Obituaries

Bob Rosenbloom, owner of Bob’s Market on Ocean Park Blvd. in Santa Monica, passed away peacefully at home on Friday morning, April 5, with his wife of 40 years, Bette, by his side.  He had been suffering from congestive heart failure for the last two months.  He was 92 years old.

Bob grew up in LA, graduated from Fairfax High, attended UCLA, and served in the Air Force during the Korean War.  He married his first wife, Vivian, and raised 5 kids together in Santa Monica, Van Nuys, and Tarzana over the next 17 years.  During that time, he worked for his father, Irv Rosenbloom, at the Food Palace, on the corner of Pico and Bundy, before opening the first of his four Bob’s Markets in 1965 on National Blvd.

He then opened a second Bob’s on Palms before buying Royal Foods on Ocean Park and 17^th in 1979, converting it to his third Bob’s Market shortly after.  His final and 4^th store opened a few years later on Barrington.  Bob eventually sold his three smaller markets and concentrated on the existing independent supermarket on Ocean Park.  He was incredibly proud of being one of the last of the independent family grocery markets, with a strong emphasis on extensive fresh produce, excellent meats, and perhaps the greatest wine inventory on the west side.  Bob saw his store as a community hub and truly loved his customers, some of whom relied upon his market for decades.

Bob is survived by his older sister, Betty Ann, his four sons (Rainbow, Rick, David, and Barry), his daughter Paula Sunny, his three stepsons (Steve, Gary, and Chuck), ten grandchildren, and his loving wife of 40 years, Bette.  Services will be held at Hillside on Tuesday, April 9, at 2pm.