Bob Hooper
July 13, 1937 — September 1, 2024
Born in 1937, Bob knew a Frisco that has long since passed away. In the days before running water and major highways, he grew up working this rich farmland with his father. After graduating from Frisco High School in 1956, he met a cute basketball player from Prosper and eloped to Oklahoma with her on an icy night in January 1957. Two kids and a full life quickly followed. In the 1960s, he left a job he loved at John Deere to farm full time with his dad in Collin County. Our home place might’ve been at Coit Road and 121, but he settled into a home he built with his own hands in what’s become downtown Frisco. He had no idea he would eventually lead five generations of our family from this quaint little corner of the world. What can I say, these roots run deep.
There were very few things in life that mattered to Bob, but the ones that did were immensely important to him. Faith and family were the sum of his years. For more than eight decades, you could count on one hand the number of Sundays he missed at church. In 1982, he made the tough decision to quit the family farm and till another kind of ground with a more eternal kind of seed. He became the pastor of New Life Tabernacle in Little Elm where he was still teaching and singing and picking and grinning until the last few days of his earthly life. He did not live for the accolades and the attaboys, but we have no doubt that he has now heard a hearty, “Well done.”
Bob kept a multi-generational perspective on life. He dearly valued the time spent with his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Multiple times each week and especially on Friday nights, you could find four generations of Hoopers sharing a meal (typically at The Depot). He was always making the tough decisions like, “What sides go best with fried catfish?” and “Is it a cake or banana pudding kind of night?”
His love for his people was bigger than his words could hold. With a dry sense of humor and an unparalleled commitment to the truth, he was always setting our standard and thinking outside of the box. Now, you never knew if the insights he shared were from John Wayne, Festus, or Jesus. But for those who knew him best, you couldn’t doubt that his wisdom was gathered from a long, fruitful and productive life of service to his family and to the Lord. The legacy left for those who loved him dearly cannot be overstated.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents (A.P. and Ray Hooper) and his sister and brother-in-law (Joe Mack and Elaine Thomas). He is survived by his wife of 67 years (Elaine Hooper), his children (J.B. and Jeannie Hooper and Bill and Roxie Watson), his grandchildren (Jo Elaine Hooper, Tjay and Roxann Chesney, and Chance and Katie Watson), six great-grandchildren, and a host of cousins, nieces, and nephews (thanks to some rather large families within our tree).