Bobby Joe Hampton

Bobby Joe Hampton
April 19, 2021
Hurst, Texas - Bobby Joe Hampton, 89, passed away Monday, April 19, 2021 in Colleyville.
Service: April 29, 2021 at 2 p.m. , St. Vincent's Cathedral 1300 Forest Ridge Bedford, TX.
Memorials may be made to: Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance (tsalliance.org) to aid in research for Bob's great-granddaughter and others or Healing Shepherd Clinic (ugm-tc.networkforgood.com) which provides free clinical medical care for the indigent of Tarrant County.
Bob was born November 4, 1931, in Azle, TX. He was the youngest of six children, born to Flossie Quay and Wade Henry Hampton. In eighth grade his math teacher Mrs. Eula Nation suggested he move to the high school for all of his classes since he was helping the other kids with math. Consequently, at only sixteen he graduated salutatorian from Azle High School. His mother's teaching career and his experience bailing hay for years motivated him to seek a college degree.
Through Future Farmers of America, FFA, he won the regional championship showing steers to raise money for college. In 1951 he earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration. It took him only three years to graduate from North Texas University, the only one of his siblings to earn a college degree.
Bob said, "When I was young I never worried about what was around the corner ? bring it on."
He married Annette Deats on December 29, 1954. Bob enlisted in the U.S. Army to serve his country. He was selected for the Counter Intelligence Corps. He had a special aptitude for language and learned German which he spoke without a foreign accent. He served for almost three years in Germany with Top Secret clearance. Annette traveled to Germany with their 8 week old son.
He returned to Texas in 1957 and sought a job at Bell Helicopter "working in the factory." But he was told he should work as an engineer instead!
For 25 years, he was a Dynamist, Rotor Stress analyst, manager of Research and Development lities, and R & D Group Engineer. He "retired" to full-time work as owner of Hampton Jewelers with his wife until 1990.
He began community service in the 1960s while their three children, Carter, Dean, and Jeanna, were young. First, he served on Hurst's Zoning and Planning Commission, followed by five years on City Council. He became known as "Campaign Bob," and was soon elected Mayor of Hurst in 1970 when the population was 13,000, and the first store opened in North East Mall. He retired in 1980, by then the mall had grown by five acres and the population had soared to 32,000. In 1969 Bob was elected President of the North Central Council of Governments. Later he served as President of Texas' Urban Counties Conference. For a decade, from 1970-1980 he was a member of the Transportation Policy Committee of the National League of Cities.
He was elected to the Tarrant County Commissioners Court in 1984 and served until 1997. It was a prestigious honor for him to be elected President of the National Association of Regional Councils during his tenure. Bob demonstrated he was a lifelong servant of the people as a phone volunteer for Hurst's Municipal Court into his eighties.
Bob and Annette were founding members of St. Vincent's Episcopal Church in Bedford, TX. He served on the Camp Crucis Board of Managers and all of their children and several grandchildren attended for several years.
Bob was proud of his military and public service but in his words "prouder of my family."
Their children graduated from L.D. Bell High School in Hurst, TX and the University of North Texas as he did. The Hamptons cherished hosting events with hamburgers galore at their retirement home on Eagle Mountain Lake. Bob personally added rooms and decks as the family grew, with a never-ending project list. He loved playing the card game "Shanghai" with his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He earned the name "Shanghai Bob." The grandkids said he could never make enough of his famous cinnamon toast on those lake weekends of fun. At home — there were poker nights with the guys and great storytelling!
Bob and Annette traveled extensively but loved Las Vegas and Winstar Casino. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail with Carter and Dean was a highlight. Reunion vacations were a family tradition. At Red River in a blizzard, Bob earned a new nickname, "Snowmobile Bob." In Colorado, he envisioned his final project — a river deck, which he, Tom Parham, and Carter built. He was always "Bob the builder." He collected stamps, recycled stogies, and searched for 1932 Ford coupe parts. He delighted in the ability to trace his ancestry back to Daniel Boone. In 2020, Bob celebrated 66 years of marriage to Annette. A life well-lived by a true Texas gentleman!
Preceded in death by his parents and his siblings.
Survivors: his wife Annette; his son Carter and wife Susan, granddaughter Sunny and husband Jason Hull, great-grandson Asher and great-granddaughter Landry, granddaughter Emily and husband Joseph Collins, great granddaughter Cora, grandson Mitchell Hampton; his son Dean and wife Kelly, grandsons Conner Hampton and Bennett Hampton, granddaughter Ollie Hampton; and his daughter Jeanna and husband David Smith, granddaughter Ashley and husband Chase Rowan, great granddaughter Alyssa and great grandson Ranger, grandson Travis Smith and granddaughter Presley Smith. Brother-in-law David Deats, niece Jennifer and husband David Wheeler, nephew Michael Deats and wife Jennifer and niece Dana Deats.