Mr. Robert Eugene Eastwood's Obituary
Robert Eugene Eastwood of Richardson died August 14, 2023. Born on an Indiana farm in 1930, he grew up with his maternal grandparents. He learned to milk the cows by hand, plow with a team of horses, hunt rabbits with his dog Bugler, feed and water the chickens, and ride his horse to his paternal grandparents’ farm to visit on Sunday afternoons.
While Bob was not an accomplished student early on, he was a gifted boy-soprano in elementary school where he cultivated what would be a lifelong love of singing. He won contests and was selected to all region choirs where he sat between the sopranos and the tenors, singing whichever part best fit his voice.
He graduated from Lakeville High School in 1948 and moved to Houston, Texas to live and learn from his father, Victor and stepmom, Vesta. They took Bob to church with them and his little brother Don. He was baptized at Grace Lutheran Church as an adult. There he first saw Martha Wahlberg coming down the aisle after communion. He decided right then she would be the girl he would marry.
Bob first went to work for his dad at Mozart Keller Studebaker. He became an auto mechanic but was encouraged by his dad to apply for a job at Southwestern Bell where he might have better prospects for advancement. He got the job but was then drafted into the Army during the Korean Conflict. Before he left for boot camp, he and Martha became engaged. While in the Army he was selected for leadership and communications schools becoming a Corporal in the Signal Corps.
Upon discharge he resumed his work for Southwestern Bell which would last for over 35 years. He was a distinguished employee, being chosen for schools and special projects in several departments. One of his proudest achievements was his work on design and implementation of the telephone system for NASA in Houston. He was a natural diagnostician and investigator, problem solving difficult situations throughout his career. His forte turned out to be Sales and Marketing. He could talk to anyone and had a fantastic memory for names, dates and details. After various transfers between Houston, Dallas and St. Louis, his last posting was in Dallas as a District Manager.
Bob and Martha married May 1, 1953. She was the love of his life. He was a great dad, an excellent provider, generous storyteller, the lawn ranger and often the first call for help for his kids and neighbors. He was a Sunday School teacher, church council member, choir singer and volunteer on various projects at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church. He was devoted to God, church, family, friends and his wife of 70 years who died only 4 days later.
He was preceded in death by his brother Don Eastwood (Joanie), his sister, Susan Knepper, and his son, Matthew Eastwood. He is survived by his daughters Emily Eastwood (Jan Bailey) and Sharon Villalpando (Armando), grandchildren Mason, Weston, and Gabrielle Eastwood, his niece Dawn Adams (Benjamin), great nephews Samuel and Justin Adams, his sister Sally Himlin (Steve), brother-in-law Ronnie Knepper, many other nieces and nephews and his beloved caregiver Abby Haley.
Memorials preferred to St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, 1210 W Beltline Rd, Richardson, TX 75080; Lutheran World Relief, PO Box 17061, Baltimore, MD 21297-1061, or Network of Community Ministries, 1500 International Parkway, Suite 300, Richardson, TX 75081.
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