

He moved his world to bring love and stability to his family’s life. Their happiness, a home where all three girls were to know adoration, love and support, was his life’s work. It was a mission, Monica will tell you, that ended too soon, but was thoroughly accomplished by the time he was taken from them.

Bob was born on June 13th, 1973, at Ridgecrest Regional Hospital in Ridgecrest, California, to Robert Baldacci and Sharyn Kay Baldacci. He moved from China Lake, California, at the age of 4 to the family farm in Stanton, Nebraska. There, he attended Norfolk Catholic School from kindergarten through high school, graduating in 1991. He attended Wayne State College and UNMC in Omaha, pivoting from premed to finance and earning a bachelor’s degree. He started work in the financial sector in the late 90's in Omaha before moving to California.

Growing up, his passions were wrestling, baseball, and basketball – but his greatest passion was theater.

He was an avid sports fan, rooting for the Nebraska Huskers and the Creighton Bluejays. His greatest enthusiasm, however, was for the Chicago Cubs and Bears, a joy he shared with his father.

As an influential businessman around the Monterey Bay, he amassed decades of experience in financial services, working with affluent individuals and families, preparing them for and navigating retirement with greater clarity, structure, and long-term confidence. As a partner at Ohana Wealth Management, he and his partner Alison McClure, were named Best Financial Advisors in Santa Cruz by the Good Times newspaper. Prior to Ohana Wealth Management, Bob served as Vice President – Investments and Private Client Advisor at JPMorgan Securities in Monterey.

Within the local business network, Bob was the current president of Santa Cruz’s only BNI chapter, and past president of the Santa Cruz Coed Leads Club.

Bob honored his elder brothers, John and Joe, and cherished his close relationships with each, as well as with his aunt Vicki with whom he established a special bond in his adult years. He was a valued member of Monica’s family as well, providing humor, warmth, and mentoring her younger brother Quinn, a new father himself. Quinn shared this account that demonstrates his relationship with Bob, “Our conversation on the beach started because I told Bob the advice he gave before our first was born was the only advice I really took to heart as a new dad, and that was to change every diaper, do every late night feed, don’t miss a moment, even the hard ones, because one day you’ll miss those moments and it’s better to have had them and miss them than not taken part at all. I followed his lead in fatherhood when I thought of a dad to model myself after, he was right at the top. I think he was a real dad’s dad, a consummate dad to his girls, and I think you could truly say that for all the roles he played in life: friend, partner, spouse, etc. He always put others' needs before his own, and he loved and cared for the people in his life unconditionally and without expectation.”

The impact of his jovial and loving demeanor has extended well beyond his intimate family. Hundreds have expressed grief and devastation over his passing, considering him more a brother than just a friend. Even in his death, it is easy to understand those feelings. Through his organ donations, he saved the lives of eight strangers.

That was how Bob was.

Bob is survived by his wife, Monica, and daughters Sophia, Annika, and Gianna; his father; his brothers, John and Joe; his Aunt, Vicki; John’s wife, Mary; many nieces and nephews, and by a community and extended family who loved him. He was preceded in death by his mother, Sharyn Kay Baldacci, and his grandparents.

Family and friends are invited to attend a Celebration of Life to be announced at a later date.