Robert Edward Obenhaus' Obituary
Robert Edward Obenhaus – Bob to those who knew him – was born in Topeka, Kansas on January 17, 1934 to Albert Edward and Ola Ethel (Roberts) Obenhaus, the youngest of their three children. He died on August 22, 2015 while on vacation in Flagstaff, Arizona. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Betty Lee (Ragland) Obenhaus of Dallas, Texas; by his sister, Velma Lou Jerkins of Tampa, Florida; by his five sons: Stanley Edward Obenhaus of Providence, Rhode Island and his wife Vicki; Steven Lee Obenhaus of Overland Park, Kansas and his wife Cindy; Stacy Royce Obenhaus of Dallas, Texas and his wife Rebecca; Daniel Clayton Obenhaus of Austin, Texas; and Douglas Michael Obenhaus of Sabattus, Maine and his wife Jan; by eleven grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren. Bob lived his entire childhood in Topeka at 2501 Ohio Avenue. His sister, Velma Lou, mentions Bob in an essay entitled “Thoughts on Fathers Day 2006”. Her final paragraph reads: When I was 11 years old, Daddy and Mother added Robert Edward (Bob) to the family. He was the light of their lives, the perfect child – always loving and kind, especially to me. He was always thoughtful, being sure that he didn’t embarrass me. All of this article is true, until the last paragraph. I may have stretched the truth a little. In his youth he built go-carts and radios, was an avid photographer and engaged in countless pear fights with his cousin Bill. He graduated valedictorian of Highland Park High School class of 1952. Bob attended Central Christian College in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. He was a member of the chorale and one of the school’s photographers. It was there that another student, a young woman named Betty Ragland noticed Bob’s extraordinary printing. Soon after they were engaged to be married. In 1954 Bob entered Oklahoma A&M University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where he completed his course work and earned his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. It was in Stillwater on December 28, 1954, during one of the worst blizzards in the region’s history, that Bob and Betty were married. Nothing was going to keep these two apart. Upon graduation Bob accepted a job with the Convair Division of General Dynamics in Ft. Worth, Texas. He worked with the Autopilot Group of the Aerophysics Branch associated with the B-58 Supersonic Bomber Program. As great as his achievements were at Convair, they were dwarfed by the birth of his first son, Stanley Edward, on January 25, 1957. In October 1957 he joined the Semiconductor Division of Texas Instruments in Richardson, Texas, where his major activities included research and development of high voltage rectifiers and thermocompression sealing of semiconductor packages. Again his professional accomplishments at TI were overshadowed by the arrival of second son, Steven Lee, on August 30, 1958 and of third son, Stacy Royce, on January 31, 1960. In July of 1960 Bob and Betty and their three sons—ages 3, not quite 2 and 6 months—teamed up with a small group of Christians from Texas and moved to Easton, Massachusetts, to establish the Easton Church of Christ. As the church grew during his twenty years in the Easton church he occasionally filled the pulpit and was a stable presence and an admired and respected leader. But Bob continued his work at Texas Instruments obtaining a transfer to the Metals & Controls Division in Attleboro, Massachusetts. He worked for TI for eighteen years where he was listed as inventor on twenty U.S. patents, was published in several engineering trade journals and delivered presentations at industry conferences throughout the U.S. and Canada. But his most significant accomplishments during his years in New England were the births of his fourth son, Daniel Clayton, on April 9, 1968 and his fifth son, Douglas Michael, on June 26, 1970. In February 1975 Bob became the Managing Director of the Rhode Island School of Electronics in Providence, Rhode Island. The school prepared students to become industrial technicians. This experience laid the ground work for his move to Houston, Texas, in 1980 where he and Betty began Microcomputer Technology Institute, a proprietary school for electronics technicians. Later known as MTI School of Technology, the school expanded to three campuses with programs in five privately run Texas prisons. He and Betty trained over 30,000 students, stood up to the U.S. Department of Education in a prolonged legal battle and won, and somehow managed to get all five of their sons through college. In 2008 Bob and Betty returned to the Dallas area to retire where Bob continued to enjoy radio and electronics as a hobby. He quickly found a community of faith at the Meadow View Church of Christ who welcomed him and Betty. He felt at home in this warm, friendly and supportive church family and continued his love of teaching God’s word. Bob had much to be proud of in his life. He and Betty were partners for 60 years. They raised a basketball team, which by the way remains undefeated. He and Betty have enjoyed traveling, which they often did with a group of friends affectionately called the Friedheim Globetrotters. Bob enjoyed boasting of having visited all seven continents of the world. Yes, that includes Antarctica. Bob was esteemed by colleagues and beloved by friends and family. He will be fondly remembered by by all as his goodwill is passed on. Service will be held Saturday, August 29, 2015 at 10:30 AM at Meadow View Church of Christ in Mesquite, Texas. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Restland Funeral Home and Memorial Park, 13005 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX 75243.
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