Robert "Bobby" Tamminga

Robert “Bobby” Tamminga, 76, passed away peacefully on September 5, 2025, from complications of pneumonia. Born on October 23, 1948, in Boston, Massachusetts, he was the son of William Sydney Tamminga and Eva Madelle (Keathley) Tamminga.

From his earliest years, Robert excelled in both academics and athletics. At St. Stephen’s High School he was a standout multi-sport athlete–quarterback of the football team, baseball, basketball and soccer player–while also singing in the choir. He attended Sewanee College on a baseball scholarship, and later transferred to UT Austin, where he studied pre-med, voice, and Shakespeare, reflecting his love of music, learning, and exploration.

In the 1960s Robert was active in marches for human and environmental rights, while also traveling through Latin America—a love of travel that lasted throughout his life. Robert’s professional life centered on construction and design. He worked with his father and brothers before becoming a respected contractor, developer, and business owner. He built many luxury residences, houses, condominiums, apartments, hotels, restaurants and other buildings around Texas. The homes and projects he built were deeply tied to the mid-century modern tradition championed by his father and brother.

Raised Christian, Robert remained deeply spiritual throughout his life. He explored both the mystical side of faith and the everyday holiness found in relationships and creation. Gifted with extraordinary emotional intelligence, he had a way of making others feel truly seen and cared for, as when he helped his parents through his father’s long illness with cancer and through his mother’s remaining years.

Outside of work and family, Robert found peace in gardens and museums, joy in movies and books, and transcendence in music—whether opera, choral, or orchestral. He cheered passionately for the Texas Longhorns and Dallas Cowboys, but his deepest passion was for people. Robert will be remembered for his warmth, wit, and compassion. His life touched many, and his memory will live on in the stories, music, and moments he leaves behind.

Robert was married to Bobbi Kaye Jones and later to Dana Kilgore, with whom he shared his greatest joy: his three children. He is survived by his children Paloma (William), Michael, and Elisabeth (Jarrad); and grandchildren Hank and Luke. He is also survived by his brothers William (Deb), David (Harriet), and John (and his late wife Niki); and by seven nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Sue.

A virtual memorial service will be held on October 23, 2025. To receive a link to the service, please reach out to the family or share your email in a comment below. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his honor to the Zilker Botanical Garden.