Bobbie Gene Latham

Bobbie Gene Latham, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and sister gained her angel wings on September 4, 2024, at the age of 85. She was born on September 25, 1938, in Bastrop, Louisiana, and resided in Houston, Texas, at the time of her passing.

At a very young age, the family moved to Sterlington, Louisiana, where she lived until her sophomore year in high school. Her father, a chief engineer for United Gas, was transferred to United Magasco compressor station in the east Texas town of Pineland. Bobbie started her sophomore year at Pineland High. At the start of her senior year, she met Carroll Latham, a former student that moved back for his senior year. The two became friends and on December 17, 1956, their first date was to their school Christmas party. After this, they started dating regularly and it was soon apparent they knew they had met the love of their life.

After graduation, Carroll moved to Houston for employment and Business College. Bobbie enrolled at Stephen F. Austin State University, where she earned her degree and teaching certificate in three years. In September 1960, she started teaching at Pearl Rucker Elementary for the Houston Independent School District.

Bobbie and Carroll were married August 5, 1961, and moved to their home at 919 Forest Oaks Drive. Their marriage resulted in the birth of their daughter, Kendra Lynn, and son, Steven Flem. Bobbie truly loved her children and devoted herself to their love and care. She served as leader of two Blue Birds groups, den mother for Cub Scouts and worked with Carroll in Boy Scouts and Little League baseball. Anything her children or any child were in involved in got her loving support, as she continued her teaching at Rucker Elementary.

Bobbie was truly a believer in her God and worked faithfully in her church. As a member of the World Wide class at Park Place (now Servants of Christ) United Methodist, she taught Sunday school, both adult and youth, Bible Studies, and served on numerous boards and committees. The one service she most cherished was serving, with Carroll, as Youth Directors for seven years at Park Place. As always, if it involved children or youth, she was ready to give all she had in support of them.

Bobbie retired in 2000, having taught for 40 years at Rucker Elementary. She did not stop serving; she just switched to senior citizens for her church. She and Carroll took senior citizens on several trips to Colorado, Christmas light tours in Texas Hill Country, Corpus Christi, East Texas, and Louisiana.

For herself, Bobbie loved camping and four wheeling in the Colorado mountains, loved spending time at their lake house on Toledo Bend Lake, loved her family with unerring devotion, loved her memories of teaching decades of children their ABC’s and starting them on the right path to adulthood.

Bobbie leaves behind a loving family; daughter Kendra and husband Donald Kalmus. Bobbie's legacy also lives on through her grandchildren; Chad Latham, Khristen Wickham, Samantha and Victoria Kalmus. She also leaves behind her brothers, Shelby McMillan and wife Sarah, Dennis McMillan and wife Dodie and Larry McMillan and wife Debbie with numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents, Ethel Toney McMillan and Flem McMillan, husband, Carroll Latham, son, Steven Latham and sister, Joyce Ann Whitehead.

To sum up her life: Bobbie loved her God, her family, and her country. Her life touched many and she shall be greatly missed.

Visitation / Funeral Services will be held at Forest Park Lawndale Funeral Home in Houston on Friday, September 13. Visitation will begin at 12 p.m. and the funeral services will follow at 1 p.m. Burial will be held on Saturday, September 14, at 10 a.m. at Deadwood Cemetery in Deadwood, Tx.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Bobbie’s honor to a charity of your choice.