February 23, 1933 – December 14, 2023
Robert (Bob) Eugene Harkness, 90, of Friendswood, Texas passed away at his home on Thursday, 14 December 2023. Born 23 February 1933 in Galesburg, Illinois to Lawrence Eugene Harkness and Ruth Bel Mills-Harkness. Bob has resided in Friendswood since 1969 being a member of First Baptist Church Friendswood ever since.
Bob is preceded in death by his parents, younger brother Gerald Lee Harkness and his wife of 55 years, Gladys Marie Berrier-Harkness. He is survived by his daughter Lisa and husband Koyt Wilcox of Friendswood, sons Scott and wife Joni of Seabrook, Texas, James and wife Marilyn of Pearland, Texas and son Greg and wife Diana of Friendswood; grandchildren, Kyle and Keith Wilcox, Toni and husband Mikhail Knis of El Lago, Texas, Jonathan and wife Arryn of Friendswood, Julia and husband Michael Cooke of League City, Texas, Kevin and wife Cecily of Brooklyn, New York, Tiffany and husband Peter Kadin of San Marcos, Texas; great grandchildren, Karli, Kelsi, Jameson, Mayleigh, Sally and Yael.
Bob enlisted in the US Army during the Korean War. He served in various Artillery units at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Fort Chaffee, Arkansas and Fort Hood, Texas. It was during his time at Fort Hood he met his future wife Gladys. After the Army, Bob went to Hobart welding school in Troy, Ohio and found his calling. His exceptional God given welding skills enabled him to travel to six of the seven continents. He helped construct the largest reservoir dam in North America, Minuteman Missile silos across the Midwest, and in Seattle, the titanium Super Sonic Transport (SST) for Boeing Aircraft. This constant moving resulted in his four children being born in four different states. While living in Seattle, Washington, he took his welding skills to the next level. Bob enrolled in a new diving program offered at Highline College in Des Moines, Washington. After graduation, Bob moved the whole family to Friendswood since most of the underwater work in the oil patch was conducted in the Gulf of Mexico. The combination of welding and underwater work took him to Australia, South Korea, England, and even the Arctic Circle in Canada. Later, he progressed to welding inspector and also became a welding instructor in the Texas prison system.
God gifted Bob with a natural curiosity, which led to a lifetime of Bible study, prayer, museum visits, and book reading. This devotion to history resulted in a massive book collection and a passion for reading that was passed down to his children. Many times while visiting museums or gun shows with family or friends, his fascination and knowledge of the subject at hand resulted in an entourage of strangers by the end of the tour. His never ending study of history and the Bible enabled him to answer a question with a wealth of background lore that brought history alive!
Robert Eugene Harkness was loved by many and will be missed by even more.
Joshua 24:15 ….Choose for yourselves this day whom you are going to serve …But I and my house, we serve the Lord.
Friends are cordially invited to the visitation with the family on Saturday, January 20, 2024 at 10:00A.M. with the Memorial Service to follow at 11:00A.M. at Jeter Memorial Funeral Home, 311 N. Friendswood Drive, Friendswood, Tx. 77546. (281) 992-7200.
Condolences may be sent to the Harkness family in care of Jeter Memorial Funeral Home at www.jeterfuneralhome.com.
9 thoughts on “Robert (Bob) Eugene Harkness”
My sincere condolences to the family.
What a great friend. He and I shared many conversations together about God and history. A godly man with a warm personality that I know I do now and will miss for a long time to come. Until I see you again my brother. Love you.
As believers in the Messiah Yahshua (Jesus) we know death is not the end – we will see you again Bob! Praising God and living in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 22:14)! Until then…shalom, shalom dear friend! Peace and comfort to the family, our prayers are with you.
My deepest sympathy. Bob was always one to ask the unexpected question. We had many great discussions about scriptures, faith, and family. May Father bless each one as you celebrate Bob's life.
Our deepest condolences to the family…. Bob certainly was an expert in history and I loved how he could connect Bible passages to factual history records. Loved listening to his stories of all the places he traveled…. Till the great shofar awakens you my friend RIP. Our prayers for the family during this sad times. Blessings!
My deepest condolences to the family. He was an expert on faith and in the Bible. He was also a very kind soul. He will be great missed
Bob is my friend. An excellent one. I look forward to many more great discussions with him in time to come. And enjoying more BBQ. He is missed.
What a life well lived. Our sympathy in the passing of your dad and grandpa. I learned a lot about him that I didn't know when I read his obituary. May the Lord comfort you all.
The service for Bob was excellent. Some great stories. Some laughs. Some tears. So many nice photos. My favorite was Bob in his happy place, sitting and reading surrounded by literally hundreds of books. We miss Bob tremendously but we can know he is in his perfect place with those he loves and who love him, 100% healthy and pain free, and will welcome us when it is our time to join him. I'm glad Bob has this new perfect life. But selfishly I wish we were sitting down again enjoying a good meal and solving a few more problems of the world.