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“Robert "Bob" Wayne Perchetti, 86, passed away peacefully at his home in Pahrump on the morning of October 28, 2024. He was born at the Miner's Hospital in Tonopah on July 21, 1938. Preceding him in death were his parents, Anthony Henry and Catherine "Minnie" Perchetti, and an infant son, Robert Anthony Perchetti. Bob is survived by his siblings Anthony "Buddy" Perchetti (Diane), Rita Carpenter (Steve), and Nicolas "Nick" Perchetti (Annie). He is also survived by his children: Arne Fuglvog (Celes), Kristine Perchetti (Alex), Robert "Bryan" Perchetti (Tansy), Michael Perchetti (Tina), Toni Wombaker (Tim), Antoinette Wilkes (Miles), Melissa Godfrey (Kelsey), and Brittany Marich (Seth); 16 grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Bob was also loved by many nieces and nephews– too many to add.
"Mr. Tonopah" or the "Tonopah Kid," as many called him, graduated from Tonopah in 1956 and served as Student Body President. Bob was very athletic and was recognized statewide as a stand-out basketball star. One of his most cherished high school memories was being a member of the team that won the 1954 Nevada State Basketball Championship. He also excelled at track, breaking the state record in the mile for Tonopah High School in 1955 with a time of 4:58. This record held for 26 years until his son, Bryan, broke it! After high school Bob attended UNR, where he played both freshman and varsity basketball and ran track. Bob joined the Sigma Nu Fraternity under the advice and guidance of Judge William Beko, which cemented their close relationship as lifelong friends.
After college, Bob moved back to Tonopah and his life as "Mr. Tonopah" began. Bob was committed to getting Tonopah noticed and on the map. He was a member of the Nevada Commission on Tourism and traveled the world representing Tonopah and Nevada, during which time he was also the director of the Tonopah Convention Center. He was a committed, 55-year member of Tonopah Rotary and the recipient of Rotary's prestigious Paul Harris Fellowship and the Quiet Rotarian awards. He was a founding member of Tonopah Development Corporation (now Tonopah Main Street) and was a member of both the Tonopah Elks Lodge and Tonopah Lodge #28 F&AM. Bob was the creator of the town's annual Jim Butler Days celebration and never missed a single event during its 53-year history. Because of his diligence, Tonopah was selected as the home of the Nevada State Mining Championships, which has become an anchor event for Jim Butler Days.
In 1993, Bob retired from his county position at the Tonopah Convention Center. In his retirement, he filled his time with many business ventures. These ranged from buying and selling "treasures" in The Hock Shop, his flea market, or furniture store, managing rentals along with buying and selling properties, but most of his time was consumed with owning and running The Clown Motel for 23 years. The Clown Motel was another avenue that brought publicity to the town of Tonopah as Bob continued to support the development, growth and recognition of not only Tonopah, but the many wonderful aspects of Central Nevada.
Bob loved the game of golf and enjoyed golfing into his later years. He was the founder of the annual Bill Beko golf tournament scholarship in Death Valley, which he retired as chairman 10 years ago. He spent many of his last days watching golf on television. Bob was an avid and spontaneous outdoorsman who loved to hunt, fish, and enjoy the rugged beauty of Central Nevada. He never saw a deer, elk, bighorn sheep, sage hen, chukar, or fish he didn't want to harvest and mount on his wall. The stories he would tell, typically of hunting and fishing, provided many hours of enjoyment for his friends and family. The hunting and fishing memories Bob made with his sons, brothers, and friends in the backcountry of Central Nevada were the memories he held most dear to him.
Tonopah has and always will be home to Bob. Medical issues forced him to relocate to Pahrump to live with his daughter, Toni, and her family. However, that relocation could never replace Tonopah, which was always first on his mind and in his heart. His friends teased him, saying "If we cut your arm, you would bleed little &apos’T's.'" Bob truly loved his community, its history, and its people.
Bob was such a charismatic and social person, he loved a great gathering or party so stories and laughter could be shared. Please join us to honor his memory as we gather together to celebrate the life of this great man at 1:00 PM on Saturday, November 9, 2024, at the Tonopah Convention Center. A graveside service and reception will follow. In lieu of flowers, donations in Bob's memory can be made to the Tonopah Rotary Club, which will go directly back into the town he so dearly loved. (Tonopah Rotary, P.O. Box 243, Tonopah, NV 89049).
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