Charles Thomas Robb

Charles Thomas Robb of Waco passed away Friday, July 14, 2017. Services will be at 1:00 p.m., Monday, July 17, at Woodway First United Methodist Church with Dr. Jeff Smith officiating. Burial will follow at Oakwood. Visitation will be 5:00-6:00 p.m., Sunday, July 16, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home. Tom was born in Springfield, Missouri, to Paul and Sibyl Robb. He was the second oldest to his brother, Larry, and sisters, Susan and Joellen. While in junior high school, the family moved to Wichita Falls, Texas, where Tom was known as an outstanding student and athlete in both baseball and football. He took lifelong pride in having played football for the powerhouse Wichita Falls High School Coyotes. From Wichita Falls, he moved to Kerrville to play football for Schreiner Institute. At Schreiner, he became a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Corps of Cadets and earned the American Legion Medal for Distinguished Achievements. Tom never failed to excel at everything. His next journey was to Lubbock, Texas, to become a Texas Tech Red Raider and a member of the Sigma Nu Fraternity. It was in Lubbock that he met Patsy Reece. They would marry a year after meeting, a marriage that would last over 56 years. After graduation, he was assigned to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he mastered and taught artillery survey. While at Fort Sill, Tom and Patsy had their first child, Tom, Jr. Upon completion of his assignment at Fort Sill, Tom went to work for Ford Motor Company in Dallas. While in Dallas, Tom and Patsy were blessed with children twice again, with Karen coming first and Matt coming along later. Tom's success at sales and management with Ford led the family off to Detroit and West Bloomfield, Michigan, where he traveled the nation putting heavy truck dealerships on the road to profitability. Patsy held down the family while Tom was on the road, a true partnership. Even though Tom traveled constantly, it did not prevent him from coaching soccer teams in Michigan to winning season after winning season. No matter where his travels took him, he always made it home for all of his children's activities. In 1977, the opportunity arose to move back to Texas. Tom and Patsy decided to come back to Patsy's hometown, Waco, to take over Patsy's father's business, Creative Fabrics. Tom's sales and management expertise helped him to yet again succeed. In Waco, he took part in many activities. He loved to golf and play tennis regularly; he served on the board of Directors at Ridgewood Country Club eventually becoming President; he was a member of Waco Rotary for 29 years, serving on the Scholarship Committee for many of those years; he also looked forward to his regular Friday and Saturday night dinners out with friends and neighbors. Tom was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Larry Robb and his wife, Gretta; his nephew, Mark Robb; and step-grandson, Matlock Baggett. Tom's greatest success of all however, is the loving family that remains; his wife, Patsy, children - Tom, Jr., Karen and Matt, Tom's wife, Joy, Karen's husband, Bob Musselman, Matt's wife, Kathy, will all miss him more than words can express. His eight grandchildren, Ashley and Hunter Robb of Waco, Kyle and Carter Musselman of Dallas, Stephanie Bealka and her husband Dr. Peter Bealka of Dallas, Penelope Baggett of Big Spring, Emma and Luke Robb of Austin, all loved him unconditionally and were the light of his life. He is also survived by his sisters, Joellen Tritton and her husband, Doug, and Susan Matthews and her husband, Gerald, all of Wichita Falls, as well as many nieces and nephews. The family would like to thank Providence Home Health, Providence Hospice, and Right at Home, as well as his many caregivers for their kindness and compassion. We were blessed to be able to keep our dad at home in his final days. Special thanks to Karen and Joy for their loving care of our father during that time. Memorials may be made to Caritas, Meals on Wheels, or Mission Waco. The family invites you to leave a message or memory on our “Tribute Wall” at www.WHBfamily.com.