Robert R. "Deacon Bob" Elliott Jr.

Robert Raymond "Deacon Bob" Elliott, Jr., age 88 of Seguin, passed away on September 14, 2025. There were so many more conversations we wanted to have with him.

Bob was born on April 15, 1937 in San Antonio, Texas to Katie Fern Bryan Elliott and Robert Raymond Elliott, Sr. He grew up in Ohio and San Antonio and graduated from Brackenridge High School in 1955. He served in the U.S. Army from 1955 to 1958, spending time at Drake-Edwards Kaserne in Frankfurt, Germany. Bob later graduated from St. Mary's University in 1963 with a degree in Economics and Government.

Bob met his love, Joyce Elaine Kutac, on a blind date in August of 1959. They were married on July 23, 1960 and were blessed with three children. The family lived in many different locales due to Bob's job, including: Marfa, Baltimore, Washington D.C., Houston and Albuquerque (twice!). In 1996, they retired to Seguin to be closer to family. They were devoted to each other and after Joyce's death Bob missed her terribly and looked forward to being reunited with her.

Bob began his career as an officer in the U.S. Border Patrol, then moved on to the U.S. Civil Service Commission (later the Office of Personnel Management) where he worked as an investigator, and was rapidly promoted to supervisory investigator. He retired from OPM after 34 years of service.

Bob and Joyce were both devoted Catholics who felt compelled to serve their church communities. After acting as a lector and eucharistic minister, participating in the Marriage Enrichment program, RCIA, and various scripture study groups, Bob eventually felt called to become a deacon. After years of study and contemplation, he was ordained in 1987. Deacon Bob served at Church of the Risen Savior in Albuquerque, New Mexico and St. James Catholic Church in Seguin, Texas. While at St. James, he was a member of the Knights of Columbus.

Bob loved being in nature and enjoyed camping and hiking, especially in the mountains of New Mexico and Colorado. He enjoyed traveling around the country and world with his wife, children and grandchildren. He was an enthusiastic birdwatcher and could tell you the names of all the different birds enjoying the birdbaths and birdfeeders in his backyard.

In recent years, Bob became very interested in his Scotch-Irish ancestry and exhaustively researched his family lineage. Using the information he gathered in his travels and discovered through inquiry, he wrote and finished a book in 2024 on the Elliott family history.

Bob was an avid reader and a lifelong learner. He was a news junkie and enjoyed watching PBS. He was always curious. We loved talking with him; he told good stories and had an uncanny memory for events and people he had known throughout his life. He was thoughtful and honest, open-minded and evolved. He was a true Christian with a strong sense of ethics and a passionate champion of those who were less fortunate and marginalized. Bob loved and was proud of his country and even joined his first protest shortly before his death.

Bob is preceded in death by his wife of 63 years and his parents. He is survived by his loving family including: children, Elaine Teas and husband Andy of Katy TX, Jeff Elliott and wife Valerie of St. Cloud MN, and Elizabeth Elliott of New York, NY; grandchildren, Robert Teas and wife Elizabeth, Paul Teas and wife Aileen, Tara Teas and partner Devin Streit, and Stacie Elliott and fiancé Jorge Esparza Hernandez; great-grandson, Henry Parker Teas; step-sister Linda Seals; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, other loving family members, and many friends.

Visitation will begin on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. at St. James Catholic Church in Seguin followed by the recitation of the Holy Rosary at 12:30 p.m. The Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 1:00 p.m. with the Reverend Canon Stanislaw Fiuk and the Reverend Gregory J. Nevlud officiating. It will be livestreamed at https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/mf-fwp/hewell/hewell_20250923.html. A reception will follow in the Parish Hall.

Graveside services and interment will be held at a later date at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery with the Reverend Monsignor Dennis Darilek officiating.

The family would like to thank Mary Houston and Connie Schievelbein for taking such good care of Bob.

Memorial contributions may be made to Catholic Charities USA at https://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/ways-to-give/honor-and-memorial-gifts or your local public television or radio station.

Bye for now, Dad.