Robert Nodle Crozier of Santa Paula died peacefully on Monday, January 19, 2009, of natural causes with his family by his side. He was 80.

He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Marlene Hertel Crozier, sister Charlotte Luehr of Scottsdale AZ, his son, Thomas Hertel Crozier and wife Janet McCreary Crozier of Ventura, his daughter Coralie Crozier Kenton and husband David Kenton of Oakland, and daughter Kathleen Crozier Egan and husband Kevin Egan of Ventura. He was predeceased by his older brother, Thomas Henry Crozier Jr. of Menlo Park. Also surviving him are granddaughter Lauren Elizabeth Crozier of Ventura, grandsons Sean Thomas Crozier, Galen Charles Egan, Liam Crozier Egan, and Taig Hertel Egan of Ventura, Peter Joseph Kenton and Marcus Robert Kenton of Oakland, step-granddaughter Molly Egan of New York City, and many nieces and nephews.

He will be greatly missed by his family and by numerous professional associates and golfing buddies.

Bob was born in Lewiston, Idaho on June 12, 1928, the son of Thomas Henry Crozier and Mary Nodle Crozier, and grew up working on the family farm. He graduated from Stanford University in 1950 with a degree in petroleum engineering. At Stanford he was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity and captain of the golf team.

Drafted into the army during the Korean conflict, he served at Fort Eustus in Virginia. There he worked in the TRADS engineering division, and played on the army golf team. After his army service, he worked for Standard Oil in Taft, where he met native Venturan Ronald L. Hertel. It was through him that he met Ron's sister, Marlene Hertel. Bob and Marlene were married at Ventura Community Presbyterian Church in 1956, and Bob returned to Stanford to obtain his M.S., again in petroleum engineering.

His work took him to the four corners of the world, and provided a cultural education for his family. He and his family moved to Trinidad, West Indies in 1965 in the course of his work for Texaco. They moved to Ventura for a short time in 1967. He then worked for Occidental Petroleum in Bakersfield, Jamaica, and Dubai. In 1971, he moved his family to Lima, Peru, where he was Manager of Operations for Occidental. From there he returned to Bakersfield to work for the Belridge Oil Company, located near Taft. When Shell Oil bought Belridge in 1979, he joined Ken Evans and Ken Carey to form Evans, Carey & Crozier - Consulting Petroleum Engineers, in Bakersfield. Subsequently he travelled around the world on drilling, secondary recovery, and oil property valuation assignments. He was in Siberia when the Soviet Union fell in 1991. In his later years he consulted in oil property valuation and served the courts as an expert witness. He continued to oversee oil well drilling when his services as a supervising engineer were needed. In 2006, he was conferred the distinction of Legion of Honor Member by the Society of Petroleum Engineers in recognition of his more than 50 years of outstanding service in his profession.

He found his last drilling assignment in Nicaragua in 2004, helping his son Tom and the Rotary Club to drill water wells in underserved villages. Seven such wells near Granada, Nicaragua provide clean water for 3,500 people. He and his son also built the Crozier Pre-School there, which serves 31 underprivileged children aged 4 to 6.

His greatest passion and love was for the game of golf, which he began playing at the age of nine. In 1981 Robert and Marlene Crozier founded the Kern County Junior Golf Association, which provided children ages ten to seventeen with an opportunity to participate in competitive tournaments at different courses. The program ultimately grew to a membership of approximately 250 children, with 150 competitors each week. For twenty years he and his wife faithfully devoted the three months of the sizzling Bakersfield summer to running these tournaments. They were members of Stockdale Country Club in Bakersfield for 30 years; and after moving to Santa Paula to be near their children and grandchildren in 2002, they joined Saticoy Country Club.

Services will be held at the Church of the Foothills, 6279 Foothill Road, Ventura, at 1:00p.m on Tuesday, January 27th.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to the Kern County Junior Golf Association, 4304 Onyx Court, Bakersfield, CA 93308, or the charity of your choice.

Arrangements are entrusted to the care of Charles Carroll Funeral Home, Ventura. (805) 642-8134