William Robert Wallace (Bob) of Houston, Texas, passed away June 11, 2017, at the age of 80. He was born in Texarkana, Arkansas on November 4, 1936 to Carlton and Bettye Wallace, and was preceded in death by his parents and by his beloved cousin Jane F. Hill. Bob is survived by his sister, Dinah Whitaker of Katy, Texas.  He is also survived by his daughters, Lisa Wallace Hoff and her husband Stuart of Galveston, Texas; Ellen Wallace Cannon and her husband John of Houston, Texas; and Rosemary Wallace Vaseliades and her husband William of Corpus Christi, Texas; grandchildren Andrew Ruff and his wife Virginia, Margaret Ruff, Catherine Ruff, Zack Ruff and his wife Caroline, Will Kanaly, Virginia Lee Kanaly, Joanna Vaseliades and Peter Vaseliades. Bob is also survived by his two great-granddaughters, Katy and Lucy Ruff and by his special nephews, Pete Whitaker and Matt Whitaker and niece, Polly Perry. Also mourning Bob’s loss is his former wife of 55 years, Fab Wallace.

Bob graduated from Mirabeau B. Lamar in Houston, Texas and attended the University of Texas until being called back to Houston to help his father grow the family business, Wallace Painting Corporation. Bob was a well-respected businessman within the contracting industry in Houston whose projects included The Astrodome and Greenway Plaza. In his later years, he finished his successful career in the infancy of the cellular business, building cell phone towers in Texas and surrounding states.

Bob was also an enthusiastic outdoorsman. He enjoyed hunting, fishing and racecar driving. He passed on his love for the outdoors to his daughters, and to his grandchildren; teaching them all how to tie knots in fishing lines, shoot guns, start outboard motors with a rope, launch a boat, clean a fish, gut a deer, build a fire, sharpen a knife, cure cast iron skillets, snow ski, water ski, and dive off of a high dive. Not only did he teach his family, he also taught his skills to a community of friends and extended family. Bob and Fab’s home in Galveston was always open to his daughters and their cast of thousands who grew up under Bob’s tutelage. Later, Bob and Fab would build a home in Port O’Connor, Texas, moving their Galveston legacy further south.

Bo, as he was affectionately called, led his children and grandchildren on trips around the world, taking them to Alaska, Mexico, Argentina, Europe, Jerusalem, Hawaii, the Caribbean and to places throughout the United States. It was important to Bo to develop individual relationships with each grandchild, making them always feel like they were the favorite.

Bob was a loyal and devoted friend, and he loved his church, and served the community by volunteering and providing generously to many charitable organizations. The Emmaus group at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church became an important part of his extended family and he cherished those friendships until the end.

Bo was the backstop of our family and will be missed. 

A memorial service will be held on Friday, June 16, 2017 at eleven o’clock in the morning in the sanctuary of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Houston, Texas. Dr. Linda Christians, executive pastor of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, is to officiate, with a reception to follow in the Hines Baker Room.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of William Robert “Bob” Wallace to Kid’s Meals, The Gladney Center for Adoption, or The Wounded Warrior Project.

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