DOVER ~ Robert Lincoln “Bob” Barr, III was born at the old Kingfisher Hospital on October 8, 1939. Bob started school in Dover, Oklahoma, attended Junior High School in Stillwater, and graduated from Hennessey High School in 1957, where he was the starting quarterback, valedictorian of his class and an Eagle Scout.In 1958, he attended The University of Oklahoma and became a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity. In 1960, Bob married Sandra Stone, of Oklahoma City (divorced in 1997). He earned a BA of Letters at The University of Oklahoma (1961); an MA in ancient and medieval history at Yale University (1962); and a Juris Doctor in law at Oklahoma City University (1968). Bob was a Phi Beta Kappa and a recipient of the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship.
Bob served as a representative in the Oklahoma State Legislature (1964-1968) and as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Oklahoma State Board of Agriculture (1976-1977).
Along with practicing family law, Bob was a business entrepreneur, a philanthropist, and a farmer at heart. The businesses he started ran the gamut from oil field to agriculture to banking. A few of his notable companies included Barr Seed, Pioneer Trucking and Barr Energy. These ventures were marked not only by their success but by Bob’s sense of responsibility and service to his employees, their families and the community at large. This same spirit pervaded all of his accomplishments in business, education and politics, as well as in his personal life.
Bob belonged to a number of service organizations, including Hennessey Coronado Masonic Lodge #56, where he was a Scottish Rite 32 degree Mason. He served as director of the dental clinic at REST, a homeless day shelter; was on the Board of Trustees of World Neighbors, an international development organization; and supported several local charities.
In 1995, he founded the Barr Foundation, a nonprofit entity organized to assist with the education, health, and economic development of girls in third world countries.
As a public servant, he served on the Board of Education, Dover, Oklahoma; as Ex officio member of the Board of Regents of Oklahoma State University and the A&M Colleges; the Board of Visitors of University of Oklahoma College of Arts and Sciences; and the Board of Directors of Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics Foundation.
Bob considered himself a country lawyer and a farmer. He always hoped to return to the soil. In 2002, Bob returned to his farm in Dover, married Beatrix Jungegger, of Kufstein, Austria, in 2004, and together, they started a beef cow-calf operation.
Bob passed away on July 16, 2015, following a lengthy illness, during which he was lovingly cared for by his wife, Beatrix. His body was donated to medical research at his request, and there will be no services.
He is survived by his wife, Beatrix Barr; two daughters, Mendy Barr and Lissa Shaw and husband Jim; one son, Robert Lincoln “Link” Barr, IV and wife Wyndi; granddaughters, Kelly and Mary Kate Bergin, Kirstin and Ali Barr, and Grace Gandolfi; Sandra Barr, the mother of his children; all of Oklahoma City; one brother, Bill Barr and wife Donna, of Palm Bay, Florida; two sisters, Nancy Impastato and husband David, of Alexandria, Virginia; and Jane Thomas and husband Claude, of Dulac, Louisiana. He was preceded in death by his father and mother, Robert Lincoln “Bob” Barr, II and Lucile Will Barr. Memorial donations may be made in his name to any of his favorite charities, including Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, Kingfisher County Food Bank, or Hennessey Good Samaritan Food Bank.
