1961-2011
Robert (Bob) D. Hayashida passed away peacefully at his South Lake Tahoe home on Feb. 26, 2011.
Bob was the beloved son of Tetsuo and Janet Hayashida and is survived by his sister Aileen Hayashida Efigenio, his nephew Evan, and niece Erica.
Bob lived life with enthusiasm and celebrated the many wonderful friendships he had developed over the years. He lived in South Lake Tahoe for more than 20 years. He was committed to enhancing each friends' life in any way possible and he touched so many aspects of people's lives.
Through his death I've had the opportunity to get to know my brother in a completely different light, beyond the bond of a sister and brother. He was extremely sentimental; a go-getter; highly focused; he loved and thrived on a challenge; extremely dedicated to whatever he was working on; creative; tender hearted and loyal to his friends and coworkers alike. Bob was always eager to pitch in and lend a helping hand to any and all without question.
As a child he was full of endless curiosity, which often kept us all waiting in anticipation of what adventure he would choose next. When the household was quiet we all knew that Bob was exploring yet another object of interest, probably doing something he shouldn't. Bob could take apart and put back together clocks, toys and even model cars before he could even read. As a youngster he walked into the side of an ice-cream truck and knocked out a baby front tooth. With that incident, we all called him "Toothless Sam." From speaking with Bob's friends, I understand he's had a collection of other nicknames - Bobashida; Motorshida - all, I'm sure, had great stories behind them.
Bob graduated from California State University, Chico with a bachelor of science degree in Mechanical Engineering. He started his career working for Bently Nevada in 1986, which was acquired years later by GE Energy. He had many accomplishments to his credit and held various positions during his professional carrier as a manufacturing engineer, research engineer, new product design engineer, and new product design project manager.
Bob had a passion for Honda motorcycles. He was a collector, a racer and loved to work on the bikes to restore, customize, enhance, and improve the performance. One of his famous race sayings was "Anything I can not make up in skill I will make up with horsepower".
Bob lived with honor, respect, kindness and love. One of his mantras he chose to embrace was from Vincent T. Lombardi:
"The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor."
He really made his mark in this world and I'm sure he will do the same in the world beyond ours.
His legacy will continue as he had such an impact on so many people's lives. Bob's span of friends were boundless and an integral part of his life. They were, "his family" and he loved each and every one of them. Each friend held a special place in his heart. Friends and family alike will miss his beautiful smile.