Bobbie (Bob) F. Templeton of Driftwood passed from his earthly life on Thursday, April 30, 2020 following a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. The family will receive friends on Monday, May 4, 2020 from 5:30 to 8:30 PM at Harrell Funeral Home, 4435 Frontier Trail, Austin, TX. Visitation on Tuesday, May 5, 2020 will be held from 10:00 to 11:00 AM at Driftwood Cemetery, 13540 RR 150, Driftwood, TX, with graveside services to follow at 11:00 AM.
The son of Willard and Lois Templeton, Bob was born in Brady, Texas on April 6, 1939. The family returned to Brady in 1945 where he grew up and completed his public school education in the Brady school system. While a student in Brady High School, he worked for J. C. Penney where he was a favorite of the local shoppers. When he began his engineering studies at The University of Texas at Austin, he continued working for J. C. Penney where he met Judy Miles. They married on May 26, 1962 and made their home in Austin for several years before moving to Driftwood. They were the proud parents of four sons.
Bob earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin in August 1961 and his Professional Engineer credential in August 1965. He joined the Construction Division of Texas Highway Department that same month. During his 37 years with TXDOT, he served 32 years in the Construction Division with the last 7 of those years as State Construction Engineer. He then served 5 years as Assistant Executive Director for Field Operations until his retirement on June 30, 1998. Bob continued his career as a consulting Administrator for National Quality Initiative (NQI) from July 1998 until October 2000. He became Executive Director of the National Partnership for Highway Quality (NPHQ) (formerly NQI) and served in that role from October 2000 until his second retirement in December 2011.
Bob spent his retirement years working on the family property in Driftwood. At the time of his death, Bob was a member of Dripping Springs Church of Christ where he served as an Elder. He had taught Bible classes for 45 years at churches in Austin, Drippings Springs and Wimberley where he was highly respected for his work with youth and adults.
After retirement, Bob continued his volunteer work with Driftwood Cemetery, serving as an officer alongside Judy for 45 years. Bob worked for over 2 years cataloging the graves of veterans in the Driftwood Cemetery for a memorial monument listing those heroes which was dedicated on April 27, 2019.
Bob is preceded in death by his parents, brother-in-law, Frank Cross, and numerous extended family members. Survivors include Judy, his wife with whom he enjoyed 57 years of marriage; their four sons, Bryce and wife Susan of Austin, TX, Brent and wife Jennifer of Mount Vernon, TX, Ben and wife Kristin of Buda, TX, and Brady and wife Cassie of Driftwood; and seven grandchildren, Ty, Taylor, Remington, Brock, Cody, Lyndon and Laurel Templeton. Other survivors include his sister, Nancy T. Cross of Waco, nephews, Prentiss and Ray Cross of Waco and a host of cousins and dear friends.
In lieu of flowers, the family has suggested the Driftwood Cemetery Association for memorials to further the improvement and beautification of the cemetery. Memorial gifts may be mailed to Driftwood Cemetery Association, P.O. Box 22, Driftwood, TX 78619.
New gathering requirements are allowing more people to attend funeral services at one time. The number of guests permitted to gather is dependent on the capacity of the room where services are occurring.
Condolences may be sent to: www.harrellfuneralhomes.com.
