Bobby Joe Bartley

Bobby Joe Bartley was born in Austin, Texas on October 9, 1930. He was the second of six children of Joe and Cindy Bartley. Times were tough for many folks back then and Bobby Joe often recalled spending a big part of his youth fishing and gathering firewood along the Colorado river for the home stove. Fishing and hunting remained a lifelong passion of his.

At 14 years old, Bobby Joe’s interest in rodeos and cowboy life began. He was part of the rodeo in some capacity for over 80 years. He rode bulls and bareback horses, then retiring from the rough stock events, he began steer wrestling at 30 years old. He began judging rodeos around the same time and continued judging for many rodeo producers until the late 1980’s. Bobby Joe said that “Cowboying” was all he ever remembered wanting to do. Bobby Joe was honored to be inducted into the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2000, the South Central Texas Rodeo Ring of Honor for rodeo judge and all-around cowboy in 2019 and the Central Texas Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2024. He loved rodeo and all the competition and fellowship that came with the sport.

Bobby Joe loved recalling the good times and crazy stories with many good friends who worked alongside him in the pawn shop business for many years (from Tom’s Pawn Shop to Big State Pawn).

He loved people and they loved and respected him back. He had generations of friends who loved to share their own stories of Bobby Joe Bartley and the wild times they had or heard of. Coaching youth sports in Oak Hill, TX was another competition he enjoyed for several years.

This great cowboy, mentor and beloved father and grandfather was called to his heavenly home on December 26, 2025. He is preceded in death by his wife, Pearl Jenkins Bartley of 50 years, parents Joe and Cindy Cromer Bartley, sisters Dorothy Maxwell, Shirley Cromer, and brothers, Ed and Charlie Bartley.

Bobby Joe is survived by his sister, Carolyn Smith, his three children, Brenda Sorbel of Universal City, Texas, David Keefer and Brigitte Brown of Apopka, Florida and Ginger Keefer and Robert Schwartz of Key West, Florida. His grandchildren, John and Dr. Carla Sorbel, Ronny Sorbel, Danny and wife Dana Sorbel, Kristin and husband Steve Mason, Natalie Grumbles and Peyton Keefer. Bobby Joe was blessed with nine great grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews and many cherished friends and extended family members. He was proud of his family and loved every minute with them.

A graveside service will be held at Lakeland Hills Memorial Park, located at 4219 Park Rd 4 S, Burnet, TX, 78611, on Friday January 2, 2026, starting at 1:00 pm.