Robert Allyn "Bob" Winkel

April 21, 1932

April 14, 2011

Robert Allyn "Bob" Winkel, 78, of Reno, Nevada, passed peacefully in Reno on Thursday, April 14, 2011 of complications due to Parkinson's Disease.

Born in San Francisco, California, on April 21, 1932 to Chester G. and Margaret E. Winkel, Bob made Reno his home when the family moved here in 1943 after a short time in Sacramento. He graduated from Reno High School and continued his education at the University of Nevada Reno where he was an active leader in the student body, serving as a Senator in student government, and a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, Coffin and Keys, and Blue Key honor fraternity. During his service as a student body Senator, Bob was also instrumental in getting the Jot Travis Student Union built.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Bob joined the U.S. Army and proudly served his country as a Specialist Second Class. He was stationed in Seoul during the Korean War from 1954 - 1956, receiving both a Good Conduct Medal as well as a National Defense Service Medal, before transferring to the Army Reserves.

While at UNR, he met the love of his life, Inez Carmen Pasquale, and they married a short time after his return from Korea. As a young man he participated in many sports including skiing and baseball, a youth sport he later coached as an adult.

He inherited a passion for cars from his father Chester G. Winkel, Sr., who started Winkel Motors in 1943 first selling used cars, then expanding in 1946 with new cars under the Pontiac franchise. Bob joined his brother Chet in the family business, and they added the GMC brand in 1958. He was a dedicated and effective businessman whose discipline, hard work, and determination enabled him to successfully run the dealership in partnership with his brother for many years before he retired from the car business in 1972. He still had much to contribute, though, so he returned to school to study Accounting, obtained his CPA, and continued on to earn a Master's in Tax Law from Golden Gate University. He enjoyed his second career as a CPA with Dick Gilbert and Company, and later with Kafoury, Armstrong & Turner, which included an extensive gaming and tax compliance practice. Bob and Inez were blessed with many life-long friends who enjoyed Friday morning breakfast at the Gold 'N Silver, regular bridge games, and Holiday parties together. They and several of these friends built a close-knit neighborhood in southwest Reno, a place where on any given evening you would find as many as 50 children outside playing the sport of the season and various other group games. These relationships and the extraordinary community they created are the source of many wonderful memories. Bob was a lover of Country and Big Band music and had a special place in his heart for two things from his childhood, dogs and San Francisco.

Bob's father, mother, and brother Chester G. Winkel, Jr. predeceased him. He is survived by his loving wife, Inez Winkel; children Rob (Chris) Winkel of Reno; Jennifer (Shawn) Humes of Sparks, and Margaret Winkel of Portland, Oregon; grandchildren Trent Winkel, Jaclyn Winkel, Megan Winkel, Kendall Humes, and Kolton Humes; sisters-in-law Syd Winkel and Rena Winchell; and nieces and nephews Mike Winkel, Nancy Gegen, Chris Winkel, Lauren Walker, and Alyse Dalrymple.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff at the Atria, Summit Ridge, as well as China West and the staff at The Court - Reno, all of whom went well above and beyond when caring for Bob.

Private services will be held. Those who would like to remember Bob are welcome to send donations to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation in lieu of flowers:

Parkinson's Disease Foundation

1359 Broadway, Suite 1509

New York, NY 10018

Phone: (212) 923-4700

Fax: (212) 923-4778

Donation hotline: (800) 457-6676