Robert Oliver Scharr, Sr., (88), died (January 5,2021) in Katy, TX after a brief illness. He leaves his wife of (63+ YEARS), Martha (Almand) Scharr; his son, Robert Oliver Jr. and his wife, Janice of Katy; his daughter, Jennifer Mitchell and her husband, Robert of Jacksonville NC; five grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his sister Claradele Scharr Carruthers Brillhart 2019; by his father, John Grob Scharr in 1987 and his mother, Monette (Lightstone) Scharr in 1984.
Bob was born in St. Louis, MO December 23, 1932 and raised in south St. Louis and Glendale. After graduating from Kirkwood High School (Kirkwood, MO) in 1951, he attended the University of Missouri at Columbia for one year. In 1952, he joined the U.S. Navy, serving four years on active duty as a Hospital Corpsman and four years in the reserves. His duty assignments included Balboa Naval Hospital, San Diego; Oak-Knoll Naval Hospital, Oakland; Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory (Hunters Point), San Francisco; U.S.S. Haven (AH-12); Naval Station, Kwajalein, M.I.; and the U.S.S. Gen. A.E. Anderson (TAP-111).
After serving with the Navy, Bob returned to school at the University of Florida at Gainesville,
graduating in 1960 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He and Martha were married in 1957.
In 1960, he went to work with the U.S. Immigration & Naturalization Service, holding various positions in Marfa, TX (2 times); Newark, NJ; Washington D.C.; El Paso, TX; Harlingen, TX; and, Havre, MT. While stationed in Havre, MT, Bob was promoted to the position of Chief Patrol Agent in the Border Patrol. He served in various temporary locations including the Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta for two months where he supervised the I&NS detail processing incarcerated Mariel Boatlift Cubans. He retired in 1985 and returned to I&NS in 1986 for two months to open the Legalization Office in Lubbock, TX. In his retirement, Bob enjoyed building doll houses and researching his family genealogy. His interest in genealogy led him to meet two Scharr cousins in the Stuttgart area of Germany in 2001. The connecting relatives were siblings eight generations back. He remained active on the Board and as a patient care volunteer for Hospice in Alpine, TX and as a volunteer at the Midland County Library and ‘Meals on Wheels’ in Midland, TX.
He was a member of the First United Methodist Church, Katy, Texas. While living in El Paso, he was active in Scottish Rite and El Maida Shrine. Bob was a Master Mason for over 50 years and an endowed member of Frontier Lodge #766, Alpine, TX.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the First United Methodist Church Katy, 5601 5th St, Katy, TX 77493 (281-391-2121).
