Andrew Royer Oberlander

Andrew (Andy) Royer Oberlander—devoted husband, father, engineer and sailor—passed away at his home in Richardson, Texas, on July 11, 2021. Andy was born on Oct. 2, 1962, in Chicago, Illinois, to Martha Royer Oberlander and David Holman Oberlander. He moved to Richardson with his family in 1969 and graduated in 1980 from J.J. Pearce High School, where he played saxophone in the marching band and jazz band.

Andy received his Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 1985 and began a distinguished 33-year career with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) in 1986. He started out creating traffic signal and highway lighting plans for Dallas area freeways and spent countless hours in the field designing, implementing and improving traffic signal timing systems. After receiving his Professional Engineer's License in 1991, Andy became Assistant Freeway Management Engineer, and in 1993 he was promoted to Freeway Management Engineer, where he directed all activities for the Dallas District Freeway Management Office. In 2013, Andy was named Dallas District Transportation Operations Engineer, where he oversaw all operations for traffic design, traffic engineering, traffic projects, and the Freeway Management Office. Andy retired from TxDOT on July 31, 2019.

Andy’s passion for traffic engineering was rooted in his desire to create the safest highway system in the state and to mentor young engineers. He served as Past President of ITS (Intelligent Traffic Systems) Texas, where he made tremendous strides in advocating for ITS improvements in the state.

Andy was also an avid sailor with ASA certifications 101-105. He enjoyed weekend sailing on Lake Ray Hubbard with his brother David and often chartered boats in Galveston Bay and in the Gulf of Mexico. His other hobbies and interests included astronomy, NASA, and working with tools.

Above all else, Andy was a dedicated family man. He met his beloved wife Lauri in 1989 in the West End district of Dallas and they were married a year later. Their cherished daughter Meredith, 30. married Taylor Dee Cluff in Dallas in September 2020. Andy’s family was the center of his life, and some of his happiest times were spent attending his daughter’s gymnastics and cheerleading events when she was growing up, going on family vacations to Disney World, watching Dallas Mavericks games, and renovating the home he lived in for 31 years.

Andy is survived by his wife Lauri Klein Oberlander; daughter Meredith Oberlander Cluff; son-in-law Taylor Dee Cluff; brother David Holman Oberlander Jr.; and sister Kate Oberlander Maddox.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, July 23, at 1 p.m. at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, 720 S. Floyd Rd, Richardson, Texas, with a reception in the Parish Center immediately following the service.