Robert Louis Hussey Jr. "Bob"

Robert Louis “Bob” Hussey JR, age 84, passed away Wednesday, January 13, 2021 at Southwest Integris Hospital of COVID Pneumonia. He joined his beloved parents, brother (Frank), nieces (Beth and Kelley) and nephew (Glenn) in heaven and was received in glory in the arms of Jesus Christ. Bob was born May 4, 1936 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at St. Anthony Hospital to Blanche and Robert SR. Bob graduated from Davis High School, went on to attend the University of Oklahoma where he studied Engineering and played football for Coach Bud Wilkinson, was a soldier in the US Army stationed in Germany, and later worked over 50 years at the Father-Son railroad construction business of Bob Hussey, Inc.

In Bob’s younger years, the family lived on Britton Road in OKC were they welcomed his two younger siblings (Frank and Laura) and Bob attended Kindergarten to 3rd Grade at Britton Elementary School. In 1945, the Hussey family moved to Davis, Oklahoma where Bob continued his education at Davis Elementary, Junior and High School, and where he graduated in 1954.

In Davis, Bob’s elementary school years were spent with his siblings learning basic construction and a strong work ethic from their father by assisting him in removing nails from boards while the family company was dismantling a surplus Army barracks. He joined the Cub Scouts and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout with the “Order of the Arrow.” The lessons Bob learned in Scouting informed the character of the man throughout his life. Growing up, Bob and his family were active in the First United Methodist Church where in Junior High he became a choir member and leader in the Methodist Youth Fellowship through his high school years.

Bob started working for his father’s business in Davis at the age of 14. He was responsible for greasing, oiling, fueling, and warming up all the heavy-duty equipment for the company. He loved machinery – he had a kinship with it. And it didn’t matter what kind of equipment or machinery it was. He joined the audiovisual club at school so he could show films to classes, but also learn about the mechanics of how it operated. Throughout his life, Bob took things apart and rebuilt them – and shared that love with his daughters.

At Davis High School, Bob was very active. He lettered in Band playing the Bass Horn for both concert and marching band, in Baseball where he was a catcher, and in Football where he was on the State championship team twice. Bob was on the Speech team, was photographer for his class and later for the school, attended Oklahoma Boy’s State between his Junior and Senior years, and his Senior Year was Homecoming King. Bob was a proud Davis High Wolverine. He loved his high school so much, that he was an active member of the Class of ’54 all the remaining years of his life to include hardly missing a class reunion and actively working with the school Alumni Association.

From 1954 to 1959, Bob continued on to post-secondary education at the University of Oklahoma studying Business Administration and Civil Engineering. Norman is where he met two of his life-long friends (Tom and J. Clyde). They found out they each loved waterskiing. So naturally, what do friends studying business in college who love waterskiing do? They founded their own business making skis and teaching waterskiing. He was proud to be a member of the football team winning two back-to-back National Championships under Coach Bud Wilkerson playing Center and Linebacker. And when he wasn’t practicing or studying, Bob was a member of the fraternity Beta Omega Pi, was a cadet in Army ROTC and in his summer’s, he would work for his father. It was during a long-term highway construction project in Osage County at his father’s business that Bob decided to attend a mid-summer high school football game in Skiatook, OK. After the game, he met Peggy Jean Jones a Senior Cheerleader from the sidelines. It was a brief encounter but made a lasting impact for both.

In 1959, Bob left OU to join the Army where he was assigned to the 432nd Engineer Construction Battalion, 24th Engineer Group (Const), US Army Engineer Command, Europe in Kaiserslautern, Germany where he worked on engineering projects building roads, railroads and runways. Bob loved everything about Germany – the Christmas Markets, Tafelwein, snow skiing and of course trains. Every opportunity he could, he traveled on the German train system. He even volunteered to be trained and work for the US-German Ski Patrol at Berchtesgarden US Army Recreation Center, German Alps in order to both ride the train to the resort and have unlimited snow skiing. In 1961 Bob returned to Oklahoma as an E5 and remained in the US Army Reserve assigned to Fort Hamilton, NY until his honorable discharge in 1965.

After his return from active duty in the Army in 1962, Bob worked for his father again in the family business (Bob Hussey, Inc.) putting his Army training to use, traveling the State building roads, turnpikes and railways and completing his Army Reserve duty. It was happenstance that Peggy now lived in OKC, thought about Bob and how his time in the service turned out. She reached out to him in late 1962 and they began dating. Peggy J. Jones and Bob were married on March 14, 1964 at Lambeth United Methodist Church and took up residence at their home on Southwest 40th where Bob lived 55 years of his adult life. During the early years of his marriage, Bob refereed high school football with another life-long friend, Phillip White, joined the Masonic Lodge with his father, and joined local bowling leagues for fun with Peggy.

In 1966, Bob and Peggy celebrated the birth of their first child, Grace Kristen. The family would grow by two more daughters (Mary Katherine and Sarah Kaye) within a span of four years. By the 1970s, the young family of five prospered surrounded by grandparents, cousins and family friends. One of the most memorable trips was to visit Bob’s grandparents in Georgia and visit the newly opened Walt Disney World in Florida. Even to this day, his girls remember the fun of riding Dumbo with their Dad, getting squirted on the Jungle Book Ride, and taking the lake boat from the campgrounds to the park often falling asleep before getting back to their campsite.

From the 70’s through 2020, Bob’s daily life was what you would expect. He grew the family business of Bob Hussey, Inc seeking additional training for himself all while trying his best to be a father to his three girls, a son to his parents, a brother, an uncle and a friend. His fifty years of devotion to the father-son business included countless crews and devoted troops, thousands of hours of overnight trips, numerous overalls and bibs, eating at some hole-in-the-wall, all with the constant of knowing either his Dad (Bob Sr), Janice (life-time office secretary), Kristi or another family member will be back at the office ready to irritate him and get on his last nerve. And he loved it all.

It was in 2015 that during a High School Class of ’54 reunion, that Bob reconnected with a fellow classmate, Earlene Davis. Their friendship grew and they never parted each other’s sides until his passing. He was happy, they made each other happy. It was with Earlene that Bob visited Germany for the last time.

Meeting Bob is like meeting the best friend you never knew you lost. He was charismatic, had a deep loyalty and love of his friends and family and of course OU Football and Trains. It is with trains that you realize he never worked a day in his life. His work was Railroad Construction, his hobby focused first on the Central Oklahoma Rail Fan Club and then later as a founding member of the Oklahoma Railway Museum, his homelife included Railroad photography, watching train videos, and collectables. If you met him, he talked about trains and always wanted everyone to see the love he had for them.

It was with OU Football that you realized what a competitor and proud Oklahoman he was. He played the game. Watched the game from the stands for decades. Later attended games with one of his daughters, and when he could no longer attend, she would call him from the stands to talk and let him hear the crowd. Another daughter would call and laugh and joke with him about how no matter where she was stationed with the Army, if she was able to watch the game, he would say if OU lost, that she jinxed it for the Sooners.

With each of his daughters and his grandkids, you see the traits from his life and lessons learned reflected in them – hard working, strong, curious, athletic, self-reliant, charismatic, kind, optimistic yet realistic, loyal and loving. He was so proud of his daughters and their accomplishments. He was so excited for his grandkids to go out and make their mark in the world. Bob always said he was so lucky.

Bob is survived in death by his daughters, Grace Kristen Hussey of Waxahachie TX, Mary Katherine Hussey-Sloniker and her husband COL David Sloniker of Frederick MD, and Sarah Kaye Meidal and her husband Knut Meidal of Carrollton TX, his grandchildren Erin Haley van Middlesworth, Madeline Claire Sloniker, Seth Benjamin van Middlesworth, and Marshall Alexander Sloniker, his sister Laura Elizabeth Justice of Oklahoma City, his sister-in-law Marianne Hussey of Highlands CA, his nephew Dane Justice II of Little Rock AR, niece Katie Bonafede of Redlands CA, and his sweetheart, Beatrice Earlene Davis of Oklahoma City. Bob loved his extended family of both Bob Hussey Inc (Janice, Kristi, Lupe, Eddie and Armando) and the Oklahoma Railway Museum. He is also survived by many cousins and additional extended family members. The family also wishes to thank the hospital staff and caregivers of Southwest Integris Hospital and Baptist Medical Center who lovingly took care of Bob for this last year in the recovery of his stroke and COVID pneumonia.

Memorials may be sent to Hahn-Cook Funeral Home. In leu of flowers, please make donations to the Oklahoma Railway Museum in Bob Hussey’s name.