Robert Lee Boothe

By 1965, weary of moving his family around, he began working for Producers Grain Corporation (PGC) in Amarillo as Director of Field Service and later as Vice President of Business Development.

In 1980, Bob became Land Manager for Argonaut Energy Corporation in Amarillo; and in 1981, he was named Vice President-Trust Property Manager for the First National Bank of Midland until 1988. In 1990, he worked for The University of Texas of the Permian Basin as the Director of Economic Development and manager of the Center for Energy and Economic Development, retiring in 1998. He had been honorably discharged and retired from the Army Reserve in 1983 with the rank of Major.

In middle age, Bob and Dallas Cowboys coach, Tom Landry, looked quite a bit alike. On Bob’s frequent travels, people would sometimes ask him if he was Mr. Landry. Daughter Emily would laugh when he told those stories and jokingly wonder out loud, “Dad, did anyone ever approach Tom Landry to ask him if he was Bob Boothe?”

A life-long Methodist he was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Midland. Throughout his life he enjoyed serving on boards, teaching Sunday school, volunteering for Vacation Bible School, and singing in church choirs. Fascinated with airplanes as a boy, he acquired his private pilot’s license and later began aerobatics in his Christian Eagle airplane. He learned aerobatics so he could fly upside-down and practice loop-de-loops, a subject his wife refused to discuss with the children. His aerobatics scared her to death.

Always willing to lend a helping hand, Bob volunteered to fly a Beechcraft twin-engine plane from Amarillo to Glacier National Park in Montana when the leader of his youngest son’s church youth group had fallen ill and needed to return home for medical treatment.

Beagles

Bob’s interest in Beagles began in Roswell, NM in 1963. The Beagle that stole his heart was South Spring May Morn, a bit later, a South Spring Champion and Bob and Ellen’s first show dog, as well as the foundation for the South Spring Beagles bloodline.

Considered pets by the family, the dogs lived in the house, with dog runs in the back yard. The kids all had “dog chores” from scooping poop, daily grooming, and feeding. The entire family enjoyed traveling to dog shows.

Their kennel, South Spring Beagles, made significant contributions to the betterment of the breed, and Bob became an American Kennel Club (AKC) judge, which required at least 12 years of experience and hard work. Active in local kennel clubs and the National Beagle Club of America, he also mentored many newcomers in how to show the dogs.

Even busier after retirement

If possible, Bob became even busier after retirement, involved in everything from judging Beagles to contributing to his church and community as well as singing in the Midland Odessa Symphony Chorale. He also became a docent at the George W. Bush Childhood Home Museum in Midland. Reporter Greta Van Susteren interviewed Bush 43 in the museum in November, 2014, and Bob was there.

But children, grandchildren and great grandchildren became an even bigger priority. He saw to it that they all had complete sets of Encyclopedias, including all the updates. He and Ellen recorded themselves reading children’s books, enabling his grandkids to follow along, complete with a bell when it was time to turn the page.

A military man at heart, Bob was a true patriot and had a flag pole in front of his home. When his young grandson, Aaron, visited him on summer vacations, Bob made it a point to teach him the finer points of raising the flag each morning and lowering it each evening. He always emphasized the importance of learning how to properly fold the flag.

Predeceased by his parents, sister and his beloved wife of 62 years, Ellen, Bob is survived by son David (Carol) of Kimberly of West Virginia; daughter Emily Choate (Robert) of Canyon Lake, TX; son Paul (Mayra) of Austin, TX; granddaughter Kelly Matheson (Andy) of Midland, TX; grandson Aaron Boothe of Brule, WI; great grandsons Robert, Liam and Andrew, and two nieces and nephews.