Robert Durning, a popular former vendor with Street Roots, passed away at the Oregon Health and Science University on Sept. 29. He was 68 years old.
Robert was born in Aurora, Colo., and moved with his parents and sister Barb to Whittier, Calif. He was a baseball player in his youth, and was a left-handed pitcher with the Dodgers between 1959 and 1961. After leaving the team, he worked as a handyman and helped out people in his neighborhood.
Bob is survived by his niece Valerie and her husband Edward Sweatt, and their daughter Julianne, all of Santa Barbara. He’s also survived by his brother-in-law, David E. Lamb, also of Santa Barbara.
“He was just always a giver. Never a taker,” said Edward Sweatt, his nephew. When the city of Whittier passed a ban on motorized lawn mowers, Sweatt said Bob bought a refurbished push mower and mowed the yards of elderly neighbors who couldn’t do it themselves. But he wouldn’t accept money for the work. “He just wouldn’t do it for cash. He said he owed the neighbors,” Sweatt said.
When Bob’s parents passed away, Bob helped his sister after she was diagnosed with cancer. Barb passed away about 10 years ago and Bob then moved to Oregon and the family lost track, Sweatt said.
“He was always very intelligent. He picked stuff up like you wouldn’t believe. Having conversations with him it was amazing the facts and details he had at his fingertips. He was just a man of the world. Apparently he spoke Swahili! He was just an amazing guy. I’m just so sorry I didn’t get enough time with him because he was always welcome — anywhere he went he was welcome. He just didn’t want to be a burden,” Sweatt said
He will be interred in Santa Barbara.
“I just can’t tell you how happy I am that he found a place like this where people cared about him and he was always the sweet guy that I remember,” Sweatt said. “I just want to thank the community for loving him as much as we did.”