OBITUARY Bob Presnell August 8, 1929 – September 20, 2018 Robert Lyle Presnell passed away on Thursday, September 20, 2018 at Silverado Memory Care in Houston, Texas. He was born in Wichita, Kansas on August 8, 1929. Robert (Bob) was the only child of Gladys Mae and Lyle Howard Presnell.
During his childhood, his parents moved to Little Rock. Arkansas where he graduated from high school. He was selected to play clarinet in the Band when he was in the seventh grade and did so for six years.
During this time, the Little Rock High School Band held the title of “Best High School Band” in the U.S. for ten consecutive years. He was awarded a scholarship in Band to the University of Arkansas where he majored in Marketing and Business Administration. He was a charter member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity on that campus.
He joined the US Air Corp in 1954 and achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant. He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal. After discharge, he worked for Montgomery Wards and Target as Operations Manager.
In 1954, he was married to Charlotte Presnell. They were the parents of two children; a daughter, Kim Connally, and a son, David Clark Presnell. Both Charlotte (1999) and David (2003) preceded Robert in death.
A grandson, Christopher Connally; a son-in-law, William Connally; step-grandchildren, John Connally, and Brandy Ansley; Joy Draughn and Walter Draughn, and second wife, Peggy Draughn Presnell, survive him. Bob’s love for music occupied most of his retirement years, beginning with his friend asking him to play the saxophone in the “100 Blazing Saxes” in the Galveston Mardi Gras Band. “I can’t play the saxophone,” he said.
Sam replied, “You’ve got two weeks to learn”. He bought himself a saxophone and taught himself to play. Also, he played in the Space City Band, the Lee College Concert Band, the Pearland Community Band; The Cypress Community Band, and the CY-Fair College Band.
Bob enjoyed travel, especially all the national parks and surrounding areas, as well as cruises around the world. If he didn’t see all the sites he wanted to see on the first cruise, we just took a different ship with some differences in our itineraries, and went back again. We emptied our “bucket list” on our last cruise to the Caribbean with his daughter and her husband in 2014.
The family will receive friends on Saturday, September 29, 2018 from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm at Forest Park East Funeral Home 21620 Gulf Freeway, Webster, Texas 77598. Services to follow at 12:30.
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