Bobby Wattam

Bobby Dean Wattam passed peacefully at his home on September 24, 2022. He was born in Pryor, Oklahoma on July 25, 1937, to Sam and Alma Wattam. Bobby lived in eastern Oklahoma until moving with his mother to Denver, Colorado to be near his dad training at Buckley Field for WWII. Once Sam deployed to the Pacific, Bobby and his mother moved to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Bobby graduated from Broken Arrow High School in 1955 where he played both football and basketball. He was in National Honor Society and excelled academically. He graduated from Northeastern State University with a B.S.in Mathematics and a B.S. in Physics. He worked on his graduate degree at Oklahoma State University. Upon graduation, he joined Phillips Petroleum in Bartlesville, Oklahoma where he started his career as a computer scientist. He used to love to talk about how the early computers took up an entire building, but now we have more power on our cell phones in the palm of our hands. He was an early adapter of technology; he always had to have the latest and passed that love on to his children. He and his family relocated to Broken Arrow in 1965. He worked in the nuclear power industry and retired from Power Computing of Babcock and Wilcox where he won many awards. Bob was partner in a home building business in the 1970s, American Homes. As a young man he had helped his father in construction. He owned and managed rental property during his retirement years. Bob’s mechanical skills extended to being able to fix or repair anything. During Spring Break of his senior year of college, Bob married the love of his life, Barbara Helen, on April 15, 1960. Family was very important to Bob, and he was a devoted husband, father and papa. He was a kind, helpful person who family and friends could count on in an emergency, being a calming presence. His family couldn’t wait to share accomplishments or good news, because he always was excited and would loudly cheer. He told them that they could do anything with focus and hard work. He was very active and enjoyed the outdoors. He grew up spending time at the lake and owned many fishing and ski boats over the years. He patiently taught his children, nieces, nephews, grandsons and their friends how to ski with many fun days spent on the water. He water skied until he turned 70 years old. He loved fishing and hunting and especially his English Setter hunting dogs, Molly I and Molly II. He fished everywhere from Alaska to the local lakes. He was open to trying new things and learned to snow ski during his later years. There are many fond memories of ski trips with his son and grandsons. In retirement, he played golf several days a week for years with his life-long friends. Bob started traveling for his career in the 1960s and continued flying until his retirement. During the work week, he had an apartment in Los Colinas, Texas to be near DFW airport. He was a million-mile flyer with American early on and the love of travel extended to his personal life. Bob and Barbara traveled throughout the United States and other countries. Bob loved reading and filled his home with books of mystery and historical fiction. He enjoyed sharing books with his children and grandchildren. Bob is survived by this wife of 62 years, Barbara H Wattam of Broken Arrow, his daughter, Becky LeForce and her husband John of Edmond, Oklahoma, his son Bobby Wattam, Jr and his wife Melinda of Abilene, Texas, his daughter, Beth Wattam of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, his grandchildren, Blake LeForce and his wife Hannah, Connor LeForce, Lainey Wattam, Mackenzie Wattam, Haylee Wilson and her husband Wayne and several nephews and nieces. He is also survived by his sister, Sharon Young and her husband Larry of Glenwood, Arkansas. His parents, Sam and Alma Wattam preceded him in death. Family visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 29, 2022. A funeral service will be held at 1:00 p.m. Friday, September 30, 2022, at Hayhurst Funeral Home, 1660 South Elm Place, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma 74012. Graveside service to follow at Floral Haven Cemetery, 6500 South 129 th East Avenue, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma 74012.

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Bobby Wattam

July 25, 1937 - September 24, 2022