Robert Marshall Perrin

Robert Perrin, a resident of Ben Lomond, California, died December 7, 2022. He was 66 years old. Robert was born in Great Falls, Montana, to William Mack Anderson and Shirley Marshall Perrin, while his father was stationed there as a pilot in the Air Force. He attended Denham Springs High School and Southeastern Louisiana University In Hammond. His talents and interests were wide and varied, including DJ for a popular radio show, guitar and keyboard player for various bands, working as a gardener, and most recently as a commercial driver. Robert’s mother Shirley instilled a love and appreciation of music at an early age. This love and appreciation of music was best exemplified by his dedication to following the Grateful Dead. An avowed Deadhead, he followed the band all over the country and was known as an expert “taper.” He even followed the Dead to Europe after which he brought chunks of the Berlin Wall back to his buddies in the US. It was Jerry Garcia of the Dead who made a huge impact on Robert’s skills as a guitarist and keyboard player. He was a gifted musician who performed in many venues over the years. He was always ready and willing to jam with his friends anytime. Rob was loved by both his old friends in Louisiana and his new friends in California. Not only was he clever and witty, he was also kind and generous. His friends recount great times down at his family’s 50 foot houseboat in Springfield, Louisiana on the Amite River. The houseboat had 13 bunk beds and could sleep all of his musician buddies. The alligators could probably tell some tales! Robert visited Santa Cruz, CA, many times while growing up, and finally realized his dream to move to the Santa Cruz Mountains, where he enjoyed the peace and beauty of living among the redwoods. He inherited his parents’ quick sense of humor and love of books, and always had a story to tell and a quip to add. He was known to be very knowledgeable about a wide range of subjects, and an advocate of higher thought. He was an environmentalist and conservationist and very interested in saving the earth. Robert was predeceased by parents William Mack Anderson Perrin of Livingston, Louisiana and Shirley Marshall Perrin of Amite, Louisiana; maternal grandparents Woodson and Hazel Marshall of Boulder Creek, California; paternal grandparents John and Clara Perrin of Livingston, Louisiana; and survived by sisters Portia Perrin Loper (Jerry) and Fadra Perrin (Peter Loustalet). Memorials are planned in Santa Cruz and Livingston at a future date.