- Date Of Birth: September 4, 1959
- Date Of Death: April 3, 2020
- State: Texas
Robert Vernon (Bert) Rushing, Jr. was born on September 4, 1959 to Robert Vernon (Bobby) Rushing, Sr. and Joan (Lasly) Rushing in Temple, Texas.
Robert was always full of life and had a way of bringing to joy to any situation. He was always quick to laugh and enjoyed making others laugh as well. Everyone loved Robert. In high school, Robert was popular and was involved in several sports, including football, baseball, track and power lifting. He was a talented singer as well and sang in his middle school choir, earning a place in the tri-city choir.
Robert knew his way around the kitchen. He was able to cook and bake, often making up his own recipes as he went. His culinary creations were enjoyed by all and his recipes were requested often.
He was skillful in leather craft work as well. He designed, made and sold many, many one-of-a-kind leather creations including Bible covers, wallets, purses, belts and decorative leather plaques. His designs were always well-received and he could create whatever design his customers requested.
He had a green thumb when it came to gardening. He loved planting and growing flowers and vegetables. Whenever visitors came over, he took them on a mandatory tour of both his flower garden and vegetable garden. As a child, he was in the newspaper with his brother, Alan, for growing a 33-pound watermelon.
This green thumb helped him in his work as a groundskeeper at the Temple Veteran’s Administration Hospital where he worked for several years. In this position, he used his gardening and outdoor skills to keep the hospital grounds well-manicured. He made life-long friends there and loved his work.
He worked as a self-employed carpenter and he also worked as a draftsman for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company. There he worked on the design of phone systems, creating detailed drawings to be used by engineers.
He used his artistic skills to create beautiful paintings, specializing in nature scenes. His serene paintings included mountain scenes, lake views, snowy escapes and lovely waterfalls. He was largely self-taught in this area and wowed many with his beautiful works of art.
Robert was also known for his generosity. He was always willing to share whatever he had with others. This included his delicious meals as well as the bounty from his garden. He also shared his knowledge including phone and mail how-to sessions regarding cooking, gardening, smokehouse building and other pioneering skills.
Robert is survived by his daughter Shanda Beatley and her husband Brandon, granddaughters Baylee and Kindley, son Chris Smith and his wife Gaby, grandsons Mason and Matthew, sisters Michelle Herrington and her husband Lane, and Linda Sutton and her husband Robert. Also surviving are his brother Terry Rushing, mom Joan Rushing, dad Bobby Rushing, as well as many nieces and nephews.
Robert will be missed greatly by his family and friends but they rejoice knowing that he is in the arms of his Savior, Jesus now. They will take comfort in that knowledge in the days ahead.
