Family of Robb Douglas Nimmo

February 14, 1960 – October 26, 1986
Our brother Robb was remarkable. When he died, we consoled ourselves with the knowledge that he lived his life at a torrid pace. He never grew old enough to have his idealism seriously challenged. Robb routinely accomplished difficult tasks with ease and grace. He was blessed with lots of energy and used it to explore life’s possibilities. When it was clear to us that his fight against AIDS was over, he characteristically never gave up hope of being cured. Robb much preferred comic relief to wretched news.
Robb was a student all of his life. He loved the learning environment. After graduating from Mission Viejo High in 1977, he collected degree credits at the American Academy of Dramatic Art, UCLA, the Lee Straussburg School of Dramatic Arts, New York University and Oxford University. He repeatedly returned to Saddleback for course work and to perform on the McKinney Theatre stage. During his battle with AIDS, which began in January 1985, he earned his F.F.A. degree in Creative Writing from NYU and performed the role of Orsino, Duke of Illyria, in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night at Saddleback. He loved his teachers and knew the great value of being a student. He studied people-always.
Robb was brilliant with words, both written and spoken. He won debate championships, as well as the love and admiration of whatever group of people he found himself among – his friends and peers, elderly relatives, girls and young women, street dwellers of Greenwich Village, even his mother’s peers.
Robb was an artist. He showed precocious talent in pottery, batik, watercolor, pen and ink. The artistic ability he developed most is picture framing. This is ironic because he so loved being in the spotlight himself and because money earning activity in general was alien to his nature.
Robb was a master of Interior design and food preparation. He loved desserts. When he was seven years old, he single handedly made a cherry-topped cream pie which won first place honors at the school carnival. It was the first pie he’d ever made. He showed an interest in cake decorating and looked to our Aunt Mida who was an accomplished expert. She gave him decorating supplies when he was six. Robb’s grandest confectionery adventure was decorating a four-tiered wedding cake for Heidi, in 1981. The night before the Sunday afternoon wedding, Robb happily hung around the naked cake for hours, waiting he said for the right inspiration to begin work on it. The cake was magnificently decorated, and on time.
Robb loved his family. Our mother and father, Bertha Marie and Jack Nimmo took outstanding care of him in an era when little was known about AIDS treatment and fear of it was rampant. His death was a tragedy to us, but his unique approach to life lives on in the memory of the many he loved.
Our father died in 1991. In 1993, our mother established the Robb D. Nimmo Memorial Scholarship at Saddleback College. In doing so she aimed to financially help students of Robb’s beloved fine arts and perpetuate the spirit of her youngest son. She died in 1997 having selected and met many of the early recipients of the award.
May the pursuit of education bring you joy.
John Nimmo & Heidi Nimmo