Bobby Jack Phipps 1940-2026

Bobby Jack Phipps of North Richland Hills; formerly of Quitman; Portageville Miss.; Woodland, Calif.; Peoria, Ariz.; Idalou; Shafter, Calif.; Bryan; and Plainview passed away on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026 at age 85. He was born on June 1, 194, in Lubbock to Melvin Homer (‘Jack’) Phipps and Mary Lou Phipps (Williams).

He married the love of his life, Mary Catherine Wallace, on Aug. 30, 1959 in Floydada. They were faithfully devoted to each other and their family, and together they shared 66 beautiful years of marriage.

Bobby earned his BS and MS  from Texas Tech in Lubbock and went on to further his education, receiving his PhD from Texas A&M, College Station.

While getting his BS from Texas Tech, he started his family and began farming from 1980-82. He continued his education through night school, eventually earning his MS.  He went on to work for California Planting Cotton Seed Distributors (1980-82) and Mycogen Plant Sciences/AgriGenetics (1982-95). When he was 40, he chose to move the family from the farm and continue his education, ultimately earning a PhD from Texas A&M in College Station. He spent the rest of his working life primarily in cotton research at University of Missouri, where in 2005, he had the honor of being named Cotton Specialist of the Year.

He was a lifelong member of the United Methodist Church, most recently White’s Chapel, in Southlake. He had a passion for biblical studies and taught many classes at church throughout the years. His faith and sharing the word of the Lord meant a great deal to him and was a huge pillar in his life.

In his free time, he liked to go fishing and teach others how to fish. He had a love for photography as well as relaxing with family or friends to play tabletop and card games.  From a young age he had a passion for knowledge of many topics and preferred to read mostly nonfiction works. This love for research and reading continued well into his adult life. It even extended into numismatics, where he studied numerous coins and collected many throughout his lifetime. 

Bobby found much joy in being one of the founding members of Forever Young Activity Center, a senior services organization focusing on providing programs to enrich the lives of mature adults in Wood County. He also spent time volunteering with Gideon’s International, traveling to local churches and distributing their bibles. 

He was a member of Lions Club International as well as Kiwanis International. Community was a huge part of Bobby’s life, and this was evident in all that he did. 

Bobby was preceded in death by his parents, Melvin Homer (Jack) Phipps and Mary Lou Phipps; and his sister, Velma Jean Webb.

Those left behind to cherish his memory are his loving wife of 66 years, Mary Catherine Phipps; son, Michael Rex Phipps and spouse Kari Phipps of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.; daughter, Mindy Kaye Phipps and spouse Mike Monroe or North Richland Hills; brother, Gary Phipps of Eustis, Fla.; grandchildren, Benjamin Lon Phipps of Athens, Ga.; and many brothers and sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews in Texas and throughout the United States.

A memorial visitation was held on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026 at Atria – Hometown, in the library: 6350 Winter Park Drive, North Richland Hills, TX 76180.

To show support to his family during this time, in lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Bobby’s memory to Gideons International – bibles.