Robert Lee Crews, Jr.

Robert Lee Crews, Jr., known as Bob, Bobby, Crewser, or Granddude, passed away peacefully on the morning of November 10, 2026, surrounded by his loving children. He was 71. His family takes comfort in knowing he is reunited in Heaven with his beloved wife, Peggy.

Bobby was born on January 25, 1955, in San Francisco, California, to Daisy Lou Dunn Crews and Dr. Robert Lee Crews, Sr. The eldest of four, he was just ten years old when his father died. He grew up in Miami, Florida, where he attended Palmetto High School and began dating his future wife, Peggy Mandzak. He then moved to Dallas to attend Southern Methodist University, or as he called it, the Harvard of the South, where he became a proud member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and formed friendships that would last a lifetime. Bobby tried out for the SMU golf team and made it, then quit the next day to focus on the fraternity and intramural sports.

After graduating from SMU in 1977, Bobby married Peggy, beginning a marriage their children would remember as the example of what love should look like. They supported each other, laughed together, and always held hands. Bobby earned his MBA in accounting from the University of North Texas in 1980 and began his career at Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. He went on to found Parliament Group, where he spent the remainder of his career as President, building a life’s work in real estate investment and development.

Sports were a constant in Bobby’s life. According to his childhood friends, he was the best athlete at Palmetto High School. He was featured on the front page of the Miami Herald cheering on the Dolphins during their historic undefeated season in 1972. As an adult, he was a devoted Cowboys fan who attended every home game with his children and numerous Super Bowls. He went to the Masters almost every year and was an avid supporter of SMU Athletics. But no game meant more to him than the ones his own children played in, and he never missed one.

However hard Bobby worked, he and Peggy always put family first. Together they raised three children: Cathleen, Christina, and Bobby. When Peggy became ill in 1999, Bobby devoted the next ten years to caring for her, until her passing in 2009. He never left her side, and he always said it was a privilege to show up for her and care for her the way he did. In those years, he gave his children, and everyone who knew him, an enduring example of devotion, constancy, and love.

Bobby was a founding member of the McHeadley Society, one of his most important affiliations; a dedicated supporter of Catholic Charities; a founding member of Gleneagles Country Club (where he was famous for golfing in his flip flops); and a proud member of Dallas Country Club. In his later years, he loved spending time at his home in Bastrop, Texas.

Whether beside Peggy through her illness, in the stands for his children, or lending a helping hand to a friend, Bobby showed his love by being there. His family and friends knew they could count on him in good times and in bad. He always showed up. Bobby was larger than life: a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend. He will be sorely missed. As he and his fellow McHeadlans would say, “Play On.”

Bobby was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Peggy; his father, Dr. Robert Lee Crews, Sr.; his mother, Daisy Lou Dunn Crews Gaskill; his stepfather, Dr. Earl Gaskill, whom he also lovingly called Dad; and his stepbrother, Steve Gaskill and his stepsister, Ann Gaskill.

He is survived by his children, Cathleen Crews, Christina Goldberg (Todd), and Bobby Crews (Haley); his six grandchildren, Campbell, Meg, John, Peter, Claire, and Robert; his siblings, John Crews (Dee), Catherine Babcock (Bob), Carolyn Thompson (Jere), and Tom Gaskill; and many adoring nieces and nephews.

For those wishing to honor Bobby’s memory, the family welcomes memorial contributions to Southern Methodist University, Cistercian Preparatory School, or The Hockaday School.

Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, November 18, at Christ the King Catholic Church in Dallas, Texas, with a reception to follow.