Bob Geco - memoriam

[Jonny B]

To all that have not followed a thread on Engine Bay Decals - this lead to a discovery of the death of a long time member and advocate of our group, Bob Geco, on 23 June 2015.

I met Bob at PUB, not long after I purchased my 250 SL in 2003. He presented information about paint and polish, and also donated a number of items for raffle/door prizes. I saw him at PUB a couple of other times and always enjoyed the discussion. He was a friendly man, and was sometimes accompanied by his wife.

He was also quite a proponent of the Pagoda cars, having taken stewardship of a car his father owned. A phrase he coined for a SoCal mechanic, Bob Gunthorp (Onager Corp), due to his, Gunthorp that is, prowess with the car was a good one, "Pagoda Whisperer". I think it was after Gunthorp was able to solve a problem with the transmission shifting points.

I ran into Bob Geco at several concours in the area after I moved to SoCal, and again, he was always cordial and friendly. He was also a judge for Porsche, judging one time that I know of, at the Dana Point Concours.

For those that knew him, or knew of him, post a note of your recollections.

Rest well Mr. Geco.

[ja17]

Very sad news.  I'm surprised we did not here about it earlier. I always enjoyed Bob and his wife  when they came to PUB. They were real enthusiasts of the group and a friend to many. I would like to send a card if anyone has an address.

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

Jonny, thanks for posting this here, so that some of his forum Frends might know.

Joe, we came across by accident here ....

In this thread ---> http://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=23103.25

Dieter

[bogeyman]

I also met Bob at PUB.

Sweet man - RIP.

[Benz Dr.]

Bob needed a picture of a decal on a 3.5 coupe ( or something that wasn't a Pagoda ) so I provided that for him. In return, he sent a complete set for a Pagoda of which I can only say was completely unexpected and very generous. His work was exceptional.

 Great guy.

[AGT]

I sent a few issues of Mercedes Classic across to Bob when he could not track them down in the States. Mrs T does not permit the hoarding of motoring memorabilia! Each time Bob responded with a handwritten, airmailed note of thanks. A gentle soul.

Andrew

[mdsalemi]

I am saddened to hear this, and I'll have to call Sharon today. I'm quite surprised it's taken this long for news to reach the group.
Bob and I talked frequently, but of course not in some period of time. I've been to visit him in Long Beach, and not only did we share some Pagoda business, but I managed to find for him some Mustang stuff due to my Ford connections; he was nearly as much of a Mustang lover as Pagoda.

Bob was in ill health the entire time I've known him, having suffered a stroke years ago. For those that didn't know him, it was easy to criticize his typos, his misspellings, etc. but typing was a struggle for him.

Thankfully he had the love of a good wife, and in the past few years, a great dog to keep him company, and keep him active. He'll be missed. See his story on the attachments.

[thelews]

I didn't know he had a stroke, thought he was drunk when he was posting sometimes.  How old a fellow was he?  I think I helped him with a trunk spare tire instruction hang tag.

[mdsalemi]

Bob was 59. His wife, Sharon, is still going to sell the engine decals/engineering tags. So, just go see the links on that if anyone is interested.

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

I'm quite surprised it's taken this long for news to reach the group.

So was I Mike, Rob mentioned it on Feb. 25th and Peter then disabled his e-mail. I informed the Board immediately and Jon then started this thread here this past weekend.

If you have the link for the engineering Labels whey not post it here. I like to purchase a set for my 280 SL right away, perhaps some others like to do too.

[114015]

Bob? Oh no.....

Yes, I also realized he did post very little lately, quite a very few months ago. But already 3/4 of a year ?
Remember him very well, his car, his detailing shop. I once sent him a can of some German polish stuff with a Pagoda printed on it. Parcel came back, incorrect address. He had just moved away from his former business place...
Another story, please? Cees, our well-known past President, was talking to Bob and found out that his (real) name is 'Robert Warren Geco.' Cess saying: "Sounds like a one million dollar!"
So sad to hear he's not mor among us

RIP my friend ...

Achim

[Peter van Es]

Bob was indeed a character. Always anxious to receive his two extra copies of Pagoda World for his archives, worried that he had missed an issue.

Because of his health, he had difficulty typing and difficulty renewing his membership, every year. But since his membership was valid until December 2015 (and we have a 6 weeks leniency period) I did not spot his passing away until someone posted on the forum.

I've tried to help him with his labels business, trying to get his brochure or flyer up on the website, but we never got it organised.

I've changed his e-mail address so that people -- including us -- cannot inadvertently e-mail him. However, I am quite happy to provide his e-mail/physical address to Rolf Dieter or another board member for instance so that they can take up contact with Sharon to see if there's anything we can do to help her, or to help commemorate Bob.

A few years ago I wrote: Real group, Real people. We are a Group beyond the internet. Many of us know one another in person, even if we've never met in real life. That's the power of the Group. This Group.

In fact, enochbell referred to it only yesterday when he said that he sold his Pagoda, but still subscribed to this Group for the camaraderie. There are not many Groups like us out there in the Internet world.

That makes it all the more shocking that Bob Geco, who's been a solid fixture of this Group since its inception, managed to pass away so quietly, and surprised us all.

So I would suggest: Be open about who you are, use your real name. It helps. Secondly, if you are ill, struggle with your health, have problems, are moving, change job, let us know. It's not just about cars. We are about people, and we care about you.

Do this in the Full Member forum. It is not accessible to Google. It is private amongst us (well, the 700-odd Full Members). We are not an anonymous group of people. We care. We will support you. Just ask andyburns.

Robert Warren Geco, Rest in Peace. May your unnoticed passing away help us prevent that from happening again...

Peter

[mdsalemi]

Well said, Peter.

I called Sharon yesterday; and despite the fact that nearly nine months have gone by since his passing, she was in tears, and it was hard for her to even talk about. Bob did not suffer, he went very fast--that's her only point of happiness in losing her husband.

Bob had many dreams, the plan to execute so many things in his life with his Mustang, with his Pagoda, and with all the things he collected over the years. He was never shy to ask for anything, help included, and never held back in giving either. I had the pleasure of spending a full day with him a few years ago, and saw all these projects with his collectibles, his books, his cars, his parts--all for the future that never came.

May you rest in peace, Bob.

Sharon still will sell the engineering tags, so if anyone is interested let me know.

[49er]

 I never met Bob but wish I did in reading the tributes here. This forum was a wonderful "find" enabling me to meet so many other people that have just a great love of the Pagoda. I have only been a member for a little over five years but in that time I have got to know many owners from all over the world and been fortunate to meet a few personally. This forum is a "family" and when a member such as Bob who has contributed to the preservation of this automobile is no longer with us, it is a loss for all of us. I offer my sympathies to his wife and family.

John

[Cees Klumper]

I was very sorry to hear of Bob's passing. He was a true Pagoda enthusiast and a very generous and attentive person. Several times over the years he sent me packages, with a poster or such, related to the Pagoda. I very much enjoyed meeting him and Sharon in person at PUB. He participated in the 42nd anniversary poster project and in many other Group activities. In fact, he was one of the Group's Founding Members, back in 2001. I will always remember him as a very special person, who I was very fortunate to have met through our common passion for this little elegant car. May he rest in peace.

[wwheeler]

Sharon still will sell the engineering tags, so if anyone is interested let me know.

I was buying some other parts from Buds Benz and also ordered the dipstick decal. I knew that came from Bob because I had bought it from him before. Buds Benz said it is out of stock and didn't know when it will be back in. So it might be good to let Buds Benz know that Sharon is selling these tags.

Bob duplicated my '68 W111 tire pressure label that is on the on the inside of the fuel door. That whole experience was such an amazing thing and he was such a stickler for detail. The label he produced was top notch. Life is precious and often taken for granted.

In regards to the forum: Yes. This one is quite different and about the only one I ever look at. Being a full member is a no brainer.

[gugel]

Really sorry to hear about Bob's death.  He was a judge at the first Concours I entered, in Palm Springs in 2003, and I talked to him a number of times after that.  He was always very pleasant and very helpful.  May he rest in peace. 

Chris

[jfkb2]

I met Bob at PUB 2011 and he was certainly an interesting and knowledgeable gentleman. It was by happy circumstance that Bob was put in my path at that time. Then 11 years into my restoration and every month thinking it would be done I did not know that I needed a full set of decals and without him I would not have them sitting in my cabinet waiting to be applied. Now 16 years in and almost finished they will be the final touches to the car and for me a fitting memory of Bob.

john

[Bob G]

Hi.  I am Sharon Geco.  I was Bob Geco's wife.  I am still having problems dealing with his lose and tonight is the first time I figured out how to get to this site.  I hope it still works.  Please have Michael Salemi contact me again.  I have not found his telephone or E-mail in any of Bob's stuff yet.  As for Bob  he did not drink.  He suffered a stroke, recovered from that enough to go back to detailing cars.  He then started having severe lungs problems that caused a gradual loss of some brain functions due to decreased oxygen levels.  But he still knew and could explain many things about cars especially.  It did effect his typing and sometimes how he came across to people.  He loved being part of this group and was so thrilled to be there when it first really got started and until he passed away.  Bob died very suddenly.  We where planning for him to make some adjustments for getting around so he could start judging at car shows again, which he also loved to do and was very good at it for the Mercedes Pagodas and Ford Mustangs (his favorites).  YES I am going to continue/start again/ to sell the Mercedes labels.  I can be reached at sharonwoodsgeco@yahoo.com.   As for our white german (of course) shepherd,  Whitey, he is doing well.  He still goes into Bob's office and lays by the desk.  He also did the same trick he did with Bob, which was get in front of the computer and not want to move before he was scratch to his satisfaction and then he would get out of the way.  Thank you for your kind words in the messages I finally was able to read today.

[JamesL]

Sharon
I know many of us feel a sense of loss no longer having Bob around, so it must have been devastating for you. If there's anything we can do to help, let us know.

Michael can be contatced via the site: email and personal message details here > https://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?action=profile;u=298

[Iconic]

I sent a PM to Michael Salemi.
Sorry for your loss Sharon.

[mdsalemi]

I will call Sharon today, so rest assured everyone I will do that.

I'm surprised that Sharon was not able to find any contact information for me in Bob's things...first of all, he bought many of the Pagoda Style books and my contact information is in there. Bob and I conversed regularly, though a bit less the past couple of years prior to his passing. Our conversations were by email and also by phone--and his name and contact information are still on speed dial on my phone. He called me frequently so the information must have been somewhere--maybe he memorized it! I had the distinct pleasure of meeting him on several occasions and even went to see him--and Sharon--on a trip to California some years back.

It's actually an omen; just this week I added Sharon on my "call list" to get in touch with to see how she was doing. I did speak with her a couple of months after Bob's passing (it took that look for the news to trickle down) and realized it had been too long since then...

Sharon explained well that Bob's health issues prevented him from typing accurately, giving those who didn't know him perhaps the idea that he was drinking or something. As I knew him, and his issues, I just filtered his posts out and didn't see them as others might have.

Many years ago in a different lifetime, I was working at a printing facility in the Boston area. One of their scanner operators was a very kind and humorous man named Dominic that had suffered a minor stroke some years back, the largest effect being slurred speech. Curiously not only did he sound precisely like the old comedian Foster Brooks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foster_Brooks, but he resembled him as well. Those that didn't know the man would for certain think he was drunk; this was a bit alarming for visitors to the plant. He wore a medic-alert bracelet alerting responders to his condition. After working with him for a bit, the slurred speech was filtered out and he was just like anyone else. That's the same situation I had with Bob Geco.

[SIbby]

Sad to hear about the death of Bob Geco.
I did not know him personally but had some correspondence over the years. I have a yet unused catalogue of his engineering labels for Pagodas on my desk.
Does anyone know if someone will continue to produce and sell his Decals?
Sibby Sutherland

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

Hi Sibylle,

See reply #18 above from Bob’s wife Sharon, it will be self explanatory.

Cheers,

Dieter

[john.mancini]

A few years back two of my 280SL's were shown on the old "Featured Cars" page on this wonderful W113 website. Bob contacted me and was excited as could be. He noticed a couple of original engine compartment decals on my low mileage 69 280SL that he was trying to locate. Bob, to his credit, was very particular about the slightest little detail regarding these decals. After sending multiple digital photos of the decals to Bob, he had what he needed. He could not thank me enough. He later sent me some of his decals. They are awesome works. He was as proud as a new father.

Bob was quite the guy and I loved his passion. We shared many SL and Mustang stories. His zeal and enthusiasm is what this website is all about.