I first met Rol in 1998. The City of Santa Clara hired me as an Assistant City Attorney and met Rol on my first day. Rol, as always, had an amazing inspiring smile. He welcomed me with open arms and consistently helped me and we shared our successes and frustrations on a daily basis. I had the honor of working with Rol for six years. I recognized in him a kindred spirit as we both loved to travel the world. However, we could not hold a candle to the travels that he and Joan achieved crisscrossing the globe. With my wife Laurie we soon met Joan and a solid friendship for many years developed. We were always humbled and incredibly grateful that Joan and Rol considered us to be friends. They would frequently ask us about ourselves and listened patiently as we told them about our lives. We enjoyed hearing about their adventures, love of family and contributions to their churches and communities. We joked that there must be a statue of them in Nebraska after coming from such humble beginnings. We enjoyed many a meal with Joan and Rol. Often, they would drive significant distances to join us without complaint. Rol was an incredible photographer and chronicled their numerous globetrotting adventures. Their marriage was one for the ages and we admired their bond. When I left Santa Clara and after Rol retired, I was able to hire him to assist Palo Alto where he continued to spread his wisdom and expertise for the benefit of our attorneys, the City and the public. Rol was a great listener and was there to provide a helping hand or advice if asked. Their musical contributions to family and two churches were legendary. Rol and Joan devoted their post-retirement years to their two communities. They contributed so much to those in need, without ever expecting anything in return. I am proud to have been his friend, and I really miss him.
Gary & Laurie Baum
