When Tim Tebow posted a tribute on Instagram calling his father a “hero of the faith,” many people searched for the man behind that title. The name that came up was Robert Ramsey Tebow II — widely known simply as Bob Tebow. He was not a celebrity in the traditional sense. He was a missionary, a husband, a father of five, and the man most credited with shaping one of America’s most openly faithful athletes.
This article covers who Robert Ramsey Tebow II was, his ministry work, his family, and how he fits into the broader Tebow family story.
Who Was Robert Ramsey Tebow II?
Robert Ramsey Tebow II was born on January 27, 1948, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was an American evangelical Christian missionary and evangelist, often referred to publicly as Bob Tebow. Some sources list him as “Robert Ramsey Tebow Jr.” — both names refer to the same person, Tim Tebow’s father.
His public profile is not built on fame in the entertainment or sports world. It is rooted in decades of missionary service and in the faith-driven upbringing he gave his children — most notably his youngest son, Tim Tebow, the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback.
Bob Tebow was serious about his theological education. He completed a bachelor’s degree, a Master of Divinity, and a Master of Theology, all by the mid-1970s. That level of academic commitment reflected how seriously he approached his calling as a minister and evangelist.
The Tebow Family — Sorting Out Sr., Jr., and II
If you have spent any time on genealogy sites looking up the Tebow name, you have probably come across more than one “Robert Ramsey Tebow.” It is worth clearing this up, because the two men are often listed close together and their details can easily be confused.
Robert Ramsey Tebow Sr. was born on May 21, 1921, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was the son of Lee Robert Tebow and Alta Fern Ramsey. He served in the United States Air Force during World War II and died on April 4, 1977, at age 55. His story is that of a veteran and an earlier generation of the Tebow family.
Robert Ramsey Tebow II — Tim’s father — was born in 1948 and lived into the 2020s. He was not a military veteran. He was a missionary. The two men are from different generations, and their biographical details should not be mixed together.
The simplified family line looks like this:
- Lee Robert Tebow and Alta Fern Ramsey
- → Robert Ramsey Tebow Sr. (1921–1977)
- → Robert Ramsey Tebow II (1948–2024)
- → Tim Tebow
When Tim Tebow confirmed his father’s passing on Instagram, he used the full name “Robert Ramsey Tebow II,” which settles the suffix question clearly.
From Cincinnati to the Philippines — A Life Devoted to Ministry
Bob Tebow’s path toward missionary work started taking shape during his college years. He attended the University of Florida in Gainesville in the late 1960s. Even then, his faith was hard to miss. A personal account written by Jim Lamb on Prose.com describes Bob during that period as a bold street evangelist — someone willing to approach strangers and talk openly about his beliefs, even when others found it uncomfortable.
On June 12, 1971, Bob married Pamela Pemberton, known publicly as Pam Tebow. Together they raised five children: Kathryn, Christine, Robby, Peter, and Tim.
In 1985, Bob and Pam made a major decision. They moved the entire family to Mindanao, in the Philippines, to do full-time missionary work. This was not a short-term mission trip. It was a deliberate, long-term commitment to church planting, preaching, and humanitarian outreach among local communities.
Think about what that kind of move involves. You are taking your family far from home, setting aside a conventional American life, homeschooling your children in a foreign country, and building a ministry from the ground up. That is exactly what the Tebows did. Bob’s ministry work in the Philippines was carried out through the Bob Tebow Evangelistic Association, which became the vehicle for his outreach in the region for years.
Those who traveled on mission trips with him often described a man who led by example — preaching in public, connecting with local churches, and investing in people’s lives directly. His style of ministry was hands-on and unapologetic.
How Bob Tebow Shaped Tim Tebow’s Faith and Public Life
Tim Tebow has never been shy about crediting his parents for his worldview and his faith. His father’s influence is central to that story.
Growing up in the Philippines, Tim watched his father preach in communities where the family was a clear outsider. He saw a man who prioritized service over comfort, scripture over status, and people over profit. That environment shaped how Tim would later carry himself — on football fields, in media interviews, and through his own foundation work.
Tim Tebow became well known during his college career at the University of Florida for writing Bible verses on his eye black during games. His public confidence in his faith, the way he prayed openly after touchdowns, and his willingness to speak about his beliefs without hesitation — these traits trace back, at least in part, to a father who modeled that same boldness decades earlier on the streets of Gainesville and in the villages of Mindanao.
When Bob Tebow died at age 78, Tim’s Instagram tribute did not focus on accomplishments or accolades. It focused on character. He called his father a “hero of the faith” — someone who loved Jesus, stayed faithful, and left a lasting impact on many lives. That kind of tribute says as much about the son as it does about the father.
The Tebow Family’s Deep Roots
For readers interested in the genealogy side of this story, the Tebow family history goes back much further than Ohio.
A relative named Dean Enderlin, who works as a geologist, traced the family ancestry back to a man named Andries Tibout. Tibout was an ethnic Walloon — from the region that is now Belgium — who emigrated from Bruges to New Amsterdam (present-day New York) around 1686. Over generations, the surname gradually shifted from Tibout to Tebow, which is a common pattern with immigration-era name changes.
Later generations of the family moved from New Jersey to Ohio, which explains why both Robert Ramsey Tebow Sr. and Robert Ramsey Tebow II were born in Cincinnati. The name has been in America for over three centuries by the time Tim Tebow played his first NFL snap.
This ancestry detail is worth mentioning not just as a curiosity but because it helps explain why searches for “Robert Ramsey Tebow II” sometimes pull up genealogy records alongside sports news. The Tebow name has a documented family tree that researchers have followed closely.
What We Know — and What We Don’t
Outside of his ministry and his role as Tim Tebow’s father, detailed personal information about Bob Tebow is limited. That is not unusual for someone whose life was spent in service rather than in the public eye.
What is well documented is this: he was a man of strong faith, a committed husband, a hands-on father, and a missionary who gave decades to work in the Philippines. He raised five children in a household centered on scripture and service. He died at age 78, and the people who knew him — including his famous son — remembered him for his integrity and his spiritual example.
For readers who want broader context on faith-driven public figures and family legacy stories, Start Business Advice covers profiles and background pieces that go beyond surface-level headlines.
A Legacy That Outlasts the Headlines
Robert Ramsey Tebow II was never seeking fame. He was a missionary who happened to raise a son who became one of the most recognized athletes in America. His story is not really about football or celebrity — it is about a man who built his life around what he believed and raised his family to do the same.
The reason people search his name today is mostly because of Tim. But the more you learn about Bob Tebow, the clearer it becomes that Tim’s public faith is not performance. It is something he grew up watching, every day, in a household led by a man who meant every word of it.
That, more than any single moment on a football field, is Robert Ramsey Tebow II’s real legacy.
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