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Tobaben, Richard William

October 5, 1945 –
 October 7, 2019

Obituary

Rich Tobaben was born on October 5, 1945, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His parents Vivian and Eugene moved from Oklahoma to Texas when he was a junior in high school. He said, “I got to Texas as soon as I could!”  Rich was involved in Boy Scouts and in the AFROTC. He graduated from The University of North Texas with a degree in mathematics specializing in computer related courses, statistics, and German. He also attended Texas A & M University and earned a Master’s degree in computer science, and took additional courses in management. His proficiency in Russian and German came in handy when traveling for business and pleasure. Rich joined the Air Force after graduation and was stationed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, at ENT Air Force Base. He was part of the Aerospace Control Squadron and the SPACETRACK system, which was used for detecting, tracking, and cataloging earth orbiting satellites. He worked with and supervised a software team in Cheyenne Mountain at NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) using radar search systems that were used to detect approaching aircraft and objects (missiles) during the Vietnam War era. While attending a party in Colorado Springs, he met Mary Jane, his wife of 49½ years, who was teaching there at Mitchell High School. They married on March 21, 1970, six months after they met! Both sets of parents were pleasantly surprised that Rich and Mary Jane were Missouri Synod Lutherans! After leaving the Air Force as a Captain, he worked at Texas Instruments in Austin, Texas. While in Austin, son Jim and daughter Tiffany were born. He was transferred to the Plano area and worked for TI, Raytheon, and a small company named Polatomic. He worked as a computer programmer and software manager for many government systems. He was a member and for many years the treasurer of the Association for Software Engineering Excellence. Rich, his parents, and sister Maggie joined Messiah Lutheran Church in 1962. Upon his return in 1976 to Plano with his family, he became an usher and was involved in many church activities. He was the facilitator of a Careciples group for over 30 years, and he always had a clever way to keep the group involved and engaged in the lessons. He had a very strong faith and shared it in his daily life. Rich was always a happy and content man. He loved listening, singing, and dancing to music, sailing, traveling, and reading. Rich played bridge most of his life and taught that card game to many others—including Mary Jane. He had a gift for listening, figuring out the problem, and then solving it. His love for math and problem solving was passed on to Jim in his computer career. Rich had a wonderful sense of humor and shared his puns and wit until his last months. He loved animals, and they loved him—a gift he passed on to Tiffany. He was devoted to and loved his family and was so very proud of them. Jim and Tiffany were always in his thoughts and prayers, and they learned so much from him. He loved watching them grow into loving, caring, professionals. Having Kara join the family made him so very happy, too. Rich loved his grandchildren, Will and Elizabeth. He enjoyed all of the times that were shared at home and on special outings. Their visits and seeing them be successful in their many accomplishments always filled him with joy. Rich had many, many friends—at church, at work, and even at Grand Brook Memory Care in Allen. Alzheimer’s disease took the best of him away, but he still had that special smile for Mary Jane and other family members when they came to visit. He will be missed by many, but everyone knows that he is rejoicing in heaven. He is survived by his wife Mary Jane (Lintner), daughter Tiffany, son Jim and his wife Kara, grandson Will, and granddaughter Elizabeth, his sister Margaret Sanders, and nieces Sarah Sanders and Whitney Cutlip. Rich was preceded in death by his parents: Vivian Virginia McGehee Tobaben and Eugene James Tobaben. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made to the Comfort Dog Ministry of Messiah Lutheran Church, 1801 West Plano Parkway, Plano, TX 75075.   Please leave the family condolences and share memories on this website.

Arrangements under the direction of:

Aria Cremation Service and Funeral Home

19310 Preston Road

Dallas, Texas 75252

(214) 306-6700

    Cy Collins
    10 Oct 2019
    10:38pm

    Rich was suche a kind and gentle person, He was a great leader of our careciple group. I t is a blessing to have known him.

    Brian
    11 Oct 2019
    6:52am

    Tiffany, my heart is with you. Your father obviously did a wonderful job in raising you. The photos of you two that you have shared through the years evoke pure happiness and love. I am so lucky to know you, and am, therefore, eternally grateful to your father for bringing you into the world. Love always, B

    Kenny Matthews
    11 Oct 2019
    12:47pm

    You were so nice to me every time we met! Your smile was great and your happiness about life was infectious. You will be missed but God is smiling you and wrapping his arms around you!

    Kenny

    Jaime Elizabeth Sage
    12 Oct 2019
    5:22am

    Your kind heart lives on through your daughter. You are missed, Mr. Tobaben

    Jim Deans
    9 Aug 2020
    2:17pm

    Best wishes Rich! You worked for me at Texas Instruments on the Naval Research Lab Advanced Scientific Computer. That computer was delivered on time and price and ran for five years before shutting down at a 99% uptime. Wish I could have found you sooner.

    JD

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Testimonials

R. Driver
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"Excellent customer service, they made you feel like you were their only customer. Very helpful and explained what we should expect during the process. They basically took care of our needs during this time. They contacted DFW National Cemetery for us which made it a smooth experience. Definitely will use them again."
K. Barker
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"I was amazed how professional the team at Aria Funeral Preston Dallas Texas are. They guided me through the process and my options of their services that they offered for my mother. They are compassionate, caring, calm, good listener, efficient and did an excellent job! Thank you!"
R. Woll
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"If I could give 6 stars I would. Aria made a difficult easier to deal with by basically taking care of everything in an efficient but very empathetic manner. I can speak highly enough of Dusty Martin, who helped us with all of the planning and logistics. He was incredibly understanding and helpful."
Angel M.
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"Nothing prepares you for the grief you go through when losing a child. I called this funeral home at 2:00 am broken and could barely talk. The amount of compassion and empathy they showed me immediately let me know I found the right place to cremate my son. I cannot thank them enough for their professionalism, SINCERE concern, and commitment to making sure my son was honored in the most respectful way. I hope this Funeral home values her as much as my family and I do."
McGee Family
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"Wayne and Staff, thank you for taking care of the arrangements for our mom, Exter McGee and our dad, Philip McGee. You have been great to work with during such a difficult time."
Elledge Family
Elledge Family
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"On behalf of my family, I wanted you to know how much we appreciate your handling of my husband's final arrangements. Wayne Baxter assisted & guided us through the entire process with such care & compassion. Don't know what we would have done without him! Sincerely, Colleen Elledge"
The Peterson Family
The Peterson FamilyYelp! Review - Northwest Highway 5-Stars
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"I can’t say enough about how helpful and professional Dusty Martin, the funeral director at the Aria Cremation location on NW Highway has been. From my initial call, he was kind and informative. My friend died at home while on hospice and she was picked up in about an hour after receiving the call from the hospice nurse. The person who arrived to pick her up was also very professional/respectful and allowed us to take as much time with her as we wished. When I met with Dusty the next day about arrangements, he explained the process and options available without being pushy or trying to “sell” extras. Throughout the process, he kept me informed and, for example, was careful to be certain I understood the cost of the obituary I wanted and offered some options for reducing that cost if I wished. When I stopped by for another reason and started talking about some of the problems I was having with the pictures and media I hoped to use at a memorial lunch I was planning, he not only listened patiently but offered technology advice and let me use his personal media player. I have had experience arranging cremations for four others using two other local companies, and this experience with Dusty at Aria has been by far the best one I have had."
Paula Barnes
Paula BarnesGoogle Review
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"My Daddy’s service and our family experience at Aria Northwest Highway was truly blessed. Funeral Director Dustin Martin is the kind of person that you would like to see on a more regular basis – but in his industry – you hope to not see him that often. That being said – THANK YOU DUSTIN for your unending kindness, compassion and friendship through the process. Meeting you and discussing Dallas History, Find A Grave and my Dad’s lifelong contributions to the great City of Dallas was simply wonderful! In memory of my dad James A. Dodd, Sr. – I want to personally thank you and let you know that you made everything better in that moment. Your calling to “Be There” is spot on. Aria has a one in a million guy in you! Bling Blinky of TEXAS Shout Out: God Bless You!!"
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  1. If death has occurred and or is imminent, please call the Aria location nearest you.

    PRESTON ROAD
    214.306.6700

    NORTHWEST HIGHWAY
    214.340.8008

    BELTLINE ROAD
    972.607.4400

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  4. Fax the forms back to us at:
    • NW Highway
      214-340-8009
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      972-526-7410
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