About Bob Nealy
With the blessing of his wife Sara and son Trevor, this event honors Bob Nealy who passed away September 1, 2016 from a long and exhaustive battle with lymphoma.
Bob began playing water polo in 1959 at Newport Harbor High School, which eventually led him to a collegiate career at Orange Coast College and then UC Irvine. In 1970, Nealy became a teacher at San Clemente High School and later also at Capistrano Valley High School. He taught American Cultures, US History, Contemporary World Problems, and Wilderness Living. Blending his passion for the pool and the surf, Nealy was involved in surf and ski clubs, and in 1998 he coached the Frosh-Soph and JV girls and boys water polo teams at SCHS. In 2003 Bob moved to Tesoro High school, and after 34 years as an educator he retired in 2005.
After retiring formally as a teacher, Bob kept on surfing, and would periodically drop by the high schools’ water polo practices and get in the pool with the aspiring young athletes, and began playing masters water polo. In 2011, Bob received the Bryan Weaver Male Master of the Year Award from United States Water Polo (USWP) for his involvement with masters water polo. He was also inducted into the UC Irvine Hall of Fame for swimming and water polo. “He cites water polo in giving him a psychological advantage in battling his illness, still being able to do what he loves—play water polo,” noted USWP when honoring Nealy. His grace and class will be greatly missed throughout the San Clemente community, where he spent most of his life.
Bob also found a way to turn his passions into a business. His company SURFMORE has been a leader in the development of the surf leash and has become a worldwide giant in the surf accessory industry.
May the memory of Bob inspire all of us to live life with passion and purpose!