  rip mr. vares i didn't know the man, never talked to him. it obviously didn't affect me as much as others when he passed away. however, many of you probably knew him well, and took the news a bit harder. so as a much-belated gesture, i would like to offer my condolences to rob vares and his family. he seemed like a really nice guy everytime i saw him at school last year, and the following simply exemplifies it. urlLink Rob Vares, 58, popular teacher, coach in Fremont by Lisa Fernandez, Mercury News Rob Vares, a popular Fremont teacher and coach whose 35-year career and life was remembered this week with cheerleaders, Elvis, the Cal fight song and hundreds of friends, has died of kidney cancer.
Mr. Vares was diagnosed in mid-August, the same month he celebrated his 58th birthday and 30-year anniversary with his wife, Sherri. About 700 people attended the upbeat memorial -- Mr. Vares hated funerals, his family said. High school cheerleaders, Elvis and Jimmy Buffett tunes, and a family video highlighted the service. "I always knew he had influence on me,'' said his 26-year-old son, Toby of Costa Mesa, who followed in his father's footsteps and became a teacher. "But his hard work was appreciated by hundreds of people. He taught us not just about school, but the game of life.
He basically grew boys into men and girls into women. '' Mr. Vares was born in Oakland and attended Fremont's Washington High School, graduating in 1963 with the "White Sweater Athlete Award,'' which means he had nine varsity letters. During high school, he played varsity baseball, basketball and football for three years. It is a distinction his 24-year-old daughter, Shea, also earned -- the only father-daughter team to earn this title, family members said. After high school, Mr. Vares attended Fresno State on a baseball scholarship and earned his teaching credential a year after he graduated. Toby Vares said his father loved the UC-Berkeley Golden Bears.
He was hired in 1968 at Washington High, teaching physical education and social studies, later becoming assistant principal at American High School in 1985 for a short time. In 1988, he took a job at Lincoln High School in San Jose for a semester, but returned to Fremont because he didn't like the commute and wanted to spend more time with his family, his son said. In 1993, Mr. Vares was vice principal of Centerville Junior High in Fremont, and since 2002 had been the vice principal of American High. For the last 11 years, he also had been the commissioner for the Mission Valley Athletic League. Robert F. Vares Jr. Born: Aug. 23 1945, in Oakland Died: Sept. 27 2003, in Fremont Survived by: Wife, Sherri Vares of Fremont; son, Toby Vares of Costa Mesa; daughter, Shea Vares of Sacramento; mother, Ann Vares of Hayward. Memorial: Donations should be sent to the Rob Vares MVAL Sports Fund, Wells Fargo Bank, 5191 Mowry Ave., Fremont, Calif. 94538. 
