Bob Papp, 77

Bob Papp passed away in Long Beach VA Hospital on August 29, 2024, with
his daughter, Tiffany Papp, by his bedside. Bob was born February 3, 1947 in
Barberton, Ohio.
Bob attended Portage Junior High School, and Barberton High School
graduating in 1965. He was a member of the football team and wrestling team
where he excelled in both. He attended Bowling Green State University on a
football scholarship, and later he was involved in several businesses in
Barberton. He owned the Knotty Pine Restaurant and Bar, and Barberton
Insulation with his friend Tom Schmidt. He served in the U.S. Navy during the
Vietnam War.
He married Maggie Ferguson, and moved to Las Vegas where he worked in
the casino business as a dealer. Bob later moved to Long Beach, California,
and worked at the Commerce Club Casino in Los Angles until he retired. Bob
was president of the South Coast Dahlia Society and arranged the PAPP’S
BLUE RIBBON TOUR of four private gardens in NORTHERN LA. He was
close friends with Connie Rieman and Roy Deel of Long Beach, and Debra
Dietz of San Francisco. They shared his love of gardening.
Bob volunteered at the VA Gardens in Long Beach where his gardens were
used for horticulture therapy. He entertained the hospital workers and
patients with his raised flower beds and rows of seedlings which he allowed the
veterans to pick.
Care giving was a big part of his later life. He opened his home to a
homeless mother and son he found sleeping in their car. He also opened his
home to a special needs, wheel chaired individual, and his home was always
opened to his many Barberton friends and their families. He is survived by two
brothers, Lennard and Tom, and two daughters Diamond and Tiffany, and
several grandchildren, great grandchildren, and countless friends in California
and in Barberton, Ohio.
Friends and relatives are welcome to attend a memorial luncheon at the
Village Inn in Barberton, Ohio, on November 9, 2024, from 12-2 RSVP (740-
238-0655).