Happy Father's Day

On January 31, 1934, Gary O’neil Robertson was born in Newcastle, TX. He was the firstborn son of a staunch Baptist barber/musician and an equally staunch Church of Christ homemaker. He was his father’s best birthday present and the doting big brother to two sisters. Gary lived with his parents in Newcastle through first grade. When the United States entered the second World War, his father uprooted the family to go where a barber’s services were in high demand: the U.S. Military. Gary got to experience life on various military bases in Texas and New Mexico, including Alamogordo Army Air Base (now Holloman AFB), where he was living when the first atomic bomb was living in 1945.

After the war, the Robertson family settled in Roswell, NM. Gary graduated from Roswell High School. He pursued a degree in engineering of and on over the years, supporting himself as a land surveyor. He enlisted in the Air Force and was stationed in Japan during the Korean War. He settled in Albuquerque, NM, in the 1960’s where he first saw a young teacher in who lived in his apartment complex. She was involved in a door-knocking campaign for a local political race in the autumn of ’68. Her name was Ina Rea Bittner and when he saw her go into the house of a friend of his, he made his move. They were married June 21, 1969. They had a son in ’72 and on January 31, 1975, Gary received his best birthday present: a baby girl.


My dad got a job in Carlsbad, NM, in 1981 and moved us there to continue his work as a land surveyor. In 1983, Dad gave his life to Christ and sought to raise his family in the Lord. He moved into a position for the City of Carlsbad after a brush with skin cancer. He worked there for 17 years. When he retired, he continued to do survey work around Carlsbad as an independent contractor for real estate title companies, which he does to this day. In 2007, he was named New Mexico Surveyor of the Year.

My dad is one of the most interesting people I know. I believe that I got his sense of adventure and his sense of humor. The thing that I’m most proud to have received from him is his generosity. I don’t know another person as generous as my father. He wants so much to honor God with his money and frequently blesses others who need a little extra help. When my brother and I went in the AIM Program, my dad became a constant supporter of young people seeking to serve God as apprentice missionaries. He also likes to bless people with confections. He’s an awesome baker and confectioner, thanking the title companies that give him work with cookies, cakes and homemade-handmade candy. I got that from him, too, although I’ve never attempted his well-known candy.

Daddy, thank you so much for your love and support all my life. Thank you for our adventures on the roof from collecting honey from the bees we used to keep to the sunrises with our cats. Thank you for always taking care of me and pushing me to go as far as I can in whatever I do. Thank you for spoiling me rotten. Thank you for the example you set for me as a follower of Christ. Thank you for disciplining me when I got out of line. I love telling people that we share a birthday. You are my best birthday present. I love you so! Happy Father’s Day!