Robert Grantham

Robert Arthur Grantham

12/21/52-5/25/25

Robert Arthur “Bob” Grantham, 72, of Pasadena, CA passed away on Sunday, May 25, 2025 at the Huntington Hospital – where he was also born on December 21,1952. Aside from his college years in Santa Barbara and Bordeaux, France; law school in Colorado; a stint working in D.C.; and a couple years in the Valley, Bob lived most of his life within a few blocks of CalTech.

From the beaches to the mountains, to its imperfect and insufficient groundwater, Bob loved SoCal. He particularly appreciated those days when clear blue California skies allowed you to, as he said, “count the rocks on the mountains” – a testament to the air quality improvements achieved in his lifetime. Bob preferred walking and trains to other modes of transport, not just for environmental reasons but because he seemed to know, and enjoy, visiting with everyone. You could not walk down Lake Avenue or take the Gold line downtown with Bob without running into someone he had to stop and talk with. His deep roots and vast web of Pasadena connections somehow extended to multiple cities and continents. A friend recounted crossing a street in Seattle with Bob, only to have him turn to enthusiastically greet some guy who grew up “just down the street.”

His affability was not limited to folks who grew up on the streets he did, or to those he encountered on foot. He also always rolled his car window down to chat with and encourage a one-armed, unhoused gentleman who worked washing car windows at an intersection for more than a decade. He always paid him generously to squeegee his windshield, even if he had literally just exited the adjacent car wash.

Sports were another of Bob’s great loves – baseball, basketball, softball, tennis, football, track and field, skiing, biking – watching or playing. Though Bob enjoyed professional sports from time to time, he really loved college and youth sports, particularly his beloved UCSB Gauchos, who often lost more than they won, or any of his daughter’s, nephews’ or niece’s various athletic pursuits. As Bob once counseled his overly competitive daughter, sports are not about winning or losing, they are about the joy of moving your body, teamwork, and building character. To bring that joy of athletics to others, Bob spent years volunteering for the John R. Wooden Award at the L.A. Athletic Club, honoring college basketball players who excel not only in basketball, but also in character, integrity, and academic achievements; values Bob strove to foster in the world.

Bob dedicated his professional life to environmental law, graduating from UCSB with degrees in Economics and French in 1975 and from the University of Denver Strum College of Law in 1981. He had just wound his career to a close in December 2024. He spent most of those years working on groundwater cleanup projects– trying to get the complex web of entities responsible for all the TCE and PCE contaminants spread across both deep and shallow wells in El Monte to work together to clean it up. Before maps of contamination plumes covered his walls, Bob worked in Washington, D.C. for pro-environment, anti-war CA Republican Congressman Pete McCloskey. He was proud to have supported McCloskey’s work to co-found Earth Day and co-author the Endangered Species Act, as well as McCloskey’s bid to challenge Nixon’s presidency.

Bob may have been born on “the darkest day of the year,” but he spent his days sharing the light of his love with so many friends and family members. For his family, Bob made time for countless track meets, football games, birthday parties, and beach days or just some Sunday afternoon gardening, tennis on the CalTech courts, or bike rides around town. Bob never forgot how to play – splashing in the surf, building sand castles, or kicking a ball around the backyard through his last year. He frequently joked he was just in the “latter phases of childhood”.

With his wife, Lea, Bob shared a love of live theater and music. They took spontaneous train trips up to Santa Barbara or down to San Diego, and a few voyages abroad to visit dear friends in Europe. For those he didn’t get to see walking down the street, he would text photos of flowers blooming in his yard “just to brighten your day,” often followed by a formal signature line, “I love you. [Dad or Bob]”

Bob is deeply missed by his beloved wife of more than 30 years, Lea Hoffman Grantham; daughter, Alison, son-in-law Alex; grandchildren, Gwyneth and Gideon; sisters, Ann (Matt) and Susan; nephews, Scott, Patrick, Matthew, and Jake; and niece, Katie. His parents Richard and Charlotte, brother Scott, and brother-in-law Mike preceded him in passing.

On July 5, Bob’s family will scatter his ashes – and a single white rose – in the Pacific Ocean. A gathering at his home will follow to celebrate his life for all those who knew and loved Bob.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Bob’s honor to the UCSB Gaucho Fund or UCSB’s Education Abroad Program fund.