Longtime Manhattan Beach Resident Dies At 98: ‘Legendary In Every Sense Of The Word’

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — Longtime resident Bob White — “a Manhattan Beach icon” — has died, according to the Manhattan Beach Historical Society.

White died at the age of 98 on Dec. 26, the historical society announced in an Instagram post.

“He was an incredible fixture in our community, leaving a permanent mark on the city and its history,” the historical society wrote.

White was one of the founding members of the city’s official band, The Hyperion Outfall Serenaders, which for decades entertained at numerous community events, including the Hometown Fair, with its Dixieland-style music, the society said.

In an interview with the Manhattan Beach News, which was first to report the news of Whites’s death, Mayor David Lesser said, "Bob represented the best of our community.”

“He and his fellow Hyperion Outfall Serenaders were the musical heartbeat of the Manhattan Beach calendar … Bob was the life of the party,” Lesser said. “He was a fixture at Ercole's, beach bocce ball competitions, and neighborhood parties. Privately, he was kind, actively involved with family and friends, and a champion for our small town."

White and his family lived in the Hill Section, a short walk to “their beloved gathering spot, Ercole’s,” the Manhattan Beach News reported.

“Among his many favorite traditions, on Christmas Eve at Ercole's, he would lead a crowd singing ‘Christmas Eve at Ercole’s,’ to the tune of ‘Oh, Christmas Tree,’ the news outlet reported.

It was a tradition that the Downtown Manhattan Beach Business + Professional Association described as "extraordinary."

"With a twinkle in his eye, Bob lit up our community in only the way magical fireworks and the glow of the Pier could illuminate — warmly, brilliantly, and forever in our hearts," the association said in an Instagram post.

Ercole’s, the city’s oldest bar, described White as “legendary in every sense of the word” in an Instagram post.

“Born on St. Patrick’s Day 1927, Bob made his mark on Manhattan Beach through his music, his smile and his friendship,” the bar wrote.

White played his trumpet with The Hyperion Outfall Serenaders until a few years ago, the bar said.

“He and the band have been immortalized in a mural at Shellback Tavern and in a photo at Ercole’s, where they posed with their groupies, boosters and band mothers before the Doo Dah Parade in 1981,” the bar said. “The band was formally declared the ‘Official Band of Manhattan Beach’ and in March 2025, they were commended for their 50 years of service.”

White, born in St Louis, Missouri, joined the Navy when he was 17 with hopes of becoming a pilot, Easy Reader News reported. However, when World War II ended, so did his dream of piloting.

White used his GI Bill to study engineering at Iowa State, then landed a sales job with Allen-Bradley, where he worked for 47 years, the newspaper reported.

White moved to Manhattan Beach in 1958 after Allen-Bradley transferred him to the South Bay, Easy Reader News reported.

He and his wife had two daughters and a son, the newspaper reported.

“Although Manhattan Beach has changed a lot since Bob first came here as a spry twenty-something, we can’t help but think he left it better than he found it,” the historical society said. “No, he couldn’t stop the overbuilding, the big money or the giant homes, but he loved this community and was a reminder of what it is to be a part of a ‘small town.’ We’re grateful for him and that he made Manhattan Beach his home.”