To all of Joe's Family we send our deepest sympathy.  We have so many wonderful fun memories of our times with Joe. He was one of kind!  
Love, Jim & Belva Merek

We will all miss "Uncle Joe" greatly. Doris, I am so sorry for your loss, the news was a shock for us all. My prayers are with you and know that God will provide you and your family  comfort in this time of grief and sorrow. Know that he is always with you. We all have so many fond memories to hold on to. Love, Sue Alice

While I did not have a premonition, it occurred to me that Joe might depart us on the day of the annual meeting at Bob Inn. As sad as we all are, there is an appropriateness to the timing.

As much as anyone of his generation--indeed any generation--Joe loved Bob Inn. Joe and his first cousins, Phillip Robinson (my father) and Paul Eldon Robinson, along with other family and friends, had a blast down at Bob Inn, playing, swimming, boating, fishing, crabbing and otherwise carrying on, during the years of the Great Depression.

They continued this legacy with their own families, and ever more friends, for the next fifty, sixty and seventy years. What a run!

Joe showed his dedication in the countless trips he made, cutting endless grass, maintaining balky mowers, checking on things, making sure the place was right for the next group of eager Bob Inn lovers.

But Joe balanced hard work with abundant fun. Joe was one of the most fun-loving men I ever knew. In this he had much in common with my father. When they were together it was Laugh Central.

I was fortunate enough to enjoy Joe's warm presence in another context, which my brother Guffie has amply illustrated in his guest entry. Joe would occasionally join us for hunting. I have first cousins on my mother's side who hunt with us, and thus came to know Joe and enjoy his company in our camp. 

One time Joe was with us--after Phil had died. It was evening and I noticed Joe was sitting apart from the rest, who were loitering about the camp fire or kitchen. I went to him and asked if he needed anything or wanted to join us. "No, Carl," he said. "I'm just over here thinking about your dad."

That's always touched me.

And so these last days I was at Bob Inn. Everyone had departed for home. The place was silent and weighty with memories. I found it very strange and sad I would never see Joe here again, never laugh with him when we'd both agree PaPa 'built Bob Inn STRONG,' never fill him in on the latest work projects, never get to ask him again what it was like in the old times.

It simply won't be the same and I will miss him very much.

Love to you all.

Doris, we were so sorry to hear about Joe.  We have great memories of all the good times down at Bob Inn.  You're in our thoughts and prayers.  Love, Mary Paul and Dennis Showman

for my friend janie, we are so sorry of the passing of your daddy. your in our prayers, keep your chin up we love you. your family in murray, ky. bev, ian, sara, and nathan.

May the GOD of all comfort provide the family of Mr. Wootton, with whatever is needed so you can cope with your great loss.

I am very sorry to hear of Joe's passing;  please accept our condolences to the entire Wootton family.

"Uncle Joe" was very kind, and simply was one of the sweetest men I ever met.  He and my father were first cousins, and nearly the same age, so we spent a lot of times together, particularly when I was a kid.  In addition to Christmas, 4th of July at Bob Inn, and other Robinson/Wootton family functions, we also saw a lot of Joe during the deer hunting seasons in the 1970s and 1980s.  These were the occasions that I saw him the most, and in fact we hunted together quite often- I being the rascally kid that needed babysitting, and he being the kind, gentle  and responsible adult that kept me in line.  Joe always had a smile or a laugh, and even when the answer to me was "No, Guffie", he conveyed it in such a caring, gentle way that I understood and immediately complied.  Some memories included he and I searching and hunting all day long for my first chance at a deer (in 1976);  after a long day of near misses and mishaps, he guided me- with eternal patience and supportiveness- to success at dusk.  To a young hunter, this was a momentous occasion in life, and it would not have happened without him;  as I grew up, the memory of sharing the experience with Joe far exceeded any value of the actual hunt itself.  There was another hunting memory at the same property near Johnson City, this time Joe, myself, my Dad, and Tommy took part;  the four of us were looking across a canyon that led to the Pedernales river.  Dad voiced the theory that if we threw rocks into the bottom of the canyon, any deer down there would run up the other side and offer prospects of a successful hunt.  I don't think Tommy nor I believed it would work, but being kids we jumped at the chance to throw rocks a long way down, particularly during  quiet "hunting time".  And sure enough, after we did so a herd of does ran up the other side and Joe made a remarkable shot to get one.
Of course, there were many family occasions with Joe when we visited Houston.  I remember one in particular at Aunt Garnett's house one afternoon, probably in the late 1970s;  while we and Aunt Garnett were watching, Joe's niece Lynn Dee put on an LP record of modern disco music, and then he and Lynn Dee danced in the living room right in front of us as we sat in our rocking chairs.  As a teenager at that point, it struck me how "cool" and modern Joe seemd to be, and he smiled, laughed and patiently danced for her until the song was completely over.  These are but a few memories.  I always looked forward to seeing Joe, or to put it another way, if I learned that Joe was going to be at an event that I was attending, it made me smile to think of it- that is just a small testament to how good he was, and how much he was loved.

OBITUARY

Joe Henry Wootton

May 17, 1928 – July 6, 2013

Forest Park The Woodlands Funeral Home & Cemetery

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