Robert Lloyd Vanwinkle

Robert Lloyd (Bobby) Van Winkle succumbed to cancer on February 7, 2022 in Austin, Texas. Bobby was preceded in death by his father, Loid Thomas (Tommie) Van Winkle, his mother, Lula Belle Fuller Van Winkle, and his sister, Sandra Jean Van Winkle Slover. Bobby was born to Tommie and Lula Belle on August 5, 1946 in Lamesa, Texas.

Bobby served in the United States Air Force (75th FMS) during the Vietnam War as a jet engine and airplane mechanic from August 7, 1963 until he was honorably discharged on May 1, 1967. Bobby met and married Ann while stationed at the US Army installation in Ubon, Thailand. Bobby and Ann had 2 daughters, Tina Van Winkle of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Leslee Wainscott of Austin, Texas. While he had no human grandchildren, he did have lots of grandchildren with fur.

Bobby was a brother in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) union and always claimed that his theme song was Roger Miller's "King of the Road". Leslee found a key chain that said "King of the Road", which she gave to him and he still had.

Bobby had taken care of his mom in her later years until her death and had been a truck driver with R. E. Hill hauling produce from the Rio Grande Valley to Yakima, Washington before moving to Las Vegas in 2005 to help Tina with her new house. While in Las Vegas, Bobby worked for Mojave Electric until he retired and returned to Lamesa, Texas in 2008 when Texas started to whisper "Come back home" where his heart always was in the family home he grew up in. After moving back to Lamesa, he would talk to Tina every morning to check on her. And later on, he would ask every morning how his future son-in-law, Frankie, was doing.

Upon moving back to Lamesa, Bobby had his good friend, "Little Jack" move in with him, and he took care of Jack until his health started to decline and Jack's daughter moved him in with her and her family.

Bobby's favorite niece, Gina Slover, would visit him, and they would sit and talk for hours about politics.

Bobby's great friend and neighbor, Bob Thomas, would check on him daily and visit with him as his health started to decline.

Pauline Diaz, Tina's best friend from high school, would drive from Big Spring to go check on Bobby and perform wound care to his head before he was eventually taken to the hospital.

His best friend from high school, Clark Whitley's daughter, Trina Kay Whitley, would clean his house and help him take care of his yard.

A few of Bobby's favorite things and personal quirks included listening to Willie Nelson and Jerry Jeff Walker and watching reruns of his favorite TV show, MASH. Bobby read lots of westerns. Louis L'Amour was his absolute favorite. Bobby loved his domestic beer, but it had to be union-made. Bobby had a lot of Bobbyisms, as his family called them. "They can kiss my goat smelling @$$!" was just one of many. Bobby's family would have to cut the tags out of the clothes he received as gifts because if it didn't say "American Made", he would refuse to wear them. While Bobby had his faults and personal demons, he would give the shirt off his back to help anyone he met. Bobby never wished for the big things in life and always considered Lamesa his home and where he always wished to be.