BONNY DOON — Robert “Bob” Piwarzyk, a local historian, author and fixture within the San Lorenzo Valley community for decades, died Jan. 18 at his home in Bonny Doon. He was 87.
Known affectionately throughout the community as “Bonny Doon Bob,” Piwarzyk was remembered by friends and family as a man of eclectic taste who had an insatiable fascination with local history and the natural world.
Always willing to explore the farthest reaches of any subject that piqued his interest, Piwarzyk’s obsessions ranged from the lime kiln industry that once dominated the Santa Cruz Mountains, to local wildlife, sewer and water systems and transportation design. When he’d had enough of the history books, he’d look up only for a brief moment before turning his attention to a songbook, as he was also a dedicated member of the Bonny Doon Presbyterian Church choir.
“He was interested in the world around him, whether it was airplanes or science or engineering or natural history or history; it was all interesting to Bob,” said Steve Homan, a longtime neighbor and friend of Piwarzyk’s. “What made him an excellent historian was his relentless curiosity and attention to detail. He wanted to know every detail about everything.”
For many years, Homan spent his Thursdays driving Piwarzyk around town for various errands and medical appointments. He described Piwarzyk as someone that loved living off the grid — literally — with very few creature comforts or even basic amenities.
“He didn’t have cable TV, he didn’t have internet, he didn’t always have power, (but) he had a generator,” said Homan. “So he was living there in a real basic sort of way, but that’s how he enjoyed life.”
A native of Holyoke, Massachusetts, Piwarzyk, earned a degree in engineering from the University of Massachusetts before joining the U.S. Marines as a pilot for a three-year service period and achieved an officer ranking. After his time in the military, Piwarzyk went on to work as a flight test engineer for McDonnell Douglas Aircraft, helping the aerospace manufacturer prepare spacecrafts for the Apollo moon missions, according to a biography Homan helped Piwarzyk write.
Piwarzyk married and lived with his wife for a brief period in St. Louis before eventually moving to Southern California. His wife had previously found them a small, remote getaway home on a few acres in Bonny Doon and, after the couple divorced, Piwarzyk went to live there on a permanent basis.
After relocating, Piwarzyk continued to put his engineering background to good use as an assistant city engineer and assistant public works director with the city of Scotts Valley. But it wasn’t long before he discovered an abandoned lime kiln near his home and from there, he let his curiosity take over. Piwarzyk became one of the leading experts on the many abandoned lime kilns dotting the Santa Cruz Mountains landscape that were established in the late 1800s and left there when the industry folded.
His writing on the subject was prolific, with books that include “Lime Kiln Legacies: The History of the Lime Industry in Santa Cruz County,” “The Limekilns of Pogonip,” “The Laguna Limekilns,” and “The Bricks of Santa Cruz,” among other contributions.
“In the Santa Cruz Mountains … between the logging for lumber and the logging for fuel to burn in the kilns, you have the evidence of a forest recovering from the impact of man,” Piwarzyk told a reporter in 2007 after he was named historian of the year by the History Forum at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and Natural History.
He added, “Not only in the valley, but in other state parks like Nisene (Marks in Aptos) that were heavily exploited, a lot of these roads and trails we hike on today are remnants of these industries.”
Meggin Harmon, a Bonny Doon native, said she’d known about Piwarzyk growing up because he was in her mother’s book club. But the first time she met him as an adult was when she saw him hitchhiking along Ice Cream Grade after he’d recognized it wasn’t safe for him to drive himself. The setting and brief interaction was a small but meaningful encapsulation of the enigmatic person that Piwarzyk was.
“Bob was very charming, very charismatic. He just loved to share his knowledge with people, he loved to have an audience,” said Harmon. “But at the same time, it was ironic because he was very reclusive and very particular about some things.”
Harmon, who also helped Piwarzyk run errands around town for years as he struggled with health issues, described her friend as someone that embodied the spirit of Bonny Doon — fiercely independent, but deeply concerned about the welfare of the community around him.
“He really cared about people and he really did want to be of assistance,” said Harmon, “or at least not be a burden.”
In his later years, Piwarzyk also embarked on a project to trace his own familial history, which led him to reconnect with Denise Rochon, a cousin that he knew growing up but had lost touch with.
Rochon said the pair, living on separate coasts, developed a close relationship and connected over the phone on a daily basis for years to share memories, poetry and reflections on even the most mundane happenings that life can bring.
“He just had one of those brilliant minds,” said Rochon. “It’s kind of like we talked about anything and everything … he would call me and it was like having me over for coffee or tea.”
Rochon said that as Piwarzyk’s health declined, she thought someday he might join her and relocate to the East Coast. But the opportunities came and went.
“He just couldn’t get over the redwoods. The growth of them and how ancient they are,” said Rochon, adding that the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex fires were devastating for him. “The loss at Big Basin really crushed him.”
Piwarzyk worked as a docent at Henry Cowell and Big Basin state parks for years and amassed, as of 2007, more than 4,000 volunteer hours. In addition to his writings on lime kilns, Piwarzyk also published “Animals of the Santa Cruz Mountains,” “Discover Fall Creek, A Unit of Henry Cowell Redwoods Since 1972,” “Valley of Redwoods, a Guide to Henry Cowell State Park” and “Davenport Cement Centennial.”
He also regularly collaborated with some of the county’s historical institutions including the Capitola Historical Museum, Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, Felton Museum, Boulder Creek Museum and UC Santa Cruz.
His extensive research and wealth of knowledge about the county’s mountainous terrain also continued to prove useful to public agencies throughout his life.
“Bob has been a great neighbor, source of all kinds of fascinating historical info and protector of our watersheds for many years,” the Santa Cruz Water Department wrote on social media shortly after Piwarzyk’s death. “He will be greatly missed!”
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that fire crews and deputies were dispatched to Piwarzyk’s home on Jan. 18 around 2:40 p.m. and discovered it engulfed in flames. One victim, Piwarzyk, was discovered and pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of death was later determined to be inhalational and thermal injuries.
Cal Fire’s Santa Cruz unit did not confirm the fire’s cause by the Sentinel’s print deadline Saturday.
“I enjoyed spending time with Bob,” said Homan. “He was a great guy.”