Eleanor "Lynn" Landenberger

Long time Midland and Dallas resident, Eleanor “Lynn” Landenberger, passed away June 21, 2025 at the age of 97 years. Eleanor was born in Webb City, Oklahoma, on April 4, 1928, to Joseph Kantowski and Pauline Levandowski. Eleanor graduated from Capitol Hill High School in 1944 at the young age of 16. Her dream for her life was to be a wife and mother but because of her high intellect, her parents encouraged her to attend a University to further her education. She considered studying Interior Design, but didn’t want to move to New York. Through her father, her first job was working in a drugstore as a “soda jerk” behind the Fountain, but she was always fascinated with the Pharmacy compounding work being done behind the counter. In an era where Pharmacy was a male-dominated field, she chose to blaze this uncertain trail and pursued a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy. It was challenging and sometimes discriminatory because at that time, there were only a handful of women in her classes.

While at OU, she met and dated Robert (Bob) Landenberger. He was born and raised in Illinois and had just returned home from the War. He was famous at the University for his convertible car and charisma, but when he shared an Algebra class with this particular 17-year-old Pharmacy student that he nicknamed “Lynn”, it was love at first sight. A year later, Lynn got engaged to her “Yankee” and a year later, they were married in June, 1947. Lynn was a member of the Kappa Epsilon sorority for female Pharmacy students which was an important support group for women at that time. She valued the support so much that in later years, she donated to the organization. In 1950, Lynn graduated with her Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy. There were 157 graduates in her class and only 8 were women. Her new husband, Bob, graduated alongside her with a B.S in Geology and they started a new chapter of their lives.

Lynn’s first job as a Pharmacist was at Sheen’s Drugstore in Capital Hill. She always said she had the nicest boss who was her advocate in the face of discrimination from many male doctors. When Lynn would answer the phone, some doctors would hang up and call back until a male Pharmacist would answer. These doctors were firmly told that the” lady” Pharmacist could fill their prescription just as good as anyone and from now on, she would be doing it for them. Most doctors complied but would still be very rude to her on the phone. Lynn never complained, but her fellow workers stood up for her. The head Pharmacist reacted strongly to these doctors and threatened to remove them from their list of clients. The discrimination gradually faded away.

Bob’s career involved starting out as a roughneck and they moved around from Alice, Victoria, Port Lavaca and Palacios, Texas. It was difficult for Lynn to get a steady job as a Pharmacist at that time, but she wanted to support her husband’s career. Her uncle helped him get a job in Corpus Christi for Reed Roller Bit and she had many fond memories of their times at the beach. Bob finally got a job as a Geologist for City Service in Lamesa and then Midland, Texas. With his charismatic personality, he formed relationships that would help them start a business in later years. It was there in Midland that Lynn had their firstborn child, Robert and her dream of being a mother was realized.

Bob’s job with City Service moved them around but he was continually building solid relationships within the oil business. They finally landed in Roswell, New Mexico for a few years and during that time, Lynn and Bob had two more sons, Daniel and Matt. When City Service moved them to Artesia, New Mexico, they were blessed with their three daughters, Jennifer, Susan and Janet. Bob still had to travel a lot with his job, and Lynn was left alone with six children, but she carried the family along with much love. They had many happy years there as a family of eight watching the boys play baseball and other sports while raising the girls.

In 1968, Bob and Lynn moved back to Midland, Texas with their six children when he got a job with Solar Oil Company. She served on four PTA’s, was an avid Band Booster, Chorale Booster and never missed a game whether for sports, cheerleading or band and would regularly drive to Lubbock for private lessons. Even though Lynn was happy in her role as a mother and wife, every year she would take the State Board Exam to retain her Pharmacy license, just in case. From the Cleveland Clinic to the Mayo Clinic, her favorite reading materials were usually Medical related. As a result, her children would call her first before a doctor or Pediatrician.

When Solar Oil shut down, Bob wanted to start an independent oil company with Jim Henry in Midland. At that time, Lynn told him, “We have nothing to lose” so they started a new chapter in their lives again. Using Bob’s contacts, they found a sponsor to open an office with some initial jobs to get H&L Consultants, and later Henry and Landenberger, Inc. up and running. An experienced Geologist, Bob drew his famous red line in the Permian Basin and told Jim, “That’s where we’re going to drill”. The company was a success and with his children growing up so fast and having spent so many years working apart from them, Bob sold half his interest to Jim to retire and enjoy his family.

Retirement was spent on RV trips with friends and family, summers at their condo in Horseshoe Bay and snow skiing in Ruidoso. Lynn loved helping her children decorate their homes, shop for clothes and never missed her weekly hair appointment.

In 1983, Bob was diagnosed with a rare spinal condition and after surgery and rehab, was confined to wheelchair. That didn’t slow him down as a geologist or a traveler and he and Lynn still travelled the countryside and enjoyed family and friends. She was a loving and involved, “Grandma, Mimi and Mommo” and would travel out of town for Grandparents Day, soccer games and Ballet recitals. She was an endless source of love, encouragement and advice to all who knew and loved her. For over 25 years, Lynn was Bob’s constant caregiver and cheerleader. She gives all credit to her faith in God and support of family. When Bob passed away in 2012, he left Lynn his oil interests. While she was educated in the medical field, the oil business was unfamiliar territory. On the advice of her son, Dan and an attorney, she created RWL Alliance, LLC to continue what Bob had started. Working interest, royalties and overrides, it was a steep learning curve. With the assistance of her nephew, Leo Kantowski, a Landman, she learned it well and displayed shrewd tactics.

In 2017, Lynn relocated to Dallas, Texas to be closer to her children and grandchildren. She lived with her daughters Janet and Jennifer, and loved being a mom, grandmother and great-grandmother. With thirteen grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren, she will always be remembered for her constant and unconditional love for her family. She was a guiding force in everyone’s life and as a close friend commented, “She was quite a renaissance woman”.

A scholarship fund will be set up with the Permian Basin Foundation in the names of Bob and Lynn Landenberger to assist two groups from the Permian Basin who wish to attend Oklahoma University: women going into STEM degrees and future Geologists.

Lynn is survived by her children: Robert Landenberger, III and his wife Karen of Knoxville, Tennessee and their children: Heather, and their son Bryan and their children Lexi and Boyd of Knoxville, Tennessee; Dan Landenberger and his wife Marlene of Kerrville, Texas and their children: his daughter Megan Hughes and her son Cameron of Midland, Texas, Holly and her husband Matt Starr and their sons Dylan and Zach and daughter Amelia of Houston; Matt Landenberger and his wife Teresa and their children: his son Ryan and fiancé Savannah Senger of Hurst, Texas and their son Alex of Hurst, Texas; Jennifer Williams of Dallas, Texas and her children: Meredith Montoya and her husband Jayson and their son Jackson, Blake Williams of Dallas and Kathryn Williams of Dallas; Susan Young and her husband Craig and their children: Brett Young of Waco, Texas and Diane Brady and her husband Parker of Cleburne, Texas; Janet Fresquez and her husband Rick of Dallas, Texas and their children: Jarrod Fresquez of Dallas, Texas and Rachel Lazzara and her husband Chris of Jacksonville, Florida and their children Olivia, Gigi, Isa and Tripp.

Visitation will be at 5:00pm with a rosary following at 5:45 pm on Thursday, June 26th at Sparkman Hillcrest Funeral Home, 7405 West N.W. Highway Dallas, Texas. A funeral mass will be held at 2:00pm on Friday, June 27th at Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 6306 Kenwood Avenue with a graveside burial following at Sparkman Hillcrest Funeral Home, with a reception to follow at Park City Club. The Pallbearers will be Lynn’s six grandsons, Jarrod Fresquez of Dallas, Bryan Landenberger of Knoxville, Tennessee, Blake Williams of Dallas, Texas, Ryan Landenberger of Hurst, Texas, Alex Landenberger of Hurst, Texas and Brett Young of Waco, Texas.