Bobby Yeates

Bobby Levine Yeates, born August 6, 1942, to Lee and Pauline Yeates, passed away on April 21, 2026—finally free to find the perfect fishing hole, where the bass are huge, the engines are loud, and nobody changes the plan halfway through.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Donald Yeates, who is likely already waiting with a fishing pole and a strong opinion about who really caught the bigger fish—and why it was him.

Bobby is survived by his brother, Travis Yeates; his wife of 62 years, Ronda Yeates, who deserves special recognition for her role in ensuring that nearly every project Bobby ever started got redesigned at least once; and his son, Daniel Yeates, who grew up understanding that “almost finished” was just another phase of completion.

Bobby retired from Upjohn / Dow Chemical after many years in operations and environmental health and safety. Retirement didn’t slow him down—it just gave him more time to start projects, rethink projects, and eventually (usually) finish them… on his own schedule.

He could build just about anything. And while some projects took a little longer than expected—say, a year or so—they got done. Eventually. Probably.

In his younger days, Bobby had a need for speed and spent time drag racing with his partners in crime, his cousin Tommy Stanley and his good friend Daniel Stivner. Later in life, he wisely upgraded to spectator status, where things were still loud and fast—but significantly safer.

Bobby loved to bass fish—and even more, he loved to tell fish stories. The fish were always big, the fights were always epic, and somehow, they kept getting bigger every single time he told the story.

He’ll be remembered as a man who could build anything, fix everything, and stretch the truth just enough to make a good story great.

In his honor, start a project you’re not quite ready to finish, change your mind halfway through, and then go fishing instead. That’s exactly how he would’ve planned it.

Gone fishing… and this time, there’s no coming back to finish the project. 🎣

A celebration of Bobby’s life will be held Saturday, May 2, at Grand View, 8501 Spencer Hwy, Pasadena, TX 77505. Visitation will be from 12:00–2:00 PM, with services beginning at 2:00 PM.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a tribute donation in Bobby’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association.