Bob Foster Conger died on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015, in Dallas, Texas, at age 92. He had been a beloved member of the C.C. Young senior-living community for five years. Bob was born on June 12, 1923, in Sterling County, Texas, to Finous Dunn Conger and Pauline Singleton Conger. The oldest of three brothers and a third-generation Texan, Bob grew up on ranch lands in Concho County. He graduated in 1941 from Eden High School, where he was elected class president his sophomore, junior, and senior years. Following his World War II service in the United States Navy, Bob earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Texas A & M College, class of 1945, where he was a member of the H Company Infantry. His treasured Aggie ring was smooth from over sixty years of wear. Bob married his high school sweetheart, Leta Pyles, on Feb. 4, 1944, and together they raised two daughters. Bob was an educator and administrator in the public school systems of San Angelo and Denver City, Texas. He worked in Denver City for 25 years, first as a science teacher and then as principal, assistant superintendent, and, for seven years, superintendent of schools. He was a life member of the Texas Association of School Administrators; a member of the Denver City Lion’s Club, in which he held every office; and a member the Texas A&M Century Club. Bob’s strong, caring, and giving spirit led him to mentor many, both adults and young people, and to support innumerable missionary endeavors with time and money. Bob personally carried Bibles into China with his longtime friend Jimmy Gafford. He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Denver City and an elder at Trinity Church in Lubbock and at Cottonwood Baptist Church in Comanche. He faithfully attended and supported Lakeshore Church in Rockwall for the last years of his life. Bob was a loving husband and father, a fine gentleman, and a gentle man. Above all else, however, he was a man of God. He was a serious student of the Bible, and he kept eternity in front of his family. His legacy is his strong Christian faith. Bob enjoyed carpentry, making turquoise and silver jewelry, woodcarving, flying his airplane, photography, traveling, and reading. He attended an untold number of sporting events, including some with a ten-year-old boy who later became his son-in-law. He drove to many of the games played by his grandchildren–no distance was too far. Bob is survived by his daughters, Pamalah Conger Tipps (Stephen) of Houston, Texas, and Marcia Conger Childers (Don) of DeSoto, Texas; six grandchildren, Christie Paige Spradling (Robby), Catherine Tipps Vendola (Keith), Angela Denae Elsasser (Clint), Peter Conger Tipps (Claire), David Foster Tipps (Molly), and Brendan David Smith (Ashley); and ten great-grandchildren, Jackson Noah Spradling, Kiersten Faith Elsasser, Addison Luke Spradling, Kaden Clinton Elsasser, Kaitlyn Hope Spradling, Nathan Foster Vendola, Eleanor Egan Tipps, Andrew Tipps Vendola, Annabel Zale Tipps, and Nolan Emmett Tipps. Bob is also survived by his sisters-in-law, Betty Conger Martin, Joyce Conger, and Joyce Pyles Dunk; his cousins, G.W. and Duane Conger; and his dear friend, Faye Holt. Bob was predeceased by his wife of forty years; his parents; his father- and mother-in-law, Jesse and Jessie Pyles; and his brothers, Baker Lee and Buryl Dean Conger. Family and friends are invited to celebrate Bob’s life at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 15, at Rest Haven Funeral Home in Rockwall, Texas. Pastor Brad Howard will officiate the service, which will be conducted with military honors. Bob will be buried next to his wife, Leta, at Peaceful Gardens Memorial Park in Woodrow, Lubbock County, Texas, where a graveside service officiated by Jimmy Gafford will be held at noon on Wednesday, Dec. 16. Memorial donations may be made to Lakeshore Church, 5575 Highway 205 South, Rockwall, TX 75032; St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital , 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN, 38105; or the charity of one’s choice
. Memories may be shared at www.resthavenfuneral.com. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:38-39.
