Robert

When his son Robbie was little, Robert took him on the Texas Tornado, a wooden roller coaster popular in the 1950s and 60s at the Wedgewood Amusement Park in Oklahoma City. Robert had to drag a terrified little Robbie onto the roller coaster and drag a delighted roller coaster lover off. Robbie was hooked, and his dad advised him, “Robbie, you’ve got to try everything once.”

This is advice that guided Robert, Sr’s life. The baby of the family with two older sisters, Rosemary and Elaine, Robert drove his motorbike as a boy, delivering papers, a bit of a rebel. He married his high school sweetheart and became a father at nineteen. Always the life of the party and never forgetting a face, Robert was a born salesman and spent his work hours selling shoes, selling cars, and maintaining oil field equipment. Robert, Jr remembers that he was always a good father to him and his sisters, Leslie, Renee and Rebecca. Very close to his dad, Robert, Jr said that they were  always good friends; many of his happiest childhood memories are of time spent with his dad.

Robert was a car enthusiast and once won a trophy drag racing his 1967 GTO to defeat a 1955 Chevy. A good mechanic, he enjoyed teaching his son about cars. In the 1970s, Robert fell in love with disco, and his son remembers his platform shoes, bell bottoms, and Bob Marley hat. One Christmas, Robert even taught the gathered family to do The Hustle. Throughout his life, Robert was an outdoor enthusiast. He loved water…swimming, scuba diving, water skiing, boating and fishing. His favorite place to live was Madill, Oklahoma, because the family had a house right on Lake Texoma, and Robert could walk out to his dock, get on his boat and go fishing. An artist, Robert drew and painted, and his son spoke highly of a painting of saltwater fish his father created.

Full of life, Robert could talk to anybody. He loved to play charades and to travel. One of his favorite destinations was Cabo San Lucas, and he would even travel alone, sure to make friends along the way. He was also always ready to lend a hand to someone in need and would pull over to help someone in trouble.

Robert benefitted from miraculous intervention in his life. In high school, he and a friend survived a high-speed crash that threw them from their flipped Jaguar SKS. The boys crossed midair, landing in opposite ditches. The car was totaled, but both boys walked away from the accident. Although Robert has lived a life focused on science, his family is happy because he has found faith and is a believer.

As Robert’s health and mobility have faltered due to his illness, he has become more reliant on his son for help with daily tasks. As a result, Robert, Jr left his full time job to care for his dad. The family got behind on bills, and Project 4031 was able to help fill in the funding gaps. He said, “I don’t know what we would have done without you guys. You lifted a burden, a nine hundred gorilla off our backs, to allow us to concentrate on him. Y’all are amazing!” At Project 4031, we love the opportunity to learn more about men like Robert who are not afraid to try all life has to offer.