Longtime Malibu Parks and Recreation Director Bob Stallings died on Monday, Aug. 8.
Stallings passed away after a long illness that kept him in and out of the office for much of the past year.
“We thought the worst was over but apparently it — unfortunately it wasn’t,” Mayor Lou La Monte said during Monday night’s city council meeting.
Stallings came to the city in 2006, following a short stint as recreation manager for the City of Moorpark and a long tenure as Pleasant Valley Recreation & Parks District Recreation Superintendent in the City of Camarillo.
He is survived by his wife, Jeanne, and two sons.
The City of Malibu presented a long list of accomplishments Stallings achieved over his years in Malibu.
“While serving as Malibu’s Parks and Recreation Director, Stallings built Trancas Park, installed the playground at Malibu Bluffs Park and the mural on the Michael Landon Community Center, conducted an update to the City’s Parks and Recreation Master Plan, oversaw the development of the Bluffs Park Master Plan, created park facilities-use agreements with all of the community user groups — such as AYSO and Trancas Riders and Ropers — installed the playground at Las Flores Creek Park and created a community group that works to raise funds for a future public skate park in Malibu,” City of Malibu representatives said in a statement. “He also oversaw a significant expansion of Parks and Recreation programs and an expansion of programs and services at the Malibu Senior Center.”
Council on Monday recognized Stallings’ commitment to the city over the past decade and his many achievements.
“In the eight years I’ve been on city council, we built three parks,” Council Member John Sibert recalled. “Bob was an important part of all of that. Bob was the one who made it work with the constraints we were given.
“Beyond that he was just a really great guy; we’re all going to miss him,” Sibert said.
Council Member Laura Rosenthal grew emotional after the announcement was made at the meeting.
“Bob and I had a really wonderful relationship — he had a wonderful sense of humor,” Rosenthal said. “I’m going to miss him a lot.
“To all of you who had a chance to work with Bob, it’s going to be very difficult not to have him around at all,” Rosenthal said.