Robert George Pleak
March 20,1948 - April 8, 2026
Bob was born on March 20 1948, an event he shared with his twin Mary Ann. In addition to his wife Joanne, and Mary Ann, he is survived by his siblings E. Jane Pleak, George Ann (Jo) Pleak and Andrew Pleak. He is also survived by his sister “Mar’s” children: Jesse (Anyango), Dan (Lila) and Betsy Weber (Ethan), as well as by Joanne’s extended family. He recently became a great uncle to Dan and Lila’s baby girl, Cameron.
He spent his early years in Emporium, Pennsylvania, where he enjoyed all the freedom the 1950s allowed. He was a member of the Cameron County High School Marching Band and a competitive marksman with the Sylvania Rifle Team. He was a sportsman and loved the mountains. Bob served as a Catholic Altar Server in his youth. He graduated from Cameron County High School in 1966 and joined the United States Air Force in 1969.
Bob served in the USAF Security Service Command until 1973, leaving with the rank of Sergeant. He received the Air Medal w/2 OLCs; Small Expert Marksmanship Ribbon; Vietnam Service Medal; Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal; Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal; Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. The Air Force discovered he had an ear for languages, and he spoke and wrote 4 dialects of Chinese, with a smattering of other Asian languages. After leaving the Air Force, Bob spent several years traveling. He walked the Appalachian Trail and then found his traveling van, Sweet Louise. He settled in the Aspen area and became a logger and later headed to California where he worked at his Aunt Eleanor and Uncle Byron’s ranch. He visited the Great Wall of China and went to Tahiti for a ham radio conference. During his traveling days, he delivered two babies—one in Texas and one in the mountains of Colorado.
Bob then settled in San Francisco where he continued his education and received his BA San Francisco State, International Relations, Chinese and Geology; ASET at Hartnell College Electronic Technology and Administration of Justice/San Francisco Police Academy. He worked as an armed private security for the SF 49ers. Bob loved language and taught English as a second language before joining the US Post Office. He worked for the US Post Office as a Manager for the IT Computer Dept. handling tech issues in San Jose. He also taught at Hartnell College as a computer repair instructor.
He met the love of his life, Joanne, strolling on the Hartnell campus. They married at La Playa Hotel at Carmel-by-the-Sea and then settled in Salinas. For the next 30 years his chief delight was surprising his Joanne with flowers, chocolates, dinners—and dogs. Their first dogs were Border Collies, Maggie Mae and Katie Ann, that he excelled in training. Poppy O’Sullivan another Border Collie rescue became his Dock Diving trainee and frisbee expert. He always had an eye out for abused or abandoned dogs. Bob was often found working with local police, fire and rescue agencies to rehome or get to dog rescues to a safe place. He was a big advocate for Border Collie Rescue and K9 Training.
Bob became an active amateur HAM radio operator at twelve, building his first radio receiver with his father’s assistance. He volunteered with police and fire departments during emergencies keeping the main phone lines open. He spoke to people worldwide, always delighting when he could use his language skills. Always a spokesperson for his community safety, Bob served on the Salinas Airport Commission for five years to help with needs of the Salinas Airport and supported the California Airshow activities where he resided.
He and Joanne enjoyed visiting the national parks throughout the states, with Yosemite being a favorite destination. Another of Bob’s interests was genealogy and following his family tree, traveling to destinations of where the “Pleak” family originated. There is a town in Texas called Pleak,Texas,where he instantly because friends with the local fire department when he corrected their pronunciation of the name—it’s Pleak as in steak, not Pleak as in meek.
As retirement loomed, so did his PTSD. He was fortunate to be able to obtain a service dog Shao DiDi (Little Brother) who became his constant companion. Bob trained with Shao DiDi at Operations Freedom Paws in San Martin. Bob did volunteer work with the dog organization donating his time for support.
Bob took his dream road trip to the Viet Nam Memorial (the Wall) in Washington, D.C., traveling with fellow veterans to its dedication, and then took a final pilgrimage trip alone with his service dog Shao Didi.
A memorial service will be held at Struve & Laporte Funeral Home, 41 W. San Luis Street, Salinas, CA on Monday, April 20, 2026. Burial will be held on Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at the California Central Coast Veterans Cemetery, 2900 Parker Flats Cut Off Road, Seaside, CA.
Donations, if desired, may be made to Operation Freedom Paws; 777 First St; PMB515; Gilroy, CA 95020.
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