Bob Marrs

Bob Marrs, 94, of Amarillo, TX passed away on February 23, 2022.

Services will be at 11:00 A.M., Monday, February 28, 2022, at Comanche Trail Church of Christ. Burial will be at Memorial Park Cemetery. Arrangements are by Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors, 2800 Paramount Blvd.

Bob was born near Delaware, Oklahoma in 1927, to Ed Marrs and Jenny Kirk Marrs. He grew up riding horses and working cattle with his Dad on the family farm. Later, he worked as a cowboy throughout the southwest and on the following ranches: The Ewing Halsall ranches of Lenapah, Oklahoma and Muleshoe, Texas; the Waggoner ranches of Vernon, Texas and Mosquero, New Mexico; the WV ranch of Slegiman, Arizona; the Rudineck Land and Cattle Company of Bakersfield and Weldon, California; and the M.T. Johnson ranch of Alanreed, Texas. If you asked Bob what were some of his fondest memories, he would say cowboy'n, working with cowboys all across the country that became his good friends and all the horses that he rode along the way.

In 1945, while working in California, he went into the Army and Infantry training at Camp Roberts near Pasa Robles, California. World War II ended in Japan just before he finished basic training. Bob was in Italy a little over a year before he was discharged.

In January of 1947, Betty Lucas and Bob were married. Betty was a beautiful girl, a niece of a cowboy that Bob had worked with on the Ewing Halsall Mashed O ranch in Muleshoe, Texas. They moved to a camp on the Waggoner ranch of Vernon, Texas, and worked at the McDuff Camp on the east side of the ranch and later moved to the Whiteface Headquarters near Electra.

Bob had the opportunity to attend a night school for veterans at a saddle shop in Vernon, Texas. He learned a lot about working with leather, but not saddle making. Later, he worked in several well­known saddle shops and learned from many good saddle makers. During this time, Bob and Betty had two beautiful daughters, Kathy and Debby.

In 1951, they moved to Amarillo and briefly worked for the "Stockman's Boot and Saddle Shop." They went back to cowboy'n at a camp on the M.T. Johnson ranch near Alanreed, Texas. After nine months, Bob had an offer from Cotton Harvey, owner of the Stockman's Boot and Saddle Shop to come back to work. Bob and Betty bought the saddle shop in August of 1954 and changed the business name to Bob Marrs Stockman's Saddle Shop of Amarillo, Texas.

Although Bob made saddles for people nationwide, the working cowboys and cowgirls were the customers that built the foundation of his business. All the while, Betty worked in the saddle shop helping Bob meet the needs of their customers and enjoyed raising the family that includes three beautiful granddaughters: Shelly, Angela and Amy. Together they built a successful business for 62 years and a story-book marriage for over 72 years.

The following honors were awarded to Bob over the years:

1996: Will Rogers Academy of Western Art, "Saddle Maker of the Year", Fort Worth, Texas

1999: Will Rogers Range Riders, "Western Heritage Award", Amarillo, Texas

2000: Big Bend Museum, "Trappings of Texas Western Heritage Award", Alpine, Texas

2001: National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, "Chester A Reynolds Great Western Award", Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

2006: Will Rogers Academy of Western Art, Life Time Achievement "Don King Saddle Making Award", Fort Worth, Texas

Bob and Betty had two beautiful daughters, Kathy and David Norris, of Amarillo, TX, and Debby and Michael David, of McKinney, TX; and three beautiful granddaughters, Shelly and Jeramie McWilliams, of Dallas, TX, Amy Sheets-Chavez and Pedro Chavez, of Astoria, NY, and Angela Vassallo, of Los Angelas, CA. Preceded in death by all of Bob's family except two sisters, Geneva Marrs, of Daytona Beach, FL, and Virginia Temple, of Payson, UT.

The family will receive friends from 3:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M., Sunday, February 27, 2022, at Boxwell Brothers Funeral Home.

Memorial donations will be welcomed by the High Plains Children's Home, P.O. Box 7448, Amarillo, TX 79114.