Robert "Bob" Earl Driver

Our beloved Dr. Robert Driver (Bob) left a legacy and blazed a trail of faith, humor and love to all who encountered him. To know him, was to love him because he left everyone, he met laughing and feeling special. He was a man of integrity and wisdom.

Bob was a very humble man for his impressive accomplishments. He attended The Citadel, graduating in 1956. He then enlisted in the U.S. Airforce and served as a Navigator Bombardier of a B-47 and Electronics Maintenance Officer in the Strategic Air Command before being honorably discharged in 1960.

Bob took a role at NASA in 1963 and was a pivotal figure during the Apollo years helping to implement the mission control mainframe and the culminating in his role as the Chief of the Financial Management Division at the Johnson Manned Spacecraft Center. During his tenure at NASA, Bob went on to get his MBA at the University of Houston and a doctorate from the University of Texas in Austin, writing the school’s first dissertation on entrepreneurship. Bob moved on from NASA in the early 1980s and took on roles as a consultant and eventually professor.

Bob found joy from teaching and working with younger people. He had a lot of compassion for his students, well-known for personally calling students he saw were falling behind. He was a professor at Houston Baptist University, Devry and LeTourneau teaching business ethics and finance.

Faith and family were most important to Bob. He was married to Betty, the way they loved each other and understanding they had for one another was beautiful and true. He was man of the Lord. A long-time member and teacher at First Baptist Church of Houston. In recent years, he and Betty moved to the Texas Hill Country where Bob was a deacon at First Baptist Church Marble Falls and member of their financial department.

Bob had a passion for golf throughout and was even a boxer in his younger years before his mother put an end to it. Those that knew him, know certainly that he had a sweet tooth.

The ways in which we will miss Bob are too numerous to count. Bob was a man of determination and always saw every task through completion. In true Driver fashion, on the night that he passed, he made sure to finish grading all his semester finals for his class. We hope everyone got the grade they wanted.

As a loving father, Bob left behind his beloved children, Bob E. Driver Jr. and wife, Debbie Driver of Houston, TX, Douglas Driver and wife, Kelly Driver of Owaso, OK and Amy Jones and husband, Eric Jones of Keller, TX. Along with, 5 grandchildren, Kristen Derkatch and her husband, Jerimiah Derkatch and their 4 children; Rebecca and Rachel Driver; and, Austin Jones and his wife, Taylor Jones, Preston Jones and numerous other loved ones including nieces and nephews.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents, William and Louise Driver of Jacksonville, FL. His sister, Betty Jo Watson of Atlanta, GA and his brother, William Driver, of OH.

A memorial service celebrating his life service will be conducted at 2pm in the afternoon, Tuesday, December 22 at First Baptist Church Marble Falls at 901 La Ventana Dr, Marble Falls, TX 78654. Followed by a private military graveside service at Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen.

The service will be live streamed. We welcome your viewing, please contact us at [email protected] for the stream details.