Robert Gordon Carney's Obituary
Robert “Bob” Gordon Carney (88), passed away on October 28, 2016, in Dallas, Texas after a long struggle with Lewy Body Dementia. Bob was born in Dallas and spent his entire life here. He is preceded in death by his wife, Shirley Holmes Carney, and his parents, Ina Mae Carney and Marion Gordon Carney. He is survived by his sister, Marian Jean Arnold, and brother-in-law Darrell Arnold; his children, son Robert G. Carney Jr. and his wife Kimberly, daughter Kimberly Jean McGill and her husband David, son Bradford Roan Carney and his wife Melissa, and grandchildren Sean Sullivan McGill, Tyler McGill and Lauren McGill. Bob attended Woodrow Wilson High School as well as Crozier Tech and North Texas Teachers College. Bob served his country in the US Army during the Korean War and obtained the rank of Corporal while on active duty December 1951 – November 1953. When Bob returned from active duty, he proposed and married Shirley Holmes in 1954. They were married for 53 years until her death in 2007. Bob started working as a salesman with Standard Office Supply (SOS), and he worked his way up to partner with Herb Watson in the ’70’s, then eventually was sole owner of the business. Since SOS was such a successful business, he decided to branch out and opened Bob Carney Used Office Furniture out of his father-in-law’s garage. This led to buying a small building on North Peak Street for the furniture business, then to a larger, combined Office Supply & Furniture Store on Main & Washington Streets. Bob loved to work. He worked tirelessly to support his wife and family through the years. His motto was “Live to Work, Work to Live.” He worked until he was 86 years old. Bob had so many friends and loyal clients in Dallas that it was hard to go out to dinner or an event without Bob stopping to say hello to about half the people in the restaurant. He was also a very sharp dresser and was named “Best Dressed Man” in Dallas by the Jaycees in April 1957. Besides work, Bob enjoyed playing poker once a week for 50 years with a group of guys he knew since childhood. They drank beer, smoked and told stories while playing poker for the first 30 years, but changed to soft drinks and no smoking the last 20 years. He also had a standing Wednesday lunch appointment with life-long friends at the Highland Park Cafeteria to talk about good times. In 2007 his wife, Shirley, passed away, and shortly thereafter he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. More recently, he was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia. Our family is thankful to Churchill Independent Living and Silverado Memory Care facilities in Dallas for making him comfortable during his final years. Born August 9, 1928, Bob had a long, good life and will be missed by many friends and his family who love him very much . The family will receive friends on Thursday, November 3, 2016, from 6:00pm-8:00PM at Restland Funeral Home. A memorial service will be held on Friday, November 4, 2016, at 3:00PM at Wildwood Chapel at Restland Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers please consider sending a donation to the Alzheimers Association ( www. alz.org) in Robert’s name.
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