Robert Roland Cheek was born on November 24, 1920 in Stanford, Texas to Joe and Lucretia Cheek and graduated from Plains High School in Plains, Texas.
Robert grew up in the Panhandle, on the High Plains of Texas and joined the United States Army in 1940, proudly serving his country with the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division. After training in Ireland and Wales, he landed at Omaha Beach on D-Day plus 1, June 7, 1944. He fought in several major battles including the Battle of the Bulge in France and Belgium. Robert enjoyed and looked forward to participating each year in the Veteran's Day Program at Evadale High School and would stay afterward in the media center to tell stories to the students. He was quite a storyteller.
After WWII, he attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock and joined the Texas State Highway Patrol in 1949. He served ten years in the Department of Public Safety in both the Highway Patrol and License and Weight Divisions. He moved his family to Evadale in 1962 to become Terminal Manager at Robertson Tank Lines. He worked about ten years in the trucking industry as terminal manager, dispatcher and safety man. Through the years he held several other jobs, including Deputy Sheriff for Jasper County. He retired as a guard for Temple-Inland in 1985.
Mr. Cheek is survived by his wife of 54 years, 11 months, Bette Lindeman Cheek and children: Joe Mann and Pam Cheek of Orange, Texas, Robert P. and Tonya Cheek of Evadale and Charles and Dolores Cheek of Houston. His one daughter, Jean Marie Cheek Sylvester preceded him in death. He is also survived by nine grandchildren and their spouses: Jason and Christie Sylvester and Jonathan Sylvester of Evadale; Jenna Kae and Stephen Martin of Mauriceville; Lindsey Cheek and Leslie Cheek of Evadale; Blake and Chelsea Cheek of Bridge City; Nicholas Cheek and Christopher Cheek of Orange and Sean Cheek of Houston. His three Great-grandchildren are Klay and Jaxon Sylvester of Evadale and Logan Cheek of Bridge City.
Robert grew up with three sisters: Rita Mae Snodgrass of Lubbock, Marie Snodgrass of Brownfield and Louise Goehry (deceased). He always looked forward to and enjoyed going home to West Texas to his family reunions in order to visit with his numerous nieces and nephews.
Robert has been an active member of St. John's Episcopal Church in Silsbee since 1962. He will be missed by his many friends and church family.
Our family would like to gratefully acknowledge the wonderful care he received from his doctors and the Physicians Link Home Health nurses.
Funeral services will be 2:00 pm Wednesday, January 16, 2008 at St. John's Episcopal Church and visitation will begin at 5:00 pm Tuesday at Farmer Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to the Book of Remembrance at St. John's Episcopal Church, PO Box 636, Silsbee, TX 77656.
