Robert Vennekolt, 75

Feb. 1, 1940 - July 14, 2015

Robert Vennekolt, who founded a plastering business that helped to build tens of thousands of Southern California homes, passed away Tuesday, July 14, while receiving hospice care in his Villa Park home. He was 75 and had been diagnosed with cancer. He was born in Spokane, Wash., the eldest son of a German-American father and Irish-American mother.

He attended Lewis & Clark High School and nearby Eastern Washington University. After completing his service in the National Guard, he progressed rapidly through the ranks of the Graybar electrical supplies company, winning promotions from Seattle to Eugene, Ore., and eventually to Orange County in the early 1970s. He gained key contacts in the construction industry and soon oversaw large-scale residential developments, employing new plastering techniques for the booming property market. He sold his most recent venture, Pro Home Plastering, and retired in 2006. Bob claimed simply to have been lucky in business, but friends and competitors alike credited his success to strong number-crunching skills, decisive decision-making and an unflinching attention to detail.

He pursued the fruits of his labors with a youthful zeal, enjoying speed boats and a succession of luxury cars, including a red 1962 Corvette convertible, well into his 60s. He enjoyed traveling, including to his summer retreat in Post Falls along the Spokane River. He also endured heartache, including the premature deaths of his eldest son, Mike and only daughter Kimberly from his first marriage.

He was preceded in death by his younger sister, Margaret Pogatchnik. He is survived by his wife, Rose Marie Jubera-Vennekolt, whom he married in 2005 following a decade-long courtship; his son, Ryan from his second marriage; her children, Dan Washburn and Michele Schueller; and two grandchildren, Ashley and Austin Bull.

A funeral service will be held at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 22, 2015, at the Fairhaven Memorial Park and Mortuary in Santa Ana.