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TEXAS OBITUARIES (JULY 1995–JULY 1997)
(from the Texas Almanac 1998-1999)
Click on a letter to navigate the list.
A
Adamcik, Charlie F., 81; longtime leader of Czech community in Dallas; state director of the Czech Catholic Union of Texas for more than 20 years and honorary state director until his death; in Dallas, Oct. 8, 1996.
Anderson, Pat, 63; co-founder of Half Price Books, one of the largest used-book chains in the United States; in Dallas, Oct. 6, 1995.
Andujar, Elizabeth R. “Betty,” 84; former state senator from Fort Worth and matriarch of the Tarrant County Republican Party; in Fort Worth, June 8, 1997.
Applewhite, Marshall H., 65; Spur native and Texas minister’s son who led Heaven’s Gate cult into suicides in California; March 26, 1997, buried in San Antonio.
Aston, James W., 83; Dallas business leader pivotal in building Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and UT Southwestern Medical Center; in Dallas, Oct. 2, 1995.
B
Bell, Ray Howard, 71; former Fort Worth NAACP president who helped guide city through school desegregation; in Fort Worth, June 11, 1997.
Besser, Rabbi Saul, 62; leader at Temple Shalom in Dallas for 20 years, catalyst for Jewish-Christian dialogue in city; in Tampa, Fla., Aug. 30, 1996.
Bradshaw, A.G., 65; labor leader and United Way worker; former president of Dallas Council of the AFL-CIO; in Garland, Jan. 16, 1997.
Braubach, John H., 80; longtime San Antonio civic leader; helped form the San Antonio Tennis Association and Alamo Boys’ Ranch; in San Antonio; Aug. 9, 1996.
Bruner, Millie, 61; served Grand Prairie in a variety of Democratic Party positions; political strategist at state and national level; in Arlington, Aug. 2, 1997.
Burleson, T.E. Sr., 88; started honey-packing operation in 1929 in Waxahachie where he later served as mayor; in Waxahachie, Sept. 14, 1996.
Bybee, Faith P., 96; former president of the Texas Historical Foundation and art patron in Houston, Round Top and Dallas; in Houston, Oct. 26, 1996.
C
Carruth, Allen H. “Buddy,” 77; Houston business and civic leader, former president of the Wortham Foundation, one of the city’s largest philanthropic organizations; in Houston, Sept. 12, 1996.
Carter, Minnie Meacham, 93; wife of former Fort Worth Star-Telegram publisher Amon Carter Sr.; active in opera and garden associations; father was mayor of Fort Worth; in Fort Worth, Jan. 27, 1996.
Castillo, Ed, 80; columnist who worked at the San Antonio Light for more than 25 years, helped open way for younger Hispanic journalists; in San Ramon, Calif., Sept. 28, 1996.
Cecil, Andrew R., 85; ethicist, distinguished scholar in residence at UT-Dallas, former president of the Southwestern Legal Foundation; in Dallas, Sept. 16, 1996.
Chandler, Mable, 81; spent 39 years as teacher and guidance counselor in Dallas schools; in Dallas, Jan. 13, 1997.
Cheever, Elizabeth Daley, 100; matriarch of San Antonio banking family and benefactor of the University of the Incarnate Word; in San Antonio, April 22, 1997.
Cisneros, Jose, 65; an electrician and mechanic who was lead plaintiff in a 1968 lawsuit which desegregated the Corpus Christi schools; in Corpus Christi, Aug. 4, 1996.
Condon, Richard, 81; author of The Manchurian Candidate and Prizzi’s Honor; in Dallas, April 10, 1996.
Conn, Fred, 89; former publisher of the San Angelo Standard-Times; in San Angelo, June 18, 1997.
Cook, Ben H., 70; Longview business and industrial leader; in Longview, Dec. 29, 1996.
Copeland, Johnny, 60; Grammy-winning blues guitarist known as the “Texas Twister,” formed his first band in Houston in 1954; in New York, July 3, 1997.
Corrigan, Douglas, 88; internationally-known as pilot “Wrong Way Corrigan.” The Galveston native died in Orange, Calif., Dec. 9, 1995.
Cousins, Margaret, 91; former managing editor of McCall’s and Good Housekeeping magazines, senior editor at Doubleday, writer of children’s books; in San Antonio, July 30, 1996.
Creighton, Tom, 70; former state senator from North Texas, served in Legislature for 19 years; in Mineral Wells, April 28, 1997.
Cuellar, Kathleen, 87; Troup native who helped establish the Cuellar family’s El Chico Restaurants; in Dallas, Jan. 1, 1996.
D
Daffan, Ted, 84; country-western songwriter who wrote “Born to Lose” in early 1940s; in Houston, Oct. 6, 1996.
Dale, Allan, 84; dean of San Antonio talk radio and one of founders of nationwide phenomenon in the 1950s; in Florida, Jan. 14, 1997.
Daniel, Neil, 64; professor of English at Texas Christian University for 30 years; community leader in Fort Worth’s Ryan Place neighborhood; in Fort Worth, Sept. 21, 1996.
Daniels, King David, 83; teacher for 36 years and civic leader in Grand Prairie; Dec. 18, 1996.
Davis, Lyle, 91; musician and pianist who arranged music for some of Walt Disney’s earliest films; in Dallas, March 28, 1996.
Dealey, Trudie Lewellen, 91; widow of former Dallas Morning News publisher E.M. “Ted” Dealey. The Mount Pleasant native died in Dallas, Aug. 13, 1995.
Dillard, Katherine, 85; journalist, women’s editor of The Dallas Morning News from late 1940s until she retired in 1976; in Albuquerque, N.M., March 7, 1997.
Dixon, Rev. Ernest, 73; a retired leader of the United Methodist Church in San Antonio. Bishop Dixon was president of the church’s Council of Bishops 1988-89; in San Antonio, June 29, 1996.
Drossos, Angelo, 68; brought professional basketball to San Antonio as owner of the Spurs for 15 years; in San Antonio, Jan. 9, 1997.
E
Evans, Jack W. Sr., 74; Tom Thumb grocery executive and banker who served as mayor of Dallas 1981-83; June 5, 1997.
F
Felty, L.T., 81; longtime teacher and coach known as “Mr. Waxahachie;” helped woo filmmakers to area; in Waxahachie, March 17, 1996.
G
Gaido, Maureen Schwertferger, 78; civic leader and wife of the founder of the landmark Gaido’s Seafood Restaurant in Galveston; in Galveston, Aug. 19, 1995.
García, Héctor P., 82; physician and noted civil rights leader in South Texas, called “Martin Luther King of Hispanics;” founder of American GI Forum; in Corpus Christi, Aug. 26, 1996.
Garson, Greer, 92; Oscar-winning actress who lived in Dallas off and on since 1949 when she married Texas oilman E.E. “Buddy” Fogelson; in Dallas, April 6, 1996.
Gilvin, L.P. “Pete,” 93; Amarillo contractor and philanthropist, pushed for creation of Palo Duro Canyon State Park; in Amarillo, May 30, 1997.
Ginsburg, Marcus, 81; Fort Worth attorney and civic leader; former vice president of the Children’s Museum of Fort Worth and the American Jewish Congress; in Fort Worth, Sept. 5, 1996.
Gordone, Charles, 70; the first black playwright to win the Pulitzer Prize (in 1970); in College Station, Nov. 17, 1995.
Grimes, Johnnie-Marie, 91; chief advisor to former Southern Methodist University president Willis Tate 1955-75; in Dallas, Jan. 29, 1997.
Gronouski, John A., 76; former postmaster general and ambassador to Poland; retired in 1989 as professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas in Austin; in Green Bay, Wis., Jan. 7, 1996.
Guerra, Joe A. Jr., 79; San Antonio businessman and activist with Republican Party and the League of United Latin American Citizens; in San Antonio, Oct. 31, 1996.
H
Hackler, Loyd, 70; former aide to Lyndon Johnson and Lloyd Bentsen, editor at various newspapers in Texas; at his Hope, N.M., cattle ranch, Dec. 21, 1996.
Haley, J. Evetts, 94; archconservative writer and historian of the Texas frontier; in Midland, Oct. 9, 1995.
Hammond, Ulysses, 76; one of first African-Americans in the nation to serve as a Boy Scout area director (1946-71 in East Texas); in Dallas, Oct. 25, 1995.
Hancock, T.S., 81; educator, superintendent at Cypress-Fairbanks schools 1954 to 1968; in Houston, Dec. 14, 1996.
Hardin, Ross, 84; Texas legislator of the 1930s and ’40s who helped create the first pension for Texas’ elderly; in Kaufman, Feb. 4, 1996.
Hawn, C.F., 89; East Texas businessman for whom a Dallas freeway is named; served on state Highway Commission in 1950s and ’60s; in Athens, Oct. 9, 1996.
Herman, Robert, 82; scientist and Big Bang theorist who taught at UT-Austin; in Austin, Feb. 13, 1997.
Hines, Rev. John, 87; bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas 1956-64; presided over the Episcopal Church in the late 1960s; in Austin, July 19, 1997.
Hitt, Dick, 63; former Dallas Times Herald columnist, author, TV anchor and radio host; in Tyler June 27, 1996.
Hobby, Oveta Culp, 90; organized Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps during World War II, secretary of Health, Education and Welfare in Eisenhower Cabinet and led media empire that included The Houston Post; in Houston, Aug. 16, 1995.
Hogan, Ben, 84; golfing great who won all four major championships; in Fort Worth, July 25, 1997.
Hyatt, Walter, 47; country songwriter whose Uncle Walt’s Band influenced many musicians in Austin’s 1970s cosmic cowboy era; in an airliner crash, May 11, 1996.
J
Jernigan, James, 81; educator, former president of Texas A&I University in Kingsville; in Richardson, Aug. 10, 1996.
Johnson, E.J. “Jack,” 89; between 1931 and 1951 served Irving as mayor, councilman, policeman, school board member and fire fighter; in Irving, Nov. 16, 1996.
Johnson, George S., 83; former executive of the Dallas Times Herald where he worked from 1953 until his retirement in 1978; in Stuart, Fla., April 27, 1997.
Jonsson, J. Erik, 93; former mayor of Dallas 1964-71, whose impact as civic leader preceded and followed those years; former chairman of Texas Instruments; in Dallas, Aug. 31, 1995.
Jordan, Barbara, 59; elected to Congress from Houston in 1972, becoming first black woman member from a Southern state; first black woman in Texas Senate 1966-1972; professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at UT-Austin 1979 until her death; in Austin, Jan. 17, 1996.
Junkins, Jerry R., 58; chairman and CEO of Texas Instruments Inc., the global electronic giant, Dallas civic leader; of a heart attack in Stuttgart, Germany, May 29, 1996.
K
Kemp, Harris A., 84; architect who designed Dallas Memorial Auditorium and other downtown landmarks; in Dallas, Oct. 24, 1996.
Kreigel, Henry, 88; served in Houston as city treasurer for 17 years and eight as Harris County treasurer; in Beaumont, July 18, 1996.
Kronkosky, Albert Jr., 87; heir and former owner of the Gebhardt Chili Powder Co.; in San Antonio, Oct. 23, 1995.
L
Landes, James H., 84; former Hardin-Simmons University president and former executive director of Baptist General Convention of Texas; in Waco, Dec. 28, 1996.
Leachman, Robert, 68; led the surgical team that performed the first heart catheterization in 1964 at St. Luke’s Hospital in Houston; in Houston, April 1, 1996.
Linthicum, Virginia Murchison, 83; philanthropist and arts patron, was wife of oilman Clint Murchison Sr. and rancher Edward B. Linthicum; in Dallas, Dec. 25, 1996.
Luna, Earl, 74; politically active lawyer; in 1963 as president of school board cast deciding vote to desegregate Garland schools; in Dallas, Aug. 15, 1996.
M
Macdonald, H. Malcolm, 83; professor of government at The University of Texas for more than 30 years; in Austin, July 5, 1997.
Maddux, Elizabeth Huth Coates, 86; descendant of a Castroville founder and noted San Antonio philanthropist; in San Antonio, May 12, 1996.
Mantle, Mickey, 63; famed baseball player for the New York Yankees. The Oklahoma native had been a Dallas resident since 1957; in Dallas, Aug. 13, 1995.
Masterson, Harris III, 82; Houston investor and art patron; in Houston, April 7, 1997.
Matthews, Watt, 98; legendary West Texas cattleman of the Reynolds-Matthews ranching clan; at his Lambshead Ranch near Albany, April 13, 1997.
Matz, Eleanor, 81; one of Harlingen’s best-known civic activists; in Harlingen, Dec. 25, 1995.
McCann, Thomas, 80; construction contractor who served as Fort Worth mayor in late 1950s; in Fort Worth, Aug. 1, 1996.
McConn, Jim, 68; businessman who served as Houston’s mayor during the boom years 1978-82; from 1989 until his death, director of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau; in Houston, March 14, 1997.
McCulloch, Robert, 92; Scottish machinist who was a cornerstone of what became LTV Corp.; in Dallas, Nov. 30, 1995.
McKinley, DeWitt, 91; former foundry worker and Fuller Brush salesman who became Fort Worth’s mayor in the late 1960s; in Fort Worth, April 9, 1997.
McKnight, Peyton, 71; former state legislator and oilman; in Tyler, Dec. 21, 1995.
Mecom, Mary Elizabeth, 86; widow of Houston oilman John W. Mecom, active in her husband’s enterprises; in Houston, May 4, 1996.
Meyer, June, 79; San Antonio business leader and mentor to professional women; in San Antonio, May 13, 1997.
Miller, Dale, 87; veteran lobbyist in Washington for many Texas interests; from 1932-40 edited in Dallas The Southwestern Banker and Texas Weekly; in Washington, April 23, 1997.
Miller, J.D., 73; El Campo native, country songwriter (“It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky-Tonk Angels”); in Lafayette, La., March 23, 1996.
Moody, Shearn Jr., 63; son of wealthy Galveston family, supported various projects including Moody Gardens and restoration of Opera House; in Galveston, June 26, 1996.
Morales, Francisco “Pancho,” 78; credited with inventing the margarita in Ciudad Juarez in 1942; in El Paso, Jan. 2, 1997.
N
Nelson, George “Pop,” 92; Houston barber who was a key civil rights leader there starting in the 1940s; in Houston, March 13, 1997.
Neumann, Charles, 74; former president of St. Mary’s University who taught theology there for 28 years; in San Antonio, May 9, 1997.
O
O’Connor, Tom Jr., 81; prominent South Texas rancher, oilman and banker; in Victoria, Aug. 7, 1996.
Overcash, Clifton Sr., 75; businessman and former Fort Worth mayor; in Fort Worth, Jan. 5, 1997.
P
Page, Minnie Goodlow, 81; Dallas schoolteacher and community leader who served 13 years as president of Dallas Metro Section of the National Council of Negro Women; in Dallas, March 6, 1996.
Passe, Loel, 82; broadcasting voice of Houston baseball for 25 years, first with the Houston Buffs and finally with the Astros; in Houston, July 15, 1997.
Peabody, Elizabeth, 75; art and drama patron, former State Fair of Texas creative arts director; in Dallas, Dec. 25, 1996.
Pearce, J.J., 88; former superintendent of Richardson schools from 1946-70, guiding it from one rural campus to 44 schools; in Richardson, Sept. 10, 1995.
Perez, Eloy N., 72; Tejano saxophonist and composer who formed the Latinaires in Rosenberg, a top band of the 1950s and ’60s; in Houston, March 19, 1996.
Pierce, Robert J., 66; physician who served Irving as mayor, school board president and city council member; in Irving, May 31, 1997.
Powell, Boone Sr., 84; chief executive officer of Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, 1948-1974; in Dallas, Sept. 15, 1996.
R
Rhodes, Mary, 49; registered nurse who served three terms as Corpus Christi mayor; of cancer in Corpus Christi, June 4, 1997.
Rhodes, Robert, 69; retired executive editor of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times and former president of the Associated Press Managing Editors; in Corpus Christi, Dec. 30, 1996.
Richardson, George L. “Skeet,” 66; state legislator, Tarrant County commissioner and mayor of Keller; advocate of UT-Arlington as four-year school; in Dallas, July 28, 1996.
Richardson, Thelma Page, 85; retired teacher whose lawsuit in the 1940s forced Dallas schools to use equal pay scale for black and white teachers; in La Mirada, Calif., Sept. 14, 1996.
Riddle, Charles, 60; operated Sonny Bryan’s Smokehouse from 1989; named one of four greatest “pitmasters” in America by Parade magazine in 1995; in Irving, Dec. 30,1996.
Roach, Walter, 82; devoted 39 years to Texas Christian University as football player, coach and director of the placement office; in Fort Worth, Sept. 25, 1996.
S
Safir, Nathan, 83; developed Spanish-language radio and television stations in the 1940s and ’50s; in San Antonio, Sept. 7, 1996.
Sanchez, Ricardo, 54; Chicano poet and educator who grew up in El Paso’s El Barrio del Diablo; in El Paso, Sept. 3, 1995.
Sandoval, Ruben, 55; civil rights lawyer and activist; in San Antonio, June 19, 1996.
Scarlett, Harold Thomas, 70; pioneering environmental reporter for The Houston Post in the 1970s; in Houston, Oct. 21, 1996.
Schorre, Charles, 71; artist and important figure in Houston art community; in Houston, July 20, 1996.
Semenova, Tatiana, 76; first artistic director of the Houston Ballet in the 1950s; in Houston, Sept. 23, 1996.
Sewell, James, 91; oilman and former Texas A&M alumni association president; in Dallas, Sept. 3, 1995.
Shahan, James Tullis “Happy,” 80; rancher who built the movie set for The Alamo and helped launch the Texas film industry; in Brackettville, Jan. 31, 1996.
Shankle, Perry, 93; a founder of the San Antonio Livestock Show and former San Antonio Chamber of Commerce president; in San Antonio, June 22, 1996.
Sharpe, Ernest A., 80; University of Texas journalism professor for 40 years until 1982, wrote biography of Dallas Morning News founder George B. Dealey; in Austin, May 1, 1996.
Shearer, Bill, 45; led one of Texas’ best-known publishing companies; the Shearer company printed the first in a series of state atlases, The Roads of Texas; in Fredericksburg, of cancer, March 13, 1996.
Shelton, A.B. “Stormy,” 82; publisher of Abilene Reporter-News from 1964, becoming board chairman in 1995; in Abilene, Jan. 16, 1997.
Shivers, Marialice Shary, 86; widow of former Gov. Allan Shivers; she served on the board of regents of Pan American University 1965-78; in Austin, Sept. 29, 1996.
Slater, Rev. O. Eugene, 90; retired Methodist bishop of San Antonio and bishop-in-residence-emeritus for Perkins School of Theology at SMU; in Dallas, March 11, 1997.
Southern, Terry, 71; Dallas-reared author and screenwriter, including Dr. Strangelove and The Loved One; in New York, Oct. 25, 1995.
Spears, Franklin Scott, 64; former Texas Supreme Court justice and state legislator; in San Antonio, April 10, 1996.
Stovall, R.M. “Sharkey,” 79; former Fort Worth mayor who played major role in creation of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport; in Fort Worth, March 22, 1996.
T
Tejeda, Frank, 51; Democratic member of Congress for South Texas, decorated Marine veteran, served 16 years in Legislature; in San Antonio, of cancer, Jan. 30, 1997.
Thornberry, Homer, 86; Democratic congressman from Austin 1948-63; federal judge from 1963 until his death; in Austin, Dec. 12, 1995.
Tichenor, McHenry, 98; built a radio empire of all-Spanish radio to the United States and spread Tejano music; in La Feria, Oct. 24, 1996.
Trigg, Charles, 93, and Mary Katherine “Kitty,” 87; benefactors of Southern Methodist University including $10 million in 1985; in San Angelo, he on Dec. 30, 1996, she on Aug. 2, 1997.
V
VVan Zandt, Townes, 52; noted country-folk songwriter, Fort Worth native; in Smyrna, Tenn., Jan. 1, 1997.
W
Watson, Johnny “Guitar,” 61; rhythm and blues musician; Houston native’s recordings included”Mercy, Mercy, Mercy”; on tour in Japan, May 17, 1996.
Weirus, Richard “Buck,” 76; headed Texas A&M University former students association 1964-79; in College Station, May 8, 1997.
Wells, Marshall F., 78; served 37 years as grants coordinator for Houston Endowment, the charitable trust; in Houston, Nov. 5, 1996.
Wentworth, Margaret Stafford, 75; leader of the Republican Party in Bexar County; in San Antonio, May 2, 1996.
Wilkerson, Floyd F., 89; Dallas educator, journalist and civic leader; in DeSoto, Nov. 18, 1996.
Whiteaker, Mildred, 75; journalist who pioneered coverage of women’s issues in the San Antonio Express-News where she worked for 32 years; in Alamo Heights, July 8, 1996.
Williams, Clarence, 69; longtime civic leader in East Side San Antonio; in San Antonio, Aug. 24, 1996.
Wyvell-Dickson, Dorothy, 83; one of the first medical specialists in Midland in the late 1940s, conservative political activist who ran for Congress in 1960; in Midland, May 20, 1997.
Y
Yancy, James Weldon II, 84; former Paul Quinn College president 1939-42 and a recognized African Methodist Episcopal Church historian; in Forrest City, Ark., Sept. 10, 1995.
Yarborough, Ralph, 92; longtime leading political liberal of Texas; from 1957-70, the Chandler native served in the U.S. Senate where he sponsored the Cold War GI Bill; in Austin, Jan. 27, 1996.
Z
Zimmerman, Brian, 24; former “boy mayor” of Crabb who attracted worldwide attention at age 11; of a heart attack in Houston, Sept. 20, 1996.
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