Bob Gerstenberg

Bob was born on December 24th 1929 in Belton, Texas, an early Christmas gift to his parents, August Theodore Gerstenberg and Graced Ola Thompson Gerstenberg. It was also one of the heaviest snow events in Texas history, so he was born just in time for a rare Central Texas White Christmas. After his birth, the new family returned to their home in Winters, Texas, where Bob was raised on the family farm. He was a 5th generation Texan, his great-great grandfather having arrived in Texas in 1822.

Bob attended school in a two-room school house through elementary school and graduated from Winters High School. After graduation he set out on his own and purchased a dump truck and found work in the oil fields of West Texas. With the Korean War looming, he joined the National Guard, and was soon drafted into the Army and deployed to Japan and Korea. After his commitment to the Army was completed, he attended The University of Texas at Austin on the GI Bill, and graduated with a degree in economics. While at UT he met the love of his life, Mary Virginia “Ginger” Lemburg. They were married on July 28th, 1956, and celebrated 64 years together before his death.

Bob worked for the state for 25 years, in the Bureau of Vital Statistics. He retired in 1985, but never stopped “working.” He didn’t take retirement sitting down. He always had projects to do; building a garage, a shed or repairing things around the house. He hated clutter, but he would save things that were far past being useful to anyone else because he would figure out something he could do with it, and that came from growing up on a farm during the depression era when you never threw anything away, you just repurposed it.

Bob had the innate ability to repair anything. He never put anything off till another day. If he saw the need to have something done, it had to be right away. There was no “well can’t this wait till we are done with supper” because he wanted it done now, and he would enlist the help from anyone around him. There were countless times he would call out “Ginger can you bring me…” and she would drop everything to help. And of course, he would rope his grandsons into helping too. During his last birthday celebration, he noticed that there was a small leak in the toilet. Everything had to stop so it could be fixed. He grabbed the boys and they spent an hour working on it. It could have waited but he couldn’t rest until it was done. It always seemed like something needed to be fixed during his birthday celebrations. He had a captive audience, after all, and was happy to take advantage of that.

Throughout his life, Bob had many hobbies. At one time he had a room devoted to a model train. He loved collecting pocket watches, watch fobs and pocket knives. He taught himself to use photo editors and created some fun pictures, added sound to an old 8MM film of a train trip he took thorough Mexico, and touched up old family photos. Bob had a passion for music too. He would put on his favorite CD and then go to town taping and singing along with the music, off key and off beat, but enjoying every minute. Bob loved British cars and motorcycles. He bought his first motorcycle as a teenager, a James, and then he moved on to Triumph and Norton. He worked hard and loved his life.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents, August and Grace, his infant brother David and former son-in-law Clyde Green. He is survived by his wife Ginger, daughter Katherine and her husband Lynn Frazier, and son Eric. Grand children Les Green, Walter Green and his wife Angela, and his great-granddaughter Adalyn Green, in-laws, nieces and nephews, and many friends who adored him.

There will be a grave side service on March 27th at 1:00 PM at Austin Memorial Park, 2800 Hancock Dr, Austin, TX 78731. Funeral arrangements provided by Cook-Walden Chapel of the Hills Funeral home, 9700 Anderson Mill Road, Austin, TX 78750. The family has requested that remembrances be made in the form of contributions to the Anderson Mill Garden Club, 13974 FM 2769 Volente, TX 78641.