On a balmy summer night in 1982, Karen and a friend decided to dine at the Cask ’N Cleaver, where Bob was their waiter, and the die was cast.Their courtship entailed a year of dating long distance between Orange and Palm Desert and an additional year, very long distance, writing letters back and forth while Karen lived in Sweden.Upon her return, it was clear that they wanted to be together, They lived together in Palm Desert for a couple of years, and then moved to the Bay Area while Karen finished college at UC Berkeley. They weren’t in any rush, but after Karen graduated in 1988, they checked off milestones fast, in the proper order: moved to the desert, found jobs, got married, bought a house, got a dog, had a kid.

Andrew was born in 1991 and Bob’s life changed forever. He always said that something changed in him the minute he saw the “wise” look in Andrew’s newborn eyes. From that moment on, his top priority was being a great dad. Jenna came along three years later, and the family was complete. Bob loved nothing more than spending time with his family, whether it was eating dinner together every night, summer camping trips, Sunday “family day” excursions, or just lazy hours spent reading and talking.

Bob tried to raise his children the way he was raised. He remained exceptionally close to his parents, siblings, and cousins into adulthood. They shared times of great joy and faced times of tragedy together. In 1996 his older sister Robyn passed away, and in the next three years he lost his mother, father, and youngest sister Laurie. These losses were deep, and he drew comfort and support from the close network of friends and family he had cultivated. Despite the void left in the wake of the losses, the extended family only grew stronger and more connected. Bob kept old traditions alive, like spending Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter with his brothers and their families. He also started new ones, like the annual summer backpacking trips with Joe and Doug in the Sierra Nevada.

Bob worked in education for 24 years before he found the place where he was needed most: as principal of Amistad High School, the continuation school in Indio. He always said that when he faced a decision at work, he would ask himself, “What’s best for the kids?” With this philosophy, it was a small wonder that he impacted countless students and their families as well as gained the respect and admiration of so many colleagues and educators. He was a real presence on campus. He would spend his whole mornings out of his office, walking the campus and greeting each student by name. Students felt comfortable with him, calling him “Mr. Blink” affectionately.

His vision was to give every student in this alternative setting a full, authentic high school experience, and in the years he was principal, he made that a reality. He not only equipped students with the ability to take control of their own education, but also gave them opportunities like autoshop, student leadership, sports, photo club, and more. He organized a senior trip and a prom and opened the new campus in 2013. One of his proudest accomplishments was the construction of a brand new, well-equipped gymnasium at Amistad. The gym was recently re-christened the “Bob Blinkinsop Gymnasium” to honor him for his many years of dedicated service to the school and its students. The dedication ceremony can be found here.

Bob worked hard to make a difference in the lives of the students he served. But he was never obsessed with the job. He always kept a healthy balance between the important aspects of his life: job, friends, family, fun. He retired at 61 secure in the knowledge that he had made a big impact and left behind an impressive legacy, and he looked forward to spending his remaining years with Karen, traveling and making new memories.