Robert Joseph Hewitt, Jr., 60, of Victoria passed away on April 1, 2020. The way Robert lived his life and his unexpected departure from working for family and causes near to him reflected his love for family and friends and dedication to his local community.
Robert was an active, hands-on, get-the-job-done stalwart who provided leadership and stimulus to those with whom he worked until full completion of various and many endeavors. His efforts and generosity touched the lives of many for the betterment of the community as a whole, always without limitation or boundary. Like his family predecessors, he sought neither recognition nor praise, almost always completing projects of magnitude with dedication in the name of others he admired and loved.
Robert J. Hewitt, Jr. was a man of passion as his friends and associates knew well. He had a golden heart of kindness evidenced by his generosity to others and for numerous causes. His valuable input and steadfast efforts evidenced often by board service in leadership positions benefited The Dorothy H. O’Connor Pet Adoption Center (named for his paternal grandmother), Trinity Episcopal School, The Victoria Economic Development Corporation, Victoria Performing Arts Center, Inc., The Victoria Crime Prevention Commission, The Victoria Regional Airport Commission, Wells Fargo Bank, and St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin, to name a few. He was also chairman of the efforts to construct and complete the Leo J. Welder Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Victoria and impetus for the establishment of the David Pozzi Fine Arts Center at St. Joseph’s High School, also in Victoria.
Robert was born to Robert (Bobby Jo) and Terry Hewitt on May 17, 1959, in Victoria. He attended St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin, graduating in 1977, and he obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1981 from The University of Texas at Austin. Robert was President of O’Connor & Hewitt, Ltd. where he worked alongside his father and grandfather for many years. At the time of his death he was still actively involved in family business and oil and gas interests as well as The O’Connor & Hewitt Foundation.
Robert enjoyed varied interests including hunting, traveling, music, and film, and was an enthusiast of many things, from performance automobiles to high-tech equipment. He was an avid reader and had a keen interest in history. He had an amazing way of quoting historical facts and relating them to the current day. Robert, always a proponent of good government, was a patriotic American and Texan. He was as loyal in friendship as he was loving to his family.
Robert was preceded in death by his mother, Terry Stofer Hewitt; his grandparents, Dennis and Dorothy Hanna O’Connor and John and Mary Stofer; as well as his uncle, Preston Stofer. Robert is survived by his father, Robert Joseph Hewitt; daughter, Ellen Hewitt Sanders and son-in-law, Zach Sanders; and two grandchildren, Jill Austin Sanders and Curtis Robert Sanders; Ellen’s mother, beloved Ann Hewitt Gardner; sister, Mary Austin Hewitt; brother, Dennis O’Connor Hewitt; uncle, James N. Stofer (Judy), and nieces, Hanna O’Connor Hewitt and Cortland Kristel Hewitt.
A private graveside service will take place with a Celebration of Life at a later date when conditions permit.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Dorothy Hanna O’Connor Pet Adoption Center, 135 Progress Dr., Victoria, TX 77905.
Arrangements through Rosewood Funeral Chapel (www.rosewoodfuneralchapel.com).
