Bobbie Pantel stove to make others happy

Deepa Bharath

No one heard Bobbie Pantel say “no” to anything -- she was just that

kind of woman.

She’d give the shirt off her back for a friend.

Bobbie was born in Boston. Her family moved to California when she

was a little girl. Tragedy struck early for Bobbie. Her mother died

when Bobbie was only 12. She died of cancer, the very disease that

would claim her daughter’s life 55 years later.

Bobbie met Barry, the love of her life, when she was 16. Barry was

in the Navy when he met Bobbie for the first time at the Pike in Long

Beach. She was with a girl he used to go out with.

But Bobbie caught his eye right away. She was petite and had a

radiant smile he couldn’t look away from. It was love at first sight.

One month and eight days later, the teenagers eloped to Yuma,

Ariz. and got married. Barry cajoled his father into mailing him a

letter of permission. He told his dad he wouldn’t come home

otherwise. Looking back he calls it “puppy love.”

But the passion lasted 51 years. Barry says the longevity was due

to “good communication.” But it was a lot more than that.

Barry and Bobbie were best friends. They raised five boys

together. They took trips to Las Vegas; they went to the comedy

shows. When Barry didn’t remember some of the jokes from those shows,

Bobbie reminded him. She could remember most of that stuff, and she

made them sound funny too.

They enjoyed growing old together. They absolutely loved playing

“Family Feud” every night -- it was quite a contest between the two.

They also liked to cook together. She made the turkey and he made

the special dressing. Barry loved her meatloaf, with corn and tomato

sauce.

Bobbie enjoyed reading and would read almost anything from romance

novels to sci-fi.

She was proud of her Jewish heritage and was active at the local

synagogue.

Bobbie was also active in the community. She went to all of her

children’s PTA meetings. She volunteered at the Fish Fry every year,

operating various booths. She just loved to help out.

Bobbie was small, but she stood tall. She always said she was

“4-foot-9 1/10.”

She was born on New Year’s Day. It was always a big, double

celebration at the Pantels’ on Jan. 1. But Bobbie often told Barry

about how she missed all the gifts and attention because she was born

20 seconds after the “first baby” of the New Year at that Boston

hospital.

Bobbie was a people person. She believed in spreading around the

happiness that she felt inside.