Robert Allen Rakestraw
Robert 'Bob'/'Rar' Allen Rakestraw, 87, passed away peacefully July 15, 2015 at home surrounded by his family. He fought a long battle with COPD and chronic pain courageously, all the while retaining his sense of humor.
Rar was born Oct. 10, 1927, in Duncan, Oklahoma to Ted and Leta Fay Rakestraw. A petroleum engineer for Gulf, Ted often took his family to rig locations. Bob idolized his father and wanted to be just like him, so as soon as he was able, he began "gophering" for the rig hands. Big for his age, Bob fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a roughneck when a derrick hand trained him to swing pipe. He was promptly fired when the company discovered he was only 14.
At 17, to the dismay of his mother and pride of his father, Bob joined the U.S. Navy to fight in WWII. The war ended shortly after he enlisted, much to his family's relief. In 1950, Bob graduated from the University of Tulsa with his degree in petroleum engineering - a third-generation engineer. After graduation, he worked for several drilling contractors in Wyoming. Bob was stationed in the Worland area where he fell in love with Wyoming's people and mountains.
In 1954, Bob was hired by Loffland Brothers Drilling Co., sparking what was to be a long and adventurous career. He was primarily assigned to the Moab and Farmington areas before being transferred to Casper, where he met Martha Kurtz of Cody and, in 1961, they were married.
The year 1966 marked the start of a 14-year international stint with Loffland Bros. His first assignment was as chief engineer in Benghazi, Libya, where he took Martha and his two children. He supervised land rig drilling, navigating the desert in his Land Rover. In 1967, he became division superintendent in Great Yarmouth, U.K., where he was involved in drilling some of the first oil wells in the North Sea.
After two challenging years in Great Yarmouth, Bob was once again transferred to Benghazi and Tripoli, Libya, right after Ghaddafi assumed power. Fortunately, he was promoted to division manager of Nigeria, where he moved his family in the early '70s. Bob spent two fabulous years in Lagos and made many great friends during his stay. He was then assigned to division manager of Saudi Arabia, where he and his family lived in Abqaiq (an Aramco compound) for a couple of years. In 1975, Bob was promoted to his dream job as general manager of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, with the main office in London. Moving to London was a delight to Bob and his family. While in the U.K., Bob and his family moved to Aberdeen, Scotland, so he could more closely supervise offshore drilling in the Ninian Field in the North Sea.
In 1980, Bob was transferred to Tulsa, Oklahoma, the head office of Loffland Bros. This involved extensive business travel to South America. In 1984, Bob was made division manager for the Rocky Mountains, which brought him back to Casper.
Bob seized the opportunity to retire from Loffland after 34 years during the great oil bust of the '80s. He and Martha have lived happily in Casper ever since. Bob loved his involvement with the Wildcatter's Golf Tournament - once serving as chairman. Bob was always passionate about cerebral pursuits - he devoured many books on history and politics and could converse intelligently about any topic. He was a licensed pilot and aviation enthusiast and also loved all things involving ships and the sea. He was a talented woodworker who crafted many heirloom furniture pieces for his grandchildren. An avid photographer, he most notably documented a well blow-out that was contained by the legendary Red Adair.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brother David Rakestraw; and many dear friends.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years Martha; daughter Susan (Tom) Brown, of Laramie; son David Rakestraw, of Boulder, Colorado; and grandchildren, Andrew and Emma Higby, of Laramie.
A celebration of life will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 29, 2015, at First United Method Methodist Church in Casper with the Rev. Brian Oliver officiating.