It's so difficult to write these words, Bob LePera passed away in November of 2008, when he lost his short battle with lung cancer.
We have been asking ourselves how to summarize the life of this man who was so talented, such a hard worker, liked and respected by so many... but we'll give it a shot and try our best.
Bob was one of those people you meet that you were just drawn to, so down to earth, so eager to tell a story, so willing to share a bit of himself. Bob did not have a pretentious bone in his body. Whether you just met him or you were a long time friend, he had a way of treating everyone as an equal. To put it in a way Bob would like - he was just one "cool dude."
Hearing a customer on the other line saying how much they loved their seat always brought a smile to Bob's face. No matter how many times there was a bike with our seat in a magazine he would show us with pride. There are still stacks of magazines in his office that have a bike featured with our seat on it. Bob was very modest and never took applause lightly. He was humbled by the industry and never took anything for granted. He lived through the ups and downs and urged us to appreciate the good times and save for the unexpected.
Bob did things his way, with no excuses. There was never a time he doubted how he was doing things. If he had to work 18 hours a day he did, he simply always did what needed to be done. He was a self-taught craftsman in many different areas. He had an uncanny way of fixing things, he would see it, touch it, figure a way, and miraculously it was working. And it wouldn't be "just" working; it would of course be working for the next 20 years... He would always say "we don't need a new one, it works fine, we just need to fix this and that, now it runs just like new." There are too many of Bob's idiosyncrasies to mention.
We put up an area on our website that you should check out, you are able to write your thoughts and memories about Bob. There are several things that were repeated that we thought were a pertinent part of Bob's personality: he was a true friend, people like Bob don't come around very often, he was a true gentleman, he was always laughing, he befriended people the moment he met them, and so much more. Since Bob's passing we have also talked to so many people that have had such wonderful things to say about him. Many talked about the old days, how Bob helped them any way he could, helped them when no one else would, and was always there to talk to no matter how much time had passed. Hearing all of these stories and reading people's memories only make us wish Bob was here to read them, he would have been a little embarrassed, but honored at the same time.
He was a great man. He will be missed by all who knew him. Whether you were a friend, and employee, a family member, a business associate or someone that just appreciated his work, the loss of this great craftsman, will be felt for years to come.
We are all so happy that Bob was able to see his dreams come true and to be appreciated by so many. Together, we Bob Jr., Christine, and our "family" that has worked with us for so many years will continue to keep Bob's passion, work ethic, and dreams alive, preserving every bit of history that he started with his bare hands back 1972. Bob's legacy will live on through everything we do and every seat we create.
So here's to the Craftsman, the Boss, the Friend, the Dad, the Brother and the Grandpa. Here's to Bob...
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