ROBERT LEE KERR
1942-2021
Robert Lee Kerr, 78, of Houston, Texas, passed away on August 8th, of natural causes peacefully in his sleep.
Robert (Bob) was born on December 18, 1942, in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he lived for his entire youth with his father, Aubrey Robert Kerr, his mother, Mary Nell Burns Kerr and his brother Charles Robert Kerr. He attended Hall High School in Little Rock, Arkansas where he played percussion in the band, working summers as a lifeguard and in his father’s grocery store. He went on to obtain his Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas in 1964. In 1966, he enlisted as an officer in the United States Army, serving in the Medical Service Corps. He served one tour of duty in Vietnam, serving as an administrator in the 18th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. Prior to his tour in Vietnam, he met Virginia (Ginny) Haase of Gillett, Texas while stationed at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, and they were married on October 1, 1966 at St. Peter Prince of the Apostles Catholic Church in San Antonio. Upon his honorable discharge from the Army as a Captain, Bob returned to be with Ginny in San Antonio where he attended Trinity University, obtaining his Masters in Healthcare Administration. Following on his hospital administration experience in Vietnam, in 1970 Bob began his career as a hospital administrator with St. Joseph’s and Hermann Hospitals in Houston, Texas. Bob and Ginny started a family with the birth of their daughter, Kelly Suzanne in 1971, followed by their son Michael Scott (Scott) in 1974. In
1980, Bob founded his own healthcare consulting and management practice, Southwest Medical Management, Inc. (SWMM), serving as President until his retirement in 2016. Bob was a passionate advocate for healthcare providers and throughout his tenure at SWMM, he assisted numerous healthcare practices with a wide variety of matters, including operations, billing, insurance and regulatory compliance, and mergers and acquisitions, providing a livelihood for a broad diversity of employees, including underprivileged youth, young adults in need of career development and friends in times of need. Bob was actively involved in community and fundraising activities at his family’s church and schools, St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church and School, St. Agnes Academy and Strake Jesuit College Preparatory, including cochairing multiple fundraising bazaars and auctions. Bob was also very active in Kelly’s and Scott’s extracurricular activities, serving in numerous coaching and scout leadership roles, and otherwise as a zealous (sometimes overly) spectator. Bob enjoyed hunting, shooting, coincollecting, European travel, history and sharing laughs with friends and family over a meal or drink. Bob was a lifelong Arkansas Razorback fan and eventually also adopted the Texas Longhorns where Ginny, Kelly and
Scott attended school. Bob is survived by his wife Ginny, his daughter Kelly and her husband Sean Coerver, his son Scott and his wife Annie Hsu Kerr, his grandchildren Cole, Caitlyn, Alex, Camryn and Jack, and many other loving family members.
A funeral mass will be held at St. Cecilia’s Catholic Church in Houston, Texas at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, August 27th. In lieu of flowers, please direct donations in remembrance of Bob to either St. Agnes Academy in honor of Sr. Jane Meyer, O.P., by mail, Attn: Mary Perrotti, 9000 Bellaire Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77036 or visit www.st-agnes.org/supportus/memorials--tributes or Strake Jesuit College Preparatory by mail at 8900 Bellaire Blvd Houston, TX 77036 or online at www. strakejesuit.org/support.