After 34 years of dedicated service to the Cross Plains Community, Robert (Bob) Harrell, Funeral Director/Manager of Higginbotham Funeral Home, is setting his sights on a well-deserved retirement and spending more time with his recently retired wife, Dee Harrell, two children, 6 grandchildren and doing what he loves gardening, hunting, tinkering on his farm equipment, tending to his livestock out at the homestead (Undertaker’s Acres).

Bob was born in Big Spring, but grew up in San Saba County. His parents were farmers and lived near Richland Springs where Bob graduated high school in 1962. Following high school, he worked for funeral homes in San Saba and Brady, for an oil refinery in Odessa and then enrolled in the Dallas Institute of Mortuary Science in 1972.

After Bob finished mortuary school, he worked for Wright-Morelock Funeral home in Brownwood and then he moved to Mineral Wells. The next seven years he worked for Baum Funeral Home and 8 months for Baum-Carlock-Bumgardner Funeral Home also in Mineral Wells.  In February of 1982, Bob and his wife Dee and their two children Scarlett age 12 and Joshua age 6 moved to Cross Plains where Bob was employed by Higginbotham Funeral Home as Funeral Director/Manager. Bob became an integral part of the community serving those during their time of grief. He was very dedicated to his position and took pride in every aspect of funeral service, and was very willing to share his knowledge and experience with young people who chose this work. Bob never looked at his career as just a job he looked at as his calling and he had a servant’s heart and he felt that this is where God wanted him.

Even though Bob was not born in and did not grow up in Cross Plains, he called this community his home. Bob immersed his self into the community not only in his job but he also served as fire chief for15 years for the Cross Plains Volunteer Fire Department. After the wild fire that stuck the community in 2005 he had to step down due to smoke inhalation. He is now looking forward to being able to have the free time to be more involved with his family and to enjoy working on his farm.

The public is invited to come Saturday, March 5 from 1:30-3:30 p.m. to the Cross Plains First Baptist Church Family Life Center as Bob’s retirement is celebrated.

Pictured above are Mr. and Mrs. Harrell.  Below is a photo of Mr. Harrell as he finished mortuary school.