Robert Dean "Bob" Hesley Jr.

Robert Dean Hesley, Jr., 80, retired estimator and real estate appraiser, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, at his home in Galveston. A funeral service will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church on Saturday, January 3, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Burial will follow at Galveston Memorial Park in Hitchcock. The family will receive visitors from 5–7 p.m. on Friday, January 2, 2026, at Carnes Brothers Funeral Home in Galveston.

Bob was born on December 20, 1945, in Galveston, Texas, a third-generation BOI, to Robert D. Hesley, Sr., and Jeanne John Hesley. When he was young, the family moved to Long Beach, California, returning to Galveston in time for Bob to graduate from Ball High School in 1964. He then attended Menlo College in Menlo Park, California, and Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, where he earned a B.S. degree in 1969. While at Trinity, he pledged the Theta Tau Epsilon fraternity, making a host of lifelong friends.

Bob joined the Army ROTC during his college years in San Antonio and was subsequently commissioned into the United States Army. Following an honorable medical discharge, Bob worked for many years at Todd Shipyards in Houston, Galveston, and Long Beach. He subsequently worked as a real estate appraiser until his retirement, following Hurricane Ike.

Throughout his life, there were constants. Whether he was cheering the Cowboys or cruising his Corvette, sailing a Sunfish or smoking a salmon, making a putt or making a bet, Bob brought his smile and hearty laugh to everything he did. In the community, he was a faithful member of Trinity Episcopal Church, serving at one time on its Vestry; he was a member of the Galveston Boat Club, the Galveston Yacht Club, and later, the Houston Yacht Club; he cherished his friends in his Tuesday Lunch Group; and as a member of the Knights of Momus, Bob's love of Galveston enlivened dozens of Mardi Gras celebrations over the years.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents, and he is survived by his wife of almost thirty years, Susan Edmonson; his children, Robert D. Hesley, III (Elizabeth Hesley), Suzanne Hesley Callan (Chris Callan), and Catherine Edmonson (Austin Dill); his two grandchildren, Tarlton Hansum and Claire Hansum; his sister, Marilyn Hesley Walker; his nieces, nephews, grandnieces and a grandnephew; and by his constant companion, his beloved cat Ziva.

Pallbearers will be Arthur Fant, C. G. (Trey) Dibrell, III, Norman Edmonson, Jr., Charles Griffey, Ross Griffey, and Austin Dill.

Donations may be made in his memory to the building fund at Trinity Episcopal Church in Galveston, Texas.