Robert A George

Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirableif anything is excellent or praiseworthythink about such things. These words that Paul wrote to the Philippians describe the life and attitude of the husband, father, brother, and friend so dear to us. We give thanks for his mother and father who nurtured these traits in him and helped shape him into the man he became.

Bob's mother used to tell us about how clever Bob had been as a child. He was so bright that he faked reading until the third grade when his teacher discovered that Bob really could not read, but was just reciting what he had heard once or twice. By the end of that year Bob was reading well and continued to be a voracious reader until the last few years. Bob enjoyed action/spy novels, but he also read technical books and magazines as if they were cliff hangers. He also read lofty titles that most of us didn't even know existede.g., The Arab Mind. He believed that we need to understand one another in order to live together in the world.

When Bob graduated from Jeff Davis High School in Houston, he entered the University of Houston to study electrical engineering. This was during the time of the Korean Conflict. A neighbor had access to the draft information and told the family that the Army would soon be knocking on Bob's door. He wanted no part of the Army, so Bob left the U of H after two years and enlisted in the Navy. Much of the next four years Bob spent on a communications ship not too far from Korea. Bob never really shared war stories other than to say his training at the U of H gave him an edge and that his time in the Navy prepared him for the last two years of college. He earned several medals and awards while serving his country. He graduated from the U of H with a BSEE and very high gradesno surprise to those who knew him.

At that time Art Collins was hiring the best and brightest young engineers. Bob had no difficulty landing a job at Collins Radio. While at Collins, Bob earned a reputation as being a "nerdy engineer." Although most of Bob's work was classified, we do know that Bob was awarded a least one patent, that he worked on Air Force One planes, and that he was a project engineer for the ground communications system for the Apollo Space Project. His children thought he was a spy because Bob couldn't talk about what he did at work and the family couldn't visit his workspace. Although Bob did work at two other companies, Collins was his favorite and Rockwell-Collins was where he was working when he retired. Recently while we were driving on Arapaho, he kept trying to see something to his left. He said, "I used to work over there at Collins." I reminded him that Collins had become Rockwell-Collins and that his old office was no longer in that location. His dementia had not erased that memory, yet when told that Collins had been sold, he said somewhat indignantly, "Well, they never told me!"

In the fall of 1963 Bob and Linda met on the parking lot of a small apartment complex on McKinney near Fitzhugh in Dallas. Bob turned into the lot and nearly ran over Linda who was standing out there gazing at the stars. He introduced himself and asked what she was doing. She was looking for the Big Dipper because her Earth Science class was studying astronomy. Bob told Linda that he was an EE and that she should get her roommate, come to his apartment, and they would use his slide rule to figure this out. Bob always denied this telling of the meeting, but it really is the truth. Almost a year later Bob and Linda had their first date and were married six months later. That marriage was ended almost 46 years later by Bob's death.

Bob was a loving, thoughtful husband and father who liked to be at home and had a number of projects in the works most of the time. Our first home was on a corner lot, and the roses he planted in our backyard often caused people to slow down or stop because of their beauty. He and some of his engineering friends conducted various tests to determine the best and fastest way to grow grass, and soon we had a yard that looked like a putting surface. With our children and others from the neighborhood "helping," Bob assembled all kinds of playground equipment in our yard and built a playhouse with doors and windows and lots of space for a stove, refrigerator and kitchen furniture. That the children were in his way never seemed to be a factor. He just smiled and worked around his crew. When the family moved to Florida for a short time, Bob once again had a beautiful yard. In Florida he built the "perfect" tree houseso much so that when we moved back to TX, a neighbor asked for the tree house. Bob and Bob dismantled the tree house and drew the plans so that the other Bob could put it back together in his yard.

Bob loved his children and put aside some of his pleasures so that he could spend time with them. He gave up playing tennis and golf when the children were born, commenting that golf would always be there, but his children wouldn't always be at home. He gave Cathryn her first bath and looked as if he had been doing this his entire life. He walked the floors at night with Michael who suffered from colic. He read with and to them; he helped with homework when they asked. He went to countless soccer games regardless of the weather; he attended football games so that he could watch the band and flags at halftime. When Cathryn was in the band at SMU, my cousin Tom often gave us his season tickets so that we could attend the games. Bob didn't like to cook, yet he happily baked a cake with Michael for the father-son cake bake for Cub Scouts. Michael served in the US Marine Corps and was activated during Desert Storm. The day he left was one of the few times that I ever saw Bob cry. We were both so afraid for our son who was probably going to be shipped to the Persian Gulf. That situation was settled shortly before Michael would have left for battle.

Bob was the typical proud father when his children found the loves of their lives. Cathryn and Darren married first. Bob was the "perfect" host; he even danced at the reception. No, not with the bride or with Linda; he led the line dance! When Michael and Sharon married, Bob was the "perfect" host again and was thrilled that they wanted to have the reception in our home. After about seven years, our first grandchild was born. Courtney captured Bob's heart, and he reveled in watching her grow. Courtney is the one who gave Bob the name Poppy. Bob had been teasing her, and she turned around, pointed her little finger at him and demanded, "Stop that, Poppy!" Another five years passed before our precious twin granddaughters, Jaxie and Trina, were born. By this time, Bob's dementia had progressed considerably. While he always had trouble calling them by name, he would see them coming and say, "My girls." As recently as a week before he died, he had a great afternoon ride with Jaxie and Trina, eating ice cream as we toured the area. He loved their chatter, their enthusiasm and the sweet hugs and kisses they gave him.

If you look at the picture we have chosen for this page, you will see Bob as he was shortly before his death. This picture is one that everyone has described as being "so Bob." He's eating vanilla ice cream with his friends at Winters Park. He looks as if he might be saying, "Hmm.good." Notice that he has squirreled away a packet of Sweet and Low in his pocket along with a wad of tissues. He also has a cloth napkin from the dining room hanging from that same pocket. We never understood why Bob began collecting things and stuffing his pockets, yet it was what he did and we just accepted that he needed to do so. Bob almost never removed the hat that his long-time friend, Al Knudsen, gave him. Notice the letters USG on the hat. Al worked for US Gypsum; Bob always thought the letters stood for US Golf.

Bob was a man of faith and integrity, a man whose words and deeds were congruent, a man who saw the best in almost all people and situations. When something particularly good happened, his favorite expression was, "Clean living will do it every time!" He has left us with many wonderful memories, and we know that one day we will see him again. Until then, we will cherish our memories and miss him every day.

Bob is survived by his wife Linda, daughter Cathryn Binz (Darren), son Michael George (Sharon), grandchildren Courtney, Jaxie and Trina Binz, sisters Betty Craig and Nancy Douglas. He is preceded in death by his parents George and Dona George, brother Jack George.

A memorial service to celebrate Bob's life will be held Tuesday, November 30, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. at Custer Road United Methodist Church, 6601 Custer Road, Plano, Texas 75023.

Bob was laid to rest at a private interment at the DFW National Cemetery, Dallas, Texas.

If desired, memorials may be made in Bob's name to the Alzheimer's Association, 800-272-3900, www.alz.org/join_the_cause_donate.asp OR to the Custer Road United Methodist Church for Treasured Times Alzheimer's Respite.