Cathy Munson (Ambrose)

It was great seeing Robert at the 50th reunion! Dub and I took only one pic that night and this was it!  I did not know then it would be so special to us! Peace and Love to Robert and his family

Doug McCann

So sorry to lose another friend, we'll miss you Robert.  We spent a lot of afternoons together after school at Alice Carlson. RIP amigo,

Loma White (Fergueson)

My Prayers and thoughts to Robert's family. I enjoyed seeing him at the 50th and we

always use to see him at Bonnell's Restaurant and had so much fun. Infact we stood by

each other in the group picture. I will always remember Robert.

God Bless,

Loma (White) Fergueson

Laura Bradshaw (Braun)

I am very saddened to hear of Robert's passing.

Robert and I go back to the 6th grade at Alice E. Carlson, when we 'accidentally' ended up going steady for 2 weeks, each wearing the other's silver engraved disk on a chain.

... then our paths crossed again with the Dorothy Shaw Bell Choir in junior high at McLean..all members of the group shared a train trip to Colorado Springs.  (Google 'Dorothy Shaw Bell Choir' - there's a group picture of the very first Dorothy Shaw Bell Choir (from around 1964) on a page of their website, that includes Robert.)

Next time we met was at the PHS 20th Reunion, sharing a dance & chat.

The last time our paths crossed was at the PHS 60th Birthday Bash.  Pam Steinert had located our Alice E Carlson 6th grade class picture from Ms. Bean's class, made copies, & brought & shared with those interested.  She also brought copies of Ned James' (very impressively) handwritten (this was pre-computers of course!) 6th grade 'newspaper' - in which he highlighted the various talents of all his fellow classmates, featured a 'top music hits' of the day, & current events of the time, etc.   (Pam & I were featured at top of the sports list as distinquished four-square champions, along with others!)                                        Robert was a student crossing-guard, obvious from his cross-walk attire -complete with badge!  We all got a big kick out of seeing those memories again.

At the 60th bash, we reminisced about days long passed, and Robert & I made sure we got into the class group picture together.  I joked with Robert that we should break our current trend of only meeting up once every 20 yrs.  Robert, & my husband Willi & I spoke about meeting up again in the near future for cocktails or dinner, but we all got busy with our lives and never did. 

I wish I had seen him once again.  I'm sure we would have reminisced over sweet, innocent childhood years when all of our futures were yet unwritten.  He seemed to enjoy looking back at those times as much as I did. 

All that said; I think Robert accomplished what he set out to do in his life.  I recall (in Jr. High days) overhearing his mom telling another mom at a Bell Choir event, that 'Robert plans to be a doctor when he grows up'.  I'm glad he made the dreams of his youth- into his reality.  I imagine as a doctor, he made countless other's lives better, less painful, and more hopeful; and that Doctor Irvin - reflected the same qualities that he did as a man; quietly unique, smart, accomplished, innovative, kind, and caring. 

Robert, you will be missed.   My sincere condolences, prayers and thoughts go out to his family.  May you find comfort- and peace in your loving memories of Robert.   

Gary Solomon

I'm saddened by our buddy, Robert's passing. Last year we sat at Marvin Rodak's coffee shop talking the afternoon away. He was a very bright fellow. He shared with me much of his writings on postural orthopedics. It was an impressive collection of his experience as a physician. I'm glad we had that time to reminisce and very glad we got to visit at the reunion. Robert, you will be missed!

Pam Steinert (Ayres)

I too am lucky to share memories of Robert from Alice Carlson. We were in class together for several grades. He was one of our classmates I always looked forward to seeing at gatherings.  He was a great friend and will be missed.  Rest in Peace.. My prayers and  condolences to his family.  Pam Steinert Ayres

Kirk Ray

I remember Robert from 7th grade at McLean through our high school years at Paschal. He sat next to me in Coach Turner's wild & crazy study hall, and that's where most of my memories of him originate.

Charlie Turner's tenure was so long, he was teaching the children of his former students, and would mercilessly (sadistically) harass those classmates in a way that blew Robert's (and my) mind. We had never seen an adult (let alone a teacher) behave like Coach Turner.

Robert laughed at my jokes, and that has always been a way I've judged a person's character, level of intelligence, and sophistication. He seemed an ideal sidekick, and that ability probably served him well in relationships with guys like Walt Davis, and Bill Owens.

Like my own big brother, he was an avid member of Young Republicans, and invited me to a couple of meetings and parties, which seemed to be the basis of his social life, though I was more into poker, sand lot football, beer bust campouts, and rock&roll.

It was a treat to see him at all our various class reunions, where we could easily pick up where we left off. A very pleasant guy to have (and be) around.

We'll miss you Robert.

Allen Crane (Walker)

I had several starts and stops with this memorial to Robert.  Memorials generally detail a person’s public accomplishments, community services, good character traits and so forth, but it is a difficult thing, encapsulating a life and its impact in five lines or fewer, 50 words or less.  Yes, Robert was intelligent, clever, quick and sardonically witted, acerbic and serious.  He cared deeply for his family, adored his sister and brother and had lifelong friends to whom he was devoted.  He had grateful patients and a successful practice that he built from an idea that, at the time, was unconventional, even controversial.  For all his formality and gracious self-control, Robert was complex, multi-layered and more sensitive to the opinions of others than I think even he knew.  Whether you were a participant, victim or observer in one of his legendary antics, the recipient of his cool, steady gaze, or being chased by him down the rabbit hole of some intellectual conundrum, knowing Robert was impactful.  

To say someone changed your life seems to be dramatic and theatrical but that is what Robert did to me.  Robert and I spent a lot of time together in highschool, mostly on Sunday mornings, in the darkroom of Smiley's Snaps filing the week's photo orders with Jimi Hendrix blaring in the background from a real to real tape that he had mixed.  That was over when we went off to college but we kept in touch by letters and his occasional hitchhiked visit to Fort Worth. 

In the summer of 1971 after our sophomore year in college, we often talked late into the evening about his coursework and current plans and future ideas.  During one of these conversations, Robert made an offhanded observation that I know he intended to be humorous in his sly way, and to which I made some smart-ass retort. But this casual remark pierced me like an arrow and that I interpreted with that passion reserved for the young as a dare.  It drove me into law school at a time when only 6% of my class was comprised of women.  Even now when people asked me why I went to law school, I answer that I went on a dare.  I never told Robert this or how his comment permanently and powefully impacted my life, for the better.  This single act also taught me that simple words matter; what you do matters; what you say matters; and what you don’t say also matters.

Robert mattered to a lot of people.  And there are a lot of us who are better off because at some point in his life, he was part of ours.  He is not someone who will be forgotten. Robert, we miss you.

Nancy Ennen (Schaefers)

I happened to read a message Shirley Yates posted on Virginia Hayes’ FB page that said Robert died of a heart attack.  So sad to hear about this.  Nancy

Jayne Loader

I first got to know Robert Irvin in our junior year when I dated his friend, Walt Davis--and much better in our senior year when I dated his friend, Craig Childs.

As others have noted, Robert had a mischievous sense of humor and was unsurpassed at organizing—and executing—elaborate pranks.   Many of these pranks took place at Young Repubican conventions--with the enthusiastic participation of Walt Davis, Tim Oakes and Bill Owens.  One prank featured Robert, Walt, Tim and Bill pouring glue into the locks of hotel room doors, so their political opponents couldn’t get downstairs to the convention center floor, to vote.   Much excitement also ensued at Paschal High School, where toilets were always blowing up.      Poor clueless Mr. Berry was convinced the Black Panthers had infiltrated our school.   Nope.  Just the Young Republicans.   

One of Robert’s most creative pranks took place on May 25, 1969--Craig Childs’ 18th birthday.   Nancy Reid was hosting a “girls only” graduation/slumber party at her family’s Eagle Mountain Lake house.  It was sunrise and we girls were snoozing peacefully--after a sedate night of partying--when we heard the “Mission Impossible” theme playing.   We put on our bathrobes and went outside. I heard someone calling my name, plaintively:   “Jaaaayyyyyynnnnne."   On the lakeshore, next to a Boombox, we found Craig Childs under a bed sheet, hogtied, in his underwear.    Out on the lake, we saw a motorboat with Robert Irvin and friends, watching us through binoculars.  They'd kidnapped Craig and transported him, via the trunk of somebody’s car, to Eagle Mountain Lake, and then, by boat, to Nancy’s.   Lucky for Craig, Nancy’s little brother Robert had left some clothes in the cottage. So we freed our captive, dressed him, and fed him breakfast.   Craig ended up having a memorable birthday, the only boy at a party with all his favorite girls.