Timothy Eugene McCaskill

Timothy E. McCaskill died on December 7, 2020. He was 69-years-old. Tim was an original Austin hippie and one of a kind. He was often stubborn, unpredictable, and had no filter, but always genuine, honest, and curious. He was hilarious, controversial, brilliantly logical, and wise, and after 69 years of living as hard as he did, his body failed him when his mind could have lived forever.

He was a wild child from the day he was born on October 24, 1951. His mother resorted to the questionable practice of putting a screen on top of his crib just to keep him in his bed at night as a toddler. His affinity for animals started with the family spider monkey and his fascination with pyrotechnics began with explosive experiments as a boy (we would see this fiery fascination come to full fruition in his late adulthood with his habit of lighting fireworks late at night on weekdays by himself, to the bemusement of the neighborhood).

Tim was the oldest of 4 siblings: Wren McCaskill Bump, Robin McCaskill Parrot, and Gregory McCaskill. He was born to Marcia Dell McKissack and Sam Edd McCaskill in Dallas, Texas, and graduated from Ball High School in Galveston in 1970. He put his parents through hell as a young man, and though he lost his father at the age of 26, he made it a point after he eventually found financial success to support his mother until she passed in January of 2020. Granny cherished every moment of this lavishing and loved to refer to herself as the company co-CEO.

When Tim was 18, his father gave him the option of one of two gifts: a one-way bus ticket to Austin or 4 years of paid tuition at Texas A&M University. The bus ticket held more mystery and adventure, so to Austin he went. He sort of attempted a semester at the University of Texas until he realized there was more to offer in the town than sitting in a classroom.

In 1972, Tim and a friend opened the Black Queen club on 6th St., where Stevie Ray Vaughan, Krackerjack, and his ever-expanding radius of friends made regular appearances. He managed to keep it open for an astounding 10 or so months — despite having no liquor license — before the feds surprised him with a padlock on the front door and ended that short endeavour.

In his early 20s, Tim’s friend Roy Jones taught him how to fly a small, personal aircraft. This opened the door for his next entrepreneurial endeavour that would consume the next decade+ of his life, for better or for worse. His role in strengthening herbal commerce relations between central Texas and Mexico brought him travel opportunities, traumas, and honorable friendships he cherished to his grave. This career path eventually landed “Billy” an involuntary residency in Big Springs, Texas. The extended-stay facility intended to correct and rehabilitate the outlaw, but the complimentary tennis courts, apartment-like housing, and trips into town did little to teach Tim (and all of his friends he met there) any hard lessons, and the mischief continued as soon as everyone made their way back to Austin.

Returning to Austin, Tim got his real estate license with the help of a friend in high places, Lee Biggart, who was the head of the Texas Water Commission at the time. Tim and Lee remained friends for life, joining forces to plan and run the first motocross track in Austin. His circle of friends had no boundaries and seemed infinite, especially with the people he met through motocross, a sport he loved and yearned for until his last day. He was always an adrenalinist and paid the price physically. He had fingertips lopped off, legs snapped, toes bent, traumas to the head, joints eroded. Yet during every stretch of downtime spent healing, he was always focused on getting back on his bike.

In the late 80s, his workings in real estate and habit of water skiing on Lake Austin brought him to the decision to buy 2 lots overlooking the lake. He had a vision for his own private empire far from the bustle of the city and he made it happen. He and his friends designed and built the ultimate bachelor pad in the Apache Shores neighborhood that had only a few other residents at the time. Throughout his 30+ years in the neighborhood that he grew to love and defend so fiercely, Tim met friends like Wade and Brandon that stuck by him no matter what. His favorite thing to do, especially in his later years, was to sit at his boatdock paradise with a cocktail, his dog, and his radio loud, and visit with whichever neighbor floated up and looked thirsty.

On February 20, 1988, Tim married the beautiful Pamela Johnson and they moved into his unfinished bachelor fort overlooking Lake Austin. A Yamaha motorcycle propped up on milk crates stood in place of a dining room table, a ramp substituted for a staircase in the garage, and the nearest grocery store was an hour away, but with Pam’s warm and loving presence they made a home, and soon welcomed their first child on December 26, 1988: Samuel Chase. Sam became Tim's mini-me and was taken wherever Tim went. He'd often come home with temporary tattoos on his upper arms, a buzz cut, or whatever customization Tim and his friends enjoyed delivering to their new little buddy. Tim had Sam on a motorcycle as soon as he could master 2 wheels and they were eternal riding buddies. Sam inherited Tim’s engineering brain, rationality, and love for anything with a motor.

On November 27, 1990, Tim and Pam had their second child, Whitney Ann. She was destined to cause some headaches for her dear old dad, the first of which was a difficult birth that Whitney barely survived. From an early age, she reflected Tim’s independence and love for nature and solitude, which drew them together in his last few years. They shared a passion for politics, existential conversation, and an appreciation for old-school Austin.

On September 4, 1998, after years of desperate pleas from Whitney for a baby sibling, the final McCaskill child was brought into this world: Jessica Morgan. She was the final piece in the puzzle and had so much personality that the household felt radiant from that day on. As a toddler, Jess ordered everybody around with a confusing amount of confidence and entirely stole the heart of her dad. She inherited Tim’s level-headedness, focus and drive, and passion for animals. Jess was always down for anything with her dad: wakeboarding, motocross, and especially bringing home a new pet to the surprise of the family. On one such adventure, they brought home a yellow labrador puppy they named Ralph. Unbeknownst to Tim, Ralph would quickly become his other half and the 2 were rarely seen without the other.

In 1989, Tim established his own company, ProPart, which he built into an internationally successful business. He traded in a life of scandalous and unpredictable hustling for a more domesticated hustle when he made the decision to do whatever he needed to in order to provide for his family. The success he worked endlessly towards provided his three children a life of comfort, safety, freedom, and simple enjoyment. Sam, Whitney, and Jess were his greatest pride and, while he wasn’t regularly effusive with his emotions, he made sure they and everyone else knew it.

Tim was a brilliant man that had a gift for executing his visions. He started Austin Orchards after visiting a pick-your-own orchard once. He started ProPart after learning about an obscure industry he could thrive in. He was constantly dipping his toe into new hobbies and projects; he went through a kite phase, a hammock phase, an exotic plant phase, a black market fireworks phase, countless random motorized vehicle phases. Once, he found a "flying" water tube that had been recalled because it caught a dangerous amount of air when pulled behind the boat, so that was immediately added to our water toy collection.

There will never be a person as cool or unique as Tim. He always had an insane story to share, a raw bit of advice to offer, or an unexpected punchline that would hit you just under the deepest crevice of your ribcage. There were so many more stories to be told around the dinner table, but for that, we must rely on the extensive network of friends he accumulated over the years. He was a legend and those that knew him will never let his epic existence fade. Thank you for all of those that were loyal to him, shared his stories, stood by him through his most pressing moments, and loved him closely or from a distance. Thank you to Pam for her focus to raise 3 empathetic, grounded, and loving human beings, because Tim would not have ended up with the kids he adored so deeply without her partnership. Thank you to his siblings for their adoration and patience throughout his earlier years. Thank you to Chuck for always being a voice of reason for Tim and representing his countless legal issues since your friendship’s beginnings.

At Granny’s funeral earlier this year, a relative spoke of her lifelong service as a teacher and dedicated daughter of the church. He encouraged us to spread knowledge where we can as a way to honor Marcia McCaskill in our daily lives. In that same vein, we can honor Tim by living a little more courageously, more candidly, and with a little more humor.

There will be a Celebration of Tim's life at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 25, 2021 at Lakeway Activity Center.