Robert Ian Deutser

1940 - 2025

Robert Ian Deutser
06/05/1940 - 10/18/2025
The ultimate gentleman. That is Robert Deutser. He will live forever as a man of impeccable style and sophistication – dapper on every occasion, with unequaled values, unrivaled courage, unbridled creativity, an unruly joke for every occasion, and more love than anyone could ever imagine. He played the starring role of the ultimate love story: the love of husband and wife, father and children, 'grand' father and grandchildren, and all the love that he invested into everything in his life. His legacy is truly defined by the love he put into the world. His goodness and kindness is all-world.
His life was filled with deep meaning and joy – starting with the absolute, unquestioned love of his life of 62 years, Fredell Ann Pinkenson Deutser. Theirs is the purest form of love in the world. They loved everything about each other – always and forever. Their love was unique – with a kiss at the end of every photo album, holding hands and touching toes every night, and making every day a holiday together. They were the best parents anywhere to Bradley and Jill, Debbie and Hance, and Steven and Sarah. They did the impossible – they made their kids know how loved they were no matter what the situation – and they did the same for their grandchildren: Grant, Carly and Abby Greenbaum, Ashley and Andrew Deutser, and Bella, Charlie and Teddy Deutser. "Grandpa Bobby" was their everything, and he infused in them all of his love, deep values, and immense talent. He loved them, but they loved him more than anything.
Born to Ann and Louis Deutser in 1940, Bobby and his beloved brother, Jerry (and Sue), grew up together surrounded by a tight knit Deutser and Leff family. He was part of a huge, loving family that stuck together and brought incredible talents, business savvy and unrelenting humor into every encounter. He is survived by his family and his beloved nieces, nephew, and cousins.
He lived a life that made everything better and more beautiful. He was a builder and a developer. He was a creator. He was an artist and a designer. He was the ultimate advisor and problem solver. He was a gardener extraordinaire. He never stopped creating with his heart of love and as his mother-in-law said, his "hands of gold." He had an illustrious career building homes and apartments and developing communities. He first built homes for the lowest socio economic group – but not any homes. He built "Royal Homes," demanding the highest quality because every person, regardless of what they had or where they lived, deserved, in his words, "only the best."
In many ways, this simple phrase defined him. Only the best. It is what he searched for and what he gave to others in every single situation.
It is why he is so deeply loved – not simply by family and his army of friends, but for every person he came into contact with. Every former employee, every contractor, every yard man, every garbage collector, every person who cared for him would all scream out, "Hey, Mr. Bobby!" Their excitement to see him and be around him was genuine, because he made every person feel special, feel heard and feel better. He had that magical quality: he was ALWAYS there for anyone else with a joke, a thought, a kind word or a thoughtful answer. He was authentic to his core and everyone felt it. His sincerity oozed out and touched others in every interaction. He cared about them, and they knew it. Everyone loved Bobby – everyone! (Even birds, dogs and his beloved fish, whom he'd tap on the head before he fed them each day.)
He showed what courage looked like throughout his life. He never let anyone know his struggles – only that he would overcome and overcome again and again. His work ethic was unequalled. No matter the obstacle he designed a solution. No matter the struggle he built a pathway forward. He had an amazing knack to make everything work, no matter what. He reminded his family always that "Deutser's never quit." He never quit anything, only choosing to see possibility and beauty and love.
That beauty showed up in all his hobbies outside of work and family. He restored antique cars and had incredible collections of anything and everything beautiful. No matter what he had or collected, including a 1923 Seagrave Fire Engine he bought at a charity event in the 1980s, it was his creations in his meticulously manicured garden that kept him most busy (of course, outside of all the time with his family). Fredell and Bobby spent days just sitting, holding hands, and admiring his garden and the nature he created. And, of course, kissing each other.
Bobby filled the world with beauty, and he gave back in ways seen and unseen by so many. He and Fredell proudly chaired the then Houston School for the Deaf gala honoring Vice President George H. W. Bush. They supported countless causes, believing in helping people and the city they love.
The kindness and beauty he constantly and consistently brought into the world continues. His impeccable charm lives on. His style, his movie star good looks (often being mistaken for Agent 007, James Bond), his perfectly timed humor and off color jokes, his love of people, and his ability to prevail will all live on. But most of all, the genuine love he instilled into each of us will live on - because he lives on through each of us.
He is a legend. And our forever hero. He will always be remembered, and his life and love will continue through us. We promise -- Dad and Grandpa Bobby -- you will live with us in our hearts, souls, actions and good deeds forever.
He passed away peacefully on October 18, 2025. A celebration of his wonderful life will take place at Congregation Beth Israel, 5600 N. Braeswood, Houston, Texas, 77096, on October 22, 2025, at 4pm.
Donations in his honor can be made to Congregation Beth Israel, MD Anderson Cancer Center, or any charity that touches you the same way that he touched the world, and likely each of you.