Sylacauga Soaring Society
   

 

Memorial Page Dedicated to

Robert O'Brien (Bob) Wallace

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Bobby lost his life in this world, on March 31, 2007, in the pursuit of something he loved and had great passion for, soaring in sailplanes. His last day was a beautiful sunny day and he was a happy soul, content with all around him. His end came suddenly and without pain or unhappiness. He was right with God and no man could ask and get a better 66 years than he received. He will be missed by the many  that knew and loved him for the truly gentle and kind person that he was. 

A short Bio on Bobby from the prospective of a younger brother:

In his teenage years I remember spending summers with our great aunt Daisy May O'Brien in Lake Wales, Fl where all we did was to water ski and fish all day. We use to find muscles with our feet, in the sand, to use as bait for fishing. Bobby who got very good at water skiing with and without skis, found his way into performing for the tourist at nearby Cypress Gardens who did daily water skiing shows. I remember my family talking about him flying kites behind tow boats but do not remember seeing them because I was very young at the time.

Bobby was an auto mechanic by trade all of his life, widely known for his exceptional & expert abilities. His specialty was Porsche's until he returned to B'ham in the 1990's and there simply was not enough of them around to support a business. In his youth & middle age days he built and drove many race cars mostly in SCCA events. I remember standing on the corner as a preteen drug store cowboy on the Southside of Birmingham, along with a gaggle of other onlookers as Bobby did a 360, in a Carroll Shelby Cobra, in the middle of Clairmont Ave. What was unusual about this is that he had just install a full set of Webbers on the car's 289 engine, the Webbers where standing well above where the hood scoop use to be, the hood was removed, and the throttle linkage was not yet connected. He was using a string that he was holding over the windshield to control the throttle and of course he had that now famous grin, some call it a "shit eat'n grin", as he disappeared down the street in a cloud of smoke. That was some 45 years ago and people who where there still say today, as I bump into them, "Do you remember when Bobby.....".

As a young man in the 1960's, in Birmingham, he was also involved in scuba diving as a dive master and worked for Bill Tant of Southern Scuba Diving conducting classes and open water dives where one of their favorite things to do was to spear absurdly large Barracudas and bring them back. I was privileged to go along at times because the wooden boat they dove out of was so leaky that someone had to constantly man the hand pump. For those that know Bobby it would not be a surprise to know that the old boat only ran because Bobby was always nursing it along.

In the 70's it was some race cars but a lot of sky diving & hanging out at drop zones, achieving both Jumpmaster & Advanced Parachutist rating. During this period, well late 70's, he also owned and flew several airplanes after getting his pilot's rating in Tucson, Arizona. Tucson was Bobby's other home town, having lived there for better than 20 twenty years, before returning to Birmingham. He has many good friends there who are as much family as any of us who happen to be blood.

Bobby loved to hunt and fish, he did plenty throughout his life. As his brother who got to go with him on numerous occasions, I could fill a book with stories, especially in the beautiful state of Arizona. We hunted quail, mule deer, and elk in places that words cannot easily convey. Wide open areas with grand mountains, Sonoran desert, pine forest, all beautifully varied by altitude. The smell of the desert after a rain is something that lingers strongly in these memories. Bobby loved it and we talked about it often. He got into archery hunting around the early 80's with some of his friends and won a Arizona state title shooting bow hunting style competitions. He was really good with that bow. A grouping that did not compete for the space of a dine in the bulls eye was unacceptable. I have seen several arrows that where a shaft, within a shaft, within a shaft, shoots. Not good for the budget but they make good wall trophies.

In the early 2000's he returned to flying after a long layoff when joining the Sylacauga Soaring group, obtaining his glider rating, and flying my Cessna 172. Soaring flight quickly became his favorite outlet where it was not unusual for him to disappear all afternoon on a good day.

Bobby was never one to just stand around and talk about things he had an interest in, he went out and did, was never afraid to live his life, always pushing on the envelope of what there was to be experienced. All of this may sound like a fantasy or a contrivance to you? Well, it was not, it was the life of a man named Robert Wallace who like the rest of us, had his strengths and his weakness, and he walked this earth from August of 1940 to March of 2007.

And I Pray that God Has Received his Soul into Heaven

 

The following drawing was generously commissioned and given to the Wallace family by a fellow pilot and friend, Steve Bair . It was accepted with much gratitude and now resides with Bobby's wife Brenda. Thank you again Steve, for this kind gesture.

 

Photo Gallery

Just Relaxing

Bobby Smiling

Brenda Miller Wallace, Bobby's Love, Soul Mate, Partner and Wife.

Racing day 1965

Bobby & Brenda

Dr. Strangelove

Chilhowee Octoberfest 2006

Bobby & fellow club members at Chilhowee Octoberfest 2006

Bobby as a young man in the 70's with some of his Tucson family of friends

Bobby & his brother at the SSA convention in Memphis 2007

The day our first club owned tow plane arrived.

Bobby's sailplane in the grid waiting for launch.

Bobby helping Tim & Bob launch the Nugget

Gliderport disscussion, half the fun of soaring is getting to know the people who are involved in the sport.

Hey, do you think the ridge is working?

A not unusual position, Bobby keeping the club ship going.

Preparing the Blanik on a winter day

Bobby's current domicile.

 

Some comments that I found posted on the web about Bobby:

I have heard Judy and Don speak very fondly of Bob over the years. My thought and prayers are with you during this time.
(Friend of Don and Judy)
   Jill Goode (Florence, AL)

   April 4, 2007
Deepest Sympathy to the family.
From a friend of Don and Judy Millers.
   Judy Goode (Florence, AL)

   April 3, 2007
I saw Bob last Friday. He was looking forward to flying. He will be missed by all that ever new him. Bob has helped countless people with car troubles...if you asked for help he would even when he could make more money working on a Mercedes he would come fix your work car. I can't say enough good about him. I will truly miss our coffee chats.
   Gary Adkins (Birmingham, AL)
Contact me

   April 3, 2007
Bob, banked with us (BancorpSouthBank) for many years and I had the great joy of being his Banker, Teller. He talked of his joy of flying, not only the glider but of trips to see the Grandbaby. He was so proud when things fell into place with Brenda's business. I feel as if I have lost a Great Friend, a Very Intelligent Friend. GOD HAS ANOTHER EAGLE SOARING UP ABOVE. BLESS YOU BRENDA and THE FAMILY. HE will be GREATLY MISSED.
   Dianne Gailbreath (Birmingha, AL)
Contact me

   April 3, 2007
I waited on Bob at BancorpSouth Bank, One Federal Place, for many years. He shared with me his Soaring trips, trips to Fl, and the opening of his Beloved Wife's Business. I know that Bob is SOARING WITH THE EAGLES. GOD BLESS YOU, BRENDA, May he hold you in HIS HANDS, and the FAMILY ALSO>
   Dianne Gailbreath (Birmingham, AL)
Contact me

   April 3, 2007
I am going to miss Bob so much. He was always a good friend to me. Always ready to help, I don't think that I ever heard him complain. He would talk about things that he had done and I would think, is he really telling the truth, then he would pull out the pictures. Wow, did he ever live a full life. Just last week, he was talking about how proud he was of Brenda and her accomplishments. It was clear, he loved his family very much.
I can see him now, sitting at Waffle House pouring over a glider magazine, he truly loved the sport. One can rest assured that he died doing something he loved. It would be wonderful if everyone could say that.
I loved Bob and he will surely be missed by me and so many others He was a "good man."
   Joe Snow (Birmingham, AL)
Contact me

E-mail's Received

I am proud of having known Bob for the many years he ran his repair business. Bob was far more than just someone who purchased repair parts from my company. He was a trusted and good friend, someone you knew you could ask a favor, or for help, and knew he would be there for you. Each time he came through my doors, flying or fishing would be the topic, but
only after he finished with his purchase of parts. Flying, in particular, his glider flying, would always be first.

When he and Brenda started their business, he was so proud that success came so quickly. Although much effort and worry went along with the start-up, there
was not one single discussion I had with Bob that he did not express how
sure he was that the business would be successful. He had a terrific belief
in Brenda's ability.

Bob Wallace will be missed. I am proud to say he was my friend.

John Williamson
 

My thoughts on Bob

My boyfriend and I work for a local salvage yard in North Birmingham and Bob came in often trying out used parts to see if they may work for some of his customers cars and it never failed he always had an interesting story to tell my boyfriend and I. Sometimes I wouldn't see when Bob arrived but I could always walk to the back of our shop and smell that trademark cigar smell, I would stop and grin and say to my self " Bob's here" I know  from now on when I smell a cigar I'll definitely think of Bob Wallace. I just wrote to say he is very much deeply missed especially by his friends here at North Birmingham Truck & Auto.


 

There are only two fears in life

A fear that keeps you alive

And a fear that keeps you from living

 

If anyone would like to add a photo or make a comment please, just email swallace500@aol.com and I will be glad to include it on this page.