For Bobby Myers, there were two kinds of people in the world: his friends and the friends he hadn't met yet. You couldn't walk anywhere with him without stopping to wait while he greeted someone with a handshake or a hug.

The Army veteran and lifelong engineer was known for his easy laugh and big smile.

Bobby spent more than three decades as an engineer for the Texas Department of Transportation, helping design many of the highways you've probably driven on. He graduated from A&M with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 1953, a proud Aggie until the end. But to the horror of the maroon mafia, in 1960, Bobby got his Master of Science Degree in Civil Engineering with a minor in Architectural Engineering from sworn enemy UT Austin. It was a great source of coffee table sparring with his Longhorn granddaughter.

But Bobby didn't just have the brains — he had the bravery to back it up. He wanted to fight in World War II, but being 13 at the end of the war in 1945, he just missed the age cutoff, to his dismay and to his mother's delight. Three years later, when he turned 16, he jumped at the chance to sign up for the National Guard, hoping his "maturity" would conceal the fact that once again he was too young. To his surprise, it worked.

Bobby served in the military for 33 years, first in the Army and then the Texas National Guard, eventually becoming Commander of the 49th Armored Division Artillery. He retired with the rank of colonel and was later awarded the Brevet Rank of Brigadier General by Gov. William P. Clements. He spent four years in active duty at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and the 25th Infantry Division in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii — the latter location helping create a number of funny family photo ops, capturing his then three-year-old daughter Christi donning a hula skirt and not happy about it one bit. Christi hasn't worn a hula skirt since.

But aside from his engineering skills and service, to Bobby, his greatest achievement was his wife and two daughters. Bobby met the love of his life, Joyce Marie Gamble, when they attended Electra High School in Electra, Texas. Both agreed it was love at first sight — a romance between the shy and talented artist (Joyce) and the star football player and fencer who was also president of his class (who else but Bobby).

The high school sweethearts married on July 3, 1952, in Electra. However, Joyce was a shocking one-year older, inspiring incessant jokes about being married to an "older woman" from Bobby for the rest of their 68-year marriage. They had two daughters, Christi and Valerie, and they did all they could to give them the best childhood: from little things like making marshmallow igloos for school projects to helping with math homework and even to getting an Army helicopter to get Bobby to Christi's high school graduation in time (it helped that the General's son was graduating in the same class).

When Christi got married, Bobby also had a special relationship with his son-in-law and wanna-be comedian Russell, even though Bobby was initially apprehensive of this mysterious "Yankee" from Iowa who wanted to marry his daughter.

This last year was Bobby's toughest mission yet — a life without Joyce. She passed away on April 5, 2021, after a long battle with Alzheimer's. Bobby had to learn to live without her for the first time in his life, but he couldn't bear to be without her for long.

In December 2021, he got sick, and after a brave month-long fight and with permission from his family, he went to join his beloved Joyce, and now their love story continues in heaven. His family is so grateful they got to spend one last Christmas with him. He leaves behind daughter Christi Myers and her husband Russell Laughead of Houston; grandson Aaron Laughead of Houston; granddaughter Laura Laughead of Lubbock; daughter Valerie Myers of Carrollton; granddaughter Adrienne Hamblin and husband Kevin Hamblin of Rockwall; granddaughter Alexa Hart of McKinney; and seven great grandchildren.

He would want you to know he did all he came here to do, and you should celebrate him not with sadness but with a smile -- and remember him wearing his favorite "I served with pride" hat.

His service will be held at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. February 8, 2022, at the First Baptist Church in Wichita Falls, Texas.  Interment will follow in Electra Memorial Park under the direction of Aulds Funeral Home of Electra.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in his name to the Brookwood Community in Brookshire, Texas, a vocational and residential program for adults with disabilities.