Ira Robert “Bob” Sansom, 94, passed peacefully to heaven in the early hours of Oct. 28, 2026, in Conroe, Texas. “He was loved by many and will be missed, but we take comfort in knowing that his faith was strong, as shown by his testimony and the way he lived his life,” his family wrote.
Born in Brundage, Texas, on March 16, 1932, to Ira Clement Sansom and Marion Drinkard Sansom, Bob was the first child in a loving family with one brother, Allen Doyle Sansom.
Bob married his high school sweetheart Georgie Dene Lindsey on Dec. 28, 1950, and they enjoyed more than 75 years together. God, family and service were always front and center as they progressed through Bob’s teaching career.
One could sense Bob and Georgie’s faith in Jesus just by the way they handled their affairs and treated other people, the family wrote.
Bob taught at Schreiner College (Institute) in Kerrville, Texas, for more than 25 years and later in Alaska, from about 1980 until he retired around 1997. After retirement, they spent many summers entertaining family, friends and many lucky acquaintances at their beautiful and rustic home in Wrangell.
Bob and Georgie had no greater joy than helping someone have a great time fishing in Alaska or hunting in Colorado.
In his early years, Bob was a natural athlete, earning football scholarships to Schreiner and Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. After he started his teaching career at Schreiner, he earned a master’s degree in mathematics. He was also known by his acquaintances as a skilled hunter, fisherman, woodcutter and snowplow operator, but most notably as an honest Christian brother and friend.
His wife passed away on March 2, 2026.
Bob is survived by his daughter Iris Dene Thompson; son-in-law Grant Ray Thompson; grandchildren Traci D. Brown, Marc R. Thompson and Lt. Col. Grant E. Thompson; great-grandchildren Langlee, Cody, Ellie and Grant Robert.
