Tulsa Wife Of Deceased Hit & Run Victim Speaks

By Dan Bewley, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- The wife of a Tulsa man who died one month after being a victim of a hit and run crash wants Tulsa to know his story.

She survived the horrible crash, but Bob Bartholic died Christmas Day.

she's not angry at whoever's responsible.

"I'm numb, I cannot believe that it's real," said Barbara, victim's wife.

Barbara Bartholic has lost her soul mate of 50 years.

Her husband Bob died Christmas Day; one month after their car was hit from behind by another car.

The driver has not been caught. The couple's Honda Accord now sits on a trailer, a reminder of the horrific collision.

"I cannot tell you how I feel," Barbara said.

Barbara doesn't remember much of the crash, and her faith, as well as her husbands, won't allow her to be upset with the driver. She believes a larger plan was in order.

"I feel like the boy or man that caused the accident was, in some way, manipulated to create that death," Barbara said.

Bob Bartholic was a popular artist in Tulsa. His work has been described as stunning and timeless.

"People thought we were building Noah's Ark out here," Barbara said.

One of his more unusual pieces was this concrete boat. 13 years of hard work, right in his backyard.

It even caught the attention of our own Rick Wells in 1993. Bob Bartholic gave Rick a tour and explained how someone set fire to the wood structure that surrounded it.

But Barbara says a painting is what will always stay with her. Bob created it the day of the crash, hours before he was sent into a coma.

"We noticed that in the hospital he had received a laceration exactly like he had painted and he was in this position on his bed," Barbara said.

Barbara Bartholic says her husband was a man of peace and his passion for life will always be with her.