Robert Berry Ball, 87, of Conroe, TX, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. Robert was born to Erastus and Mollie Ball on April 11, 1937, in Asheville, North Carolina where he grew up and developed a love of fast cars and working on engines. As a teenager and young adult, he worked as a mechanic in Asheville until coming to Texas in the early 60s. Robert got a job in Houston at a gas station as a mechanic when he met the love of his life, Betty, whom he affectionately nicknamed “LuLu”. They were married in 1965 and, because Betty wasn’t able to have children, they adopted a baby girl, Elizabeth, otherwise known as “Bunny”, in 1971.
Robert soon landed a job with Houston Systems Manufacturing Company where his father-in-law worked as a hydraulic technician building offshore oil rigs for 23 years until the company shut down in the early 80s. In 1982, he, Betty, and Bunny, moved to Conroe where Robert started a small engine repair business from home. Everyone in the area knew him as the “lawnmower guy”. His love of cars and engines continued to grow, and if LuLu would have let him, he would have had his own used car lot. Instead, he would trade vehicles, sometimes as often as every couple of months and frequently left LuLu wondering who was pulling in the driveway! During his trading days, he met Bob and Pete with A-1 Auto Sales in Conroe in 2006, whom he became close friends with. Robert traded a total of 69 cars and trucks with them from 2006 to 2018 and was known to go to their lot almost every day and just hang out and drink coffee.
Robert also enjoyed fishing, playing pool, watching westerns on TV, barbecuing with friends, going on vacations every year to Asheville with his family, and later in life, anything that had to do with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren whom he immensely adored. He also loved his junk food and would hide boxes of Fudge Rounds and Milk Duds from his family. Robert was a huge fan of his gravy and biscuits from Whataburger so much that, for years, he went through their drive thru literally every single morning. The employees knew him by name and would give him birthday and Christmas cards every year.
Robert was a very kind, generous, and selfless man who had a silly side, often sticking his tongue out and holding up a certain finger when he didn’t like being instructed on what was best for him. He would regularly tell his daughter and grandkids that he stayed around just to “give them a hard time, and be a pain in the butt”.
Although he will be deeply missed, his family and friends have peace of mind that he is once again with LuLu, his loving wife of 40 years who he lost in 2005. He is also preceded in death by his parents, Erastus and Mollie Ball, daughter Leoni Ball, and grandson Jason Ball. He is survived by son, Bobby Ball; daughter, Elizabeth “Bunny” Hallman; son-in-law, Scott Hatfield and wife Anna Hatfield; grandchildren, Dixie Bell, Hallie Hatfield, Haley Hatfield and wife Jenna Hatfield, Dalton Hatfield and wife Alexandra Hatfield, and Toni Ball; and 16 great-grandchildren; Jolie, Bailey, Liam, Myla, Gavin, Derrick, Layton, Landon, Watson, Brynlee, Jason Jr., Chloe, Cody, Brooke, John, Nautica, and numerous other family and friends.
Funeral services will be Monday, March 24, 2025, at 10:00 am at Cashner Funeral Home with visitation to begin one hour prior. Interment will follow at 3:00 pm at Shiner Catholic Cemetery in Shiner, Texas. Serving as pallbearers are Josh Boley, Dalton Hatfield, Scott Hatfield, Anna Hatfield, Brandon Cook and Cameron Cook.
