Robert (Bob) Latson Bentley

Robert (Bob) Latson Bentley died peacefully in his sleep October 16, 2019, at Wesleyan Assisted Living in Georgetown, Texas, after living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD) for several years.

He was predeceased by his wife Jeanne (nee Smith) Bentley in 2009.

He is survived by his sister Nell Wadsworth of Georgetown, Texas; daughter Pamela Bentley of Ottawa, Canada; niece Susan Price of Abilene, Texas; and nephew Stephen Wadsworth of Pleasanton, Texas.

Bob was born January 5, 1928, in McLean, Gray County, Texas, to Oma (Latson) and William Bentley. They moved to Clarendon before Bob started school and then attended through 12th grade there.

After a year at Clarendon College, Bob attended University of Texas, working as a waiter in the dining room of the Scottish Rite dormitory to help pay his way through college. He remained lifelong friends with many of the waiters there and in later years enjoyed almost yearly reunions with them and their wives, including a trip through the Canadian Rockies that he and Jeanne organized from their home in Calgary where they lived from 1971 onward. Bob returned to Texas in 2010 after Jeanne’s death.

After receiving his degree in Geology from University of Texas, Bob went to work for Tenneco Oil in 1955 and worked for them as a petroleum engineer in Midland, Odessa; Calgary, Alberta; Lafayette, Louisiana; and back to Calgary in 1971. He and Jeanne lived in Lafayette from 1960 – 1971. Their daughter Pamela was born there in 1963. Tenneco’s Arctic Exploration division in Calgary was eventually sold to Harvard Oil, and Bob retired from Harvard as Operations Manager in 1993.

Bob was a life-long athlete, even after a serious back injury at 18 that took away his dream of playing college football with an eye to eventually becoming a coach. He continued to follow college football throughout his life. He bowled for years in a weekly 10-pin league, and played golf several times a week whenever possible, with his father-in-law Graeme Smith in Calgary, with numerous friends, and with his wife Jeanne. They often traveled to places where they could play a round or two. They spent many winters in Phoenix, Arizona in the 1990’s and 2000’s before Jeanne was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. For decades Bob had supported Jeanne’s earlier work as a volunteer with the Alzheimer’s Association of Calgary, of Canada, and internationally, and was for years her primary caregiver until the end of her life. He was a generous man, donating to many causes and charities that he valued, and was always involved in community. He was part of the Holiday Park community association in Lafayette in the 60s, coached girls’ softball for Triwood Community Centre in Calgary in the 70s, and served in his last years as a member of various committees at Wesleyan Independent Living. He was an active member of Earl Grey Golf Club in Calgary, often advocating for changes in policy to make the membership more inclusive and fair for women.

There will be no memorial service at his most recent request. His daughter and sister would like to thank the staff at the Wesleyan, particularly at Assisted Living and Laurel Hall, for their care for Bob. If desired, donations can be made to Alzheimer Calgary, or to Clarendon College in Clarendon.