Robert Arnold “Bob” Spears

Robert Arnold “Bob” Spears passed peacefully at home, surrounded by family, on December 24, 2022 at the age of 80. Bob was born on Cinco de Mayo, 1942 in Nacogdoches, Texas to R.V. and Doris Spears. At that time, his family lived in Hemphill, Texas where his mother worked as a nurse for her father, Dr. William Thomas Arnold, the sole doctor in Sabine County, Texas. In 1944, the family moved to Marfa, Texas where his father managed a C.G. Morrison Variety Store. After a year, the family moved down Highway 90 to Sanderson, Texas where his father bought and opened Spears Drug Store. In 1956, Bob’s uncle, Mr. Roy D. Spears asked Bob’s father to join him in San Antonio, Texas to work with him at Winns Stores, Inc., a chain of 12 variety stores that Roy Spears had purchased in 1948. The chain eventually grew to over 230 stores across the state of Texas. His family lived in Alamo Heights, an incorporated city, on the northeast side of San Antonio. Bob attended Alamo Heights High School. In 1960, Bob entered the University of Texas at Austin. He received a BBA in 1965 and an LLB from Texas Law School in 1969. Bob was an avid Longhorn all of his life. He was among the first group of “Option Seat Holders” when the upper deck on the west side of Memorial Stadium was built in 1972 and later a member of the Longhorn Foundation. While at the University of Texas, Bob joined the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity where he was Rush Chairman his sophomore year and was on the Interfraternity Council.

After graduating from the University of Texas, Bob went on active duty with the U.S. Army where he served as a first and second Lieutenant from 1967 to 1969. He spent six months at Fort Lee in Richmond, Virginia, six months at Sharpe Army Depot in Lathrop, California, and a year in Vietnam for which he received a Bronze Star medal.

After his military service, Bob went to work for the Lynch, Chappell, and Allday law firm in Midland, Texas. At that time, the firm had just opened a branch office in Houston, Texas, where Bob worked for a year. When that office was closed, Bob returned to Midland in May of 1970. Bob was with the Lynch, Chappell law firm for 50 years and retired on June 30, 2019.

While with the firm, Bob was a director of the Young Lawyer Bar Association. He was president of the Midland Chapter of the Texas Exes Alumni Association. He was appointed by Governor Dolph Briscoe as a lay member of the Texas Board of Land Surveyors for a term of six years. As a member of the Midland Country Club, he served on the Board of Directors.

Bob is survived by his devoted wife of 30 years, Susan J. Spears, his daughter, Sara Elizabeth Spears of Austin, Texas; his son, Reese Spears, and grandson, R.J. Spears of Lafayette, Colorado; his daughter, Emily Spears Nelson, husband, Danny Nelson, and granddaughter, Emma Grace Nelson of Frisco, Texas; his sisters, Carolyn Johnson of Kerrville, Texas, and Mary Ann Howell of San Antonio, Texas.

He is preceded in death by his parents, his first wife, Marilyn Spears, and his brother-in-laws, Bob Johnson and Ralph Howell.

Honorary pallbearers are Freddy Allison, Jim Chandler, Tom Craddick, Ferrell Davis, John Elphick, Tevis Herd, Joe O’Neill and Charlie Semple.

A Celebration of Life memorial service will be held on Cinco de Mayo, Friday, May 5, 2023 at 2:00 pm at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church.

Online condolences can be made at www.npwelch.com. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that a donation be made to a charity of your choice.

To send flowers to the family or place a tree in memory of Robert Arnold "Bob" Spears, please visit our Tribute Store.