Robert and I worked to stop the poisoning of the beaches and islands in Ventura. He was also a rat rescuer and advocate. We'd speak at City Council, write letters, educate the public.
Once they had dumped rat poison on a channel island. He bought greens, rented a motor boat and gave the rats the greens to eat. He was trying to give them vitamin K. He was arrested for interfering with a federal project.
A week before trial he asked me to take his rats if he's sentenced to jail, prison. I agreed. Then he told me what he did. I then told him even if the rats ate the greens, which they probably wouldn't, there was only 1/100,000 of the vitamin K they needed. He legally therefore did not interfere. Charges were dropped.
He will be missed.
Robert Lee Puddicombe
Obituary
Robert "Rob" Lee Puddicombe passed away peacefully at the Serenity House in Santa Barbara on Sunday, May 18, 2014 from liver disease. He was surrounded by close friends and family.
Puddicombe was born in a Navy hospital on Guam July 1, 1950. He grew up in many states and overseas, wherever his father's Navy military service took the family. During his lifetime he lived in AL, MS, FL, NY, CA, OH, HI, MI, RI, Scotland and England. Rob always gravitated back to Santa Barbara as his "home", especially the Goleta and Isla Vista area. His last place of residence was Friendship Manor in Goleta.
A graduate of Palo Alto High School in 1963, Rob joined his high school classmates at UCSB. He majored in "surfing". Rob would periodically return to UCSB working towards a biology degree but ended up getting an associate degree in Diving from the Santa Barbara City College. Rob made a living on and under the ocean as an abalone diver in Santa Barbara with his own boat and as a deep sea diver in the North Sea and the Caribbean. Puddicombe had a mechanical flair and dabbled in other jobs such as auto mechanic, and driving the SB city buses and the SB Air Bus.
Rob was a traveler and an adventurer. He loved vans (probably owned 7 of them including a psychedelic one during his 70's hippie days) because he could camp in them and carry his surfboard anywhere. Rob surfed the entire CA coast and parts of Mexico. He loved the ocean and enjoyed surfing, swimming, body surfing and sailing. Rob often visited Mexico, spoke Spanish, and loved Mexican "cuisine".
Rob also loved the mountains. He had memorable hikes and climbs with his father and sister, including the successful ascents of Mt. Rainier, Shasta, Whitney (6 times), and Three Sisters. Rob enjoyed numerous trips into the Sierras with his father and good friend Dave Thomas. He also spent several summers hiking with his sister in the Bighorn Crags Wilderness Area and the Mt. Hood/Mt. St. Helen areas. Rob enjoyed fishing freshwater streams and lakes.
Several highlights of Rob's adventurous life included sailing a boat under the stars over the equator in the Galapagos islands; platform diving in the North Sea; sailing as a crewman on the Endeavor from Seattle to Hawaii and climbing the mast to the crow's nest; kayaking the Salmon River; swimming across the Columbia River; hiking in the Andes; and swimming with the lizards and porpoises in the Galapagos Islands.
Puddicombe was extremely compassionate about animals. He has a dog "Max", adopted from the shelter and many pet rats. Rob often volunteered for the SB wildlife rescue organization.
Rob became an activist whenever he saw animals being neglected, orphaned or abused-or when he felt the publicly owned lands were being threatened by special interests and developers, or when people were being denied access. Rob fought hard to keep public areas available to all people, especially their parks and shorelines. He was the instigator in trying to keep the Goleta Park free from development.
Rob is remembered for starting the Channel Islands Preservation Society and his desire to save the indigenous animals, including rats and mice, from a poisoning program by the Park Service. Rob achieved some notoriety when he protested the poisoning and was brought to trial by the National Park Service for interference but was later acquitted. Puddicombe was also one of the founders of the Surf Rider's Association which devotes much of their time to protecting the coastline from development and to provide continued access to the public for surfing and other recreation outlets. Rob was active in a movement to free the national forests from special parking fees. Rob felt that the ocean and the shore and the national forests belonged to everyone, regardless of their economic abilities.
Rob was always interested in Music, starting with the harmonica and progressing to playing serious amateur guitar and the Peruvian pan pipes. Rob liked to sing folk songs and belonged to an impromptu foursome in Goleta with friends Cathy and Dave Thomas.
Rob is most remembered for his adventurous spirit and his ability to interest/entertain others with the stories of his travels. Rob loved a good joke to tell one, to pull one, or to have one pulled on him. Rob had a wealth of knowledge about anything he pursued: the ocean; the stars and heavens; shells; birds, medicine; maps; geology; geography; dogs, rats; history; or sailing, to name a few. Rob's idea of heaven was lying outside under the stars and playing Enya. He was able to do that at Serenity House during his final passage.
Rob is preceded in death by his father, Robert Wade Puddicombe (SB Public Works Director; Montecito Water Dept. Dir; Navy Engineer, Annapolis, class 45); grandparents Gladys and Albert Puddicombe (Tacoma, WA); grandparents David and Anne Hickey (KY); and Aunt Dorothy Hinman (FL).
Rob is survived by his mother, Virginia Puddicombe (Santa Barbara); his sister, Ilene Ann Matejko (Salmon, ID); his uncle, Ray Puddicombe (Seattle, WA); his aunt, Elaine Tobin (Seattle, WA); cousins in Washington and Alabama; and his ex-wife and best friend, Anna Bass (England). His closest friends on hand for his final journey were Robin and MaryElena Kent and family (San Fernando Valley); Dan and Miriam Smith and family (Goleta); and Dave and Kathy Thomas (Goleta).
A celebration of Rob's life will be held Saturday, May 24, at Goleta Beach at 1:00 after his ashes are scattered at sea. Please bring a "Rob" story and/or music to share with others.
In lieu of flowers, please contribute to the Hospice Program at Serenity House; the Wildlife Rescue Center, the SB Humane Society; or the SurfRider's Association in Rob's memory. Condolences and cards may be sent to Ginger Puddicombe or Ann Matejko at Vista Del Monte, Santa Barbara.
Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.
- Mary Cummins LinkedIn
- Mary Cummins Meet up
- Animal Advocates custom Facebook name
- Mary Cummins Real Estate blog
- Animal Advocates on Google maps
- Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates
- Mary Cummins biography resume short
- Mary Cummins Real Estate Services
- Animal Advocates fan page at Facebook.com
- Mary Cummins Animal Advocates Squirrel Rescue
- Mary Cummins Animal Advocates on Flickr photos
- Mary Cummins Animal Advocates on Twitter.com
- Mary Cummins on Picasa web photo albums
- Mary Cummins on MySpace.com
- Mary Cummins on Google Blogger Blogspot
- Mary Cummins on YouTube.com videos
- Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates on Classmates
- Mary Cummins on VK
- Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates on Google+