Robert Paul Hord

Robert (Bob) Paul Hord, 82, after struggling with his health, passed away at home on hospice care on April 7, 2023. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 pm, Friday, April 14, 2023 at the Whitney Church of Christ. Burial to follow at Hillcrest Garden of Memory. Visitation will be held from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm, Thursday, April 13, 2023 at Marshall and Marshall Funeral Directors in Whitney, Texas.

Robert Paul Hord was born in Kermit, Texas, on July 18, 1940. He was the only child of Robert Davis Hord and Ora Louise Jordan. Depending on who knew him, he had different names; Bobby Paul, Bob, My Bob, Dad, Granddad, and Grandnanay. As an only child with a vivid imagination, Bob had an imaginary friend named “Flyer Boy,” who flew a Corsair airplane. The skills he developed working with the chickens on the family farm gave him the nickname “chicken whisperer” in his later years because birds seemed comfortable around him. Bob grew up loving animals, rocks, fishing, and astronomy. He had many pets throughout his life, including chickens, ducks, dogs, cats, raccoons, crows, owls, cockatoos, rabbits, squirrels, guinea pigs, roadrunners, turtles, and fish.
Bob’s parents moved to Midland, Texas, when he began school and opened South Main Drug. The drug store sold over-the-counter medicines, cosmetics, and reading materials. The store also had a soda fountain, which served sodas, shakes, and various ice cream desserts. Bob spent most of his youth reading every comic book and magazine sold in the drug store and worked as a soda jerk when he was older. During his first year of high school, Bob’s parents moved to Laguna Park, Texas, and opened a small resort called Blue Cove Lodge on Lake Whitney. Thrilled to live beside a lake, Bob enjoyed one of his favorite hobbies; fishing. He was the first student at Clifton High School permitted to miss school for the first Lake Whitney bass tournament. He graduated from Clifton High School in May 1958. Bob attended Texas A&M College immediately after high school. He met his future wife, Janice Joy Day, on a blind date while attending an A&M football game in Houston. He married her on June 6, 1964, just a few weeks after graduating from A&M University (the college had changed its name by then with a bachelor’s degree in Zoology. Bob & Janice lived in Houston for two years while he developed film for Gulf Oil. In 1967, Bob began working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Throughout Bob’s career with the government, he and Janice lived in many different states, including; Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Oklahoma. Janice had a daughter, Jeanie Louise, in 1968 and a son, Paul Henry, in 1971. In July 1982, Bob resigned from his government post and returned to Laguna Park, Texas, where he and Janice opened Gem Star Custom Jewelry. The in-home business allowed Bob to design and repair jewelry for customers and local jewelers. Self-taught, Bob was known as the jeweler’s jeweler because he fixed things most jewelers could not. His reputation as an honest and skilled jeweler allowed him to do what he enjoyed while providing for his family. Bob continued his work as a jeweler until his health would no longer let him do the work. Bob’s wife, Janice, passed away on March 28, 2019, after a long battle with multiple sclerosis. She and Bob were married for 54 blessed years. Bob’s sweet 15-year-old great-granddaughter, Areli Villalpando, passed away on February 15, 2022. One of Bob’s favorite personal quotes was, “Education, when done properly, is a terminal condition.” He believed that no one should ever stop learning. Bob’s devotion to God, unconditional love, and sweet-natured personality inspired many who knew and loved him.
He is survived by his children: Jeanie Bellows and Paul Hord; grand-children: Amanda Villalpando, Olivia Bellows, Emily Hord, Alexander Bellows, and Matthew Hord Great-Grandchildren: Emilio Villalpando, Bradly Taylor, Diego Villalpando, Andres Villalpando & Tiano Villalpando

In lieu of plants and flowers, donations may be made in Bob’s name to the Foster’s Home for Children. https://www.fostershome.org/make-a-donation

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