OBITUARY: ROBERT “BOB” NOCK
If you lived in Mammoth Lakes before the 80s, you might remember a small, sleepy town in the summer where businesses struggled to stay open year-round with few visitors after the winter season. That changed over time partly due to the entrepreneurship of Robert “Bob” Nock, who peacefully passed away on November 17, 2024, at his home in Reno at the tender age of 95.
Bob was born on September 11, 1929, in Long Island, NY, to Robert and Constance Nock. After his mother passed away when he was just eight years old, Bob attended the Kent School in Connecticut during his formative years. His intellect led him to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he was a Phi Gamma Delta fraternity member and earned a master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, graduating with Phi Beta Kappa academic honors.
Upon graduation, Bob had his first daughter, Cindy, and moved to New Mexico to work for the US Air Force. Three years later, he was hired by the TRW Company and moved to Santa Monica, Calif., to work on the Apollo Rocket Launching System. There, he met Jerry Buss and Frank Mariani.
The Mariani-Buss Associates (Buss later bought the LA Kings, the Forum, and then the Lakers) recruited Bob to become the director of their hospitality business, which included the Ocotillo Lodge in Palm Springs, the Camelback Hotel and a Playboy Club in Phoenix, Ariz., and the Sierra Nevada Inn and Rafters in Mammoth Lakes. Bob later oversaw the development of the Mill City Mining Company restaurant on the Mammoth property.
Bob met his beloved wife, Marjorie Lizza, in 1973, mother of four, on the ski slopes of Mammoth Mountain. They were married in 1975 at Hidden Lake (when it was a large lake prior to the avalanche that filled it in 1983), and he became an integral part of their busy skiing family. With slower summer occupancy at the hotel and restaurants, Bob developed a program to bring bus tours of senior citizens and foreigners to Mammoth to help generate revenue. He, Margie, and their family, along with Barbara Campbell, Barbara Moore, and others, developed guided sightseeing tours filled with natural and human history to entertain the guests during the day, while evenings were filled with bingo games, local movies, and entertainment after dining at the Rafters. The tours became so popular that overflow groups were shared with other local lodges and restaurants.
Bob retired in the late 1980s to fully appreciate life with Margie. They became avid scuba divers, hikers, backpackers, and even lawn bowlers while continuing their passion for skiing. They learned to speak fluent Russian and traveled several times to Russia to hike the rugged Caucasus Mountains, discover the expansive culture of the country, and build lasting friendships with families there. They often crossed the Pacific as passengers on commercial ships to spend the off-seasons in Fiji and the Sunshine Coast of Australia. On Bob’s 80th birthday he went skydiving there. His quick wit, wry humor, and kind generosity are remembered by his family and friends.
Bob is preceded in death by his beloved, devoted wife, Marjorie Nock. He is lovingly survived by his daughter, Cindy Weaver and her two kids JR Weaver and Carla Egger (Cody); brother, Fred Nock (Pat), sister, Mary Adams (Ron); his step-children, Cathy Clarke, Karl Lizza (Patti), Chris Lizza, and Connie Lizza Moyer (Roy); Megan Massey, Patrick Montague, Conor Montague, Keegan Montague, Brooke Diller, Ellen Teehan, Perry Moyer, Melanie Moyer and Cassidy Moyer; in addition to six great-grandchildren, two nephews and one grand-niece.
Bob’s natural curiosity, vast knowledge, and thoughtful discussions about life on earth and the universe continued to the very end of his life. He was an avid reader of literature, consuming at least three books a week. In honor of his life, he would love for you to think about him while enjoying the great outdoors.
Bob and wife Margie
