Robert Joseph McCartney

Robert Joseph McCartney, 83, was born October 7, 1936 in Tulsa in a home built by his grandfather on Quincy Avenue. He died in Tulsa May 29, 2020, due to strokes. The oldest child of Joe and Mary Jane McCartney, Bob grew up around the family business, McCartney Auto Service, near 41st & Peoria with his younger brothers Jim and Tom. Cars were one of his many life passions and he was known for driving the custom '42 Ford Super Deluxe Coupe he built through Brookside and around Tulsa. A graduate of Tulsa Central High School Class of 1954, he attended Oklahoma A&M before enrolling at the University of Tulsa, where he graduated with a B.S. in Business in 1960. Photography was another of his life's passions and he joined the two as a track photographer at the Tulsa Motor Speedway in the 1960's. Working days with the Air National Guard or at the family auto repair business, he spent weekends shooting hot rods at the track and nights in his black and white darkroom. He photographed images across Tulsa, including the construction of the University Club Tower. In 1963 he married Gayle Russell, a cute redhead who worked at NBT and in 1965 they welcomed their only child, Jill Estelle McCartney to the world. Bob accepted a job as sales manager with Sun Electric Corporation and in 1968 the young family moved to Bethany, in northwest Oklahoma City. Bob was quite active in Lions Club, holding many offices and attending many international conventions. The family was active in Calvin Presbyterian Church where Bob served as an Elder and they enjoyed friendships with the "Crusaders" and camping. For more than three decades Bob was a manufacturer's representative in the automotive parts aftermarket, traveling Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas calling on jobbers and independent auto parts stores in cities large and small. He served as a member of the Automotive Booster Club and in 1983 was named International Booster of the Year by the Automotive Service Industry Association. He edited their monthly magazine, the "Sooner" for a dozen years as he worked for several different agencies before forming his own business. Throughout the seventies, eighties and nineties he photographed Booster and Church activities as well as the events and activities that Gayle and Jill participated in. He also became very active with the Tulsa Central High School Class of '54 Alumni, helping plan the reunions, publishing their newsletters, and enjoyed reconnecting and keeping up with friends After Gayle died from colon cancer in 2003, shortly before their 40th wedding anniversary, Bob began a new chapter of his life. He found a University of Tulsa Alumni Directory and called a girl he dated in college, Carrol Guthridge Erickson. From their very first conversation that lasted for hours, they were smitten and on June 4, 2005 they married and Bob moved to Auburn, a small town SW of Topeka. Not only did Bob now live the rural life, he also gained two more daughters, Ingrid Vandervort and Karin Harrison, their husbands Jerry and Mark, AND became "Grandpa Bob" to young Jordan, Justin and Nathan. He loved being a Grandpa and watching them grow into amazing young people. In his new life Bob traded cars for horses and quickly got swept up in the world of attending horse shows, helping Carrol at the Tack Shop where she worked, and even helping design and set up trail patterns for competitions at the Vandervort's Rocking V Horse Ranch in Wakarusa. In Topeka he enjoyed the Topeka Jazz Workshop, working as an election poll worker, and working in the 2010 US Census Bureau Office. He fulfilled a lifelong dream of designing and building a homestead they shared with 2 horses, 2 dogs and sometimes nearly 20 cats. Bob and Carrol enjoyed traveling around the country, especially historic sites and presidential homes and libraries. He cared for Carrol throughout her battle with Alzheimer's until her death last December. In January he underwent substantial back surgery and was working to recover and walk again when he unexpectedly suffered strokes last week. Bob will be buried in Memorial Park Cemetery on Friday, June 5 after services at 11 AM at Moore's Southlawn Chapel in Tulsa. Bob is survived by daughters Jill E. McCartney of Oklahoma City, OK; Ingrid Erickson Vandervort (Jerry) of Wakarusa, KS; Karin Erickson Harrison (Mark) of Chesterfield, VA; brothers James B. McCartney of Bixby, OK; Thomas R. McCartney (Karen) of Tulsa, OK; Grandchildren Jordan Vandervort & Justin Vandervort of Kansas and Nathan Harrison of Virginia, and many nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by wife Gayle of Oklahoma City; wife Carrol of Auburn, KS; parents Joe and Mary Jane McCartney of Tulsa; and sister Margaret Crider of Tulsa. Funeral Service 11:00 A.M., Friday, June 5, 2020 at Moore's Southlawn Chapel, 9350 E. 51st, Tulsa, OK. Moore's Southlawn 918-663-2233

Robert Joseph McCartney

October 7, 1936 - May 29, 2020