Bob Meistrell

Robert "Bob" Meistrell (July 31, 1928 – June 16, 2013) was an American businessman, philanthropist, surfer, and diver. Along with his twin brother Bill and business partner Bev Morgan, Meistrell helped develop and market the first commercial neoprene wetsuit. This evolved into the Body Glove surf brand, which by 2013 was a $200 million annual enterprise and a leader in the field.

Early life Sons of a banker who was murdered when they were four, identical twins Bob and Bill Meistrell were born in Boonville, Missouri, on July 31, 1928. The youngest of seven, Meistrell relocated to California with his family at the age of 16. Although Meistrell had not before that time even seen the ocean, he developed a fascination with it in early childhood. He and his brother taught themselves to dive in ponds in Missouri, using a bicycle pump, a garden hose and a diving helmet cobbled from household supplies. In 1953, then Los Angeles County lifeguards, he and his brother invested in diver Bev Morgan's surf shop in Redondo Beach, Dive N' Surf.

Death Meistrell died on June 16, 2013, of a heart attack at the age of 84 while repairing his boat the Disappearance in Catalina, before setting off to be the lead boat for a paddleboard race. He was survived by his wife (Patty), three sons (Robbie, Ronnie, Randy), nine grandchildren (Tracey, Matt, Jamie, Nick, Kenna, Robert, Rhoni, Randi, and Makayla) and three great-grandchildren (Mia, Maddox, and Mila).