Jon Andrew Dyck

Jon Andrew Dyck of Austin, Texas, beloved father, son, brother, and friend passed away on November 18, 2024, surrounded by his loving family. Jon is survived by his children William (Will), Madeline (Maddie) and Elisabeth (Sis); parents Dr. Walter P. Dyck of San Antonio and Lana Dyck of Belton; sisters Christa (Glenn) Klimchuk of Temple, and Lauren (Eric) Fisher of San Antonio, and brother Paul (Jennifer) Dyck of Alexandria, VA.; and seven nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his beloved niece Kate.

Jon was born on September 22, 1969, in Temple, TX. He graduated from Temple High School and then went on to the University of Virginia (UVA) where he received a BA in Government and was a member of the UVA rowing team. Following in his parents’ footsteps, Jon took advantage of an international experience, spending a gap year in the Czech Republic as editor of the English language edition of the Prague News. Upon his return to the U.S., he received his Juris Doctor from the University of Texas, completing the first semester of his third year of law school at University College London.

Jon began his legal career as a corporate and international lawyer at Baker Botts in Washington, DC, eventually leaving law to pursue his lifelong passion for politics. He held several roles in the George W. Bush Administration, which included serving as Chief Counsel of the Bureau of Export Administration and Vice President and General Counsel of the Millennium Challenge Corporation.

At heart, Jon was an entrepreneur with a fierce intellect and boundless curiosity. From entertaining his siblings in the early years with designs such as a “Magna-Rail” and fast forwarding to his current proposals intended to revolutionize air travel and healthcare, Jon had a keen sense of where the world was heading. He created a succession of enterprises ranging from “e-Law”, an early dot.com legal technology company, to moving his young family from D.C. to Panama where he launched a real estate investment and consulting business.

Jon never let the proverbial grass grow under his feet. Upon moving back to the U.S. and with no previous experience in the mining industry, Jon bought a failing rock quarry and turned it into a well-known and successful enterprise. Rock Solid Stone now produces limestone for homes and businesses throughout the country including the Austin Capitol, Dell’s Texas headquarters and, to his great delight, the home of a recently retired quarterback for his beloved Dallas Cowboys. He also valued his ability to make an impact through his various endeavors, such as the stone he hand selected from the quarry for his niece Kate’s memorial butterfly garden at Haven for Hope in San Antonio.

Jon’s latest venture took him to McCall, Idaho, where he was building several prospect homes. He also served on the Board of Directors for the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia.

A modern-day renaissance man, Jon recently completed a novel, was a competitive swimmer and rower, taught himself piano, mastered the cello, read voraciously, rode horses, canned jams, pursued the perfect brisket, and with his sharp wit and keen memory for details, could tell a story like none other. Although when it came to board games, to which Jon brought his trademark passion, few were willing to play with him more than once.

Always seeking adventure, Jon found himself trekking the remote Darien Jungle with his young son in tow, riding camels in Morocco with his family, and canoeing rivers from the Rio Grande to Alaska.

At the center of Jon’s world, however, was his profound love for his family. Despite his many accomplishments, Jon was most proud of his three amazing children. There was nothing he enjoyed more than laughing with them, or as he liked to say, “CHOL”ing (chuckling out loud). Some of Jon’s best moments as a father were the times he spent proudly watching Sis excel in volleyball, his passionate dialectics with Maddie on art, religion, and politics, and hunting with Will, a pastime that by its nature brought them together through shared introspection.

Jon lived a big life, and he will be missed by so many. His family always marveled at the large group of extended friends he maintained throughout his life, ranging from his childhood and collegiate days to the countless friends, neighbors, and business associates he met throughout the years.

Services will be held Tuesday, December 3rd at 1:30pm led by Reverend Tim Frickenschmidt at All Saints Presbyterian Church in Austin. The service will also be streamed live for those unable to attend.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests memorial contributions to The Nature Conservancy, an organization that has preserved more than one million acres of Texas wildlands and over 200 miles of the state’s rivers and streams.