Jeffrey Garner Planck

Beloved father, husband, and son Jeffrey “Jeff” Planck passed away on March 13, 2023. He was 50. He is survived by his wife of 20 years, Mayson Planck, their children Amanda and Brett, his mother Sharron Brieger Planck, and numerous family and friends. He was preceded in death by his father, Bob Planck.

A native Houstonian, Jeff graduated from Lee High School in 1991. He attended the University of Houston and earned his BA in Economics and Spanish with membership in the Honors College in 1996. Upon graduation, he taught Spanish and coached basketball at Lamar High School. He went on to earn his MBA in Finance from the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University in 2001. He began a career in the energy industry, rising in the trading and brokerage sector to a partner with Echo Energy, a wholesale brokerage firm based in Houston.

His greatest loves were his family, travel and sports. An only child, he and his parents were a tight family unit and traveled everywhere together. His love of travel and sports were seeds planted in a loving childhood.

He and his wife Mayson were best friends and partners in life. They met at a wedding in Las Vegas, which became “their town”. They joked that Mayson came home with the best man, and Jeff hit the jackpot. They were inseparable ever since. They celebrated their wedding in Vegas and travelled there often. It was there that Jeff nurtured his love and passion for poker. An avid reader and student of people, Jeff loved the strategy and insight the game afforded. He was working toward becoming a professional poker player in his retirement.

A naturally gifted athlete, Jeff excelled at every sport he tried. He played Division I football for the University of Houston Cougars his freshman year. He enjoyed attending sporting events with his family and looked forward to the time it allowed him with his father, mother, wife, and children. He loved the UH Cougars above all other teams, except his children’s teams. Amanda and Brett inherited his love of sport, and he was their biggest fan. He coached Brett at Memorial Ashford Little League, where he himself played as a child. He was a fixture on the sidelines of Amanda’s volleyball games and could be found in the stands behind home plate at Brett’s baseball games.

He was an avid and lifelong traveler. In college, he traveled abroad to Spain and Mexico City, and his experiences had a profound impact on his life. Jeff had a knack for languages and was fluent in Spanish. In high school, he won a national award for best non-native Spanish speaker. He loved planning awesome trips and family adventures including vacations to Europe, Argentina, Hawaii, Lake Tahoe and many more but his favorite vacation spot was Las Vegas, Nevada. One if his greatest joys was taking his children to new places; he believed that travel and learning about other people and cultures was an important part of his own growth in life and wanted to show his children the world.

Jeff was a kind and loyal friend, of which he had many. He was a leader in the local chapter and advisor for his fraternity, Tau Kappa Epsilon. Memorial contributions may be made to “The Jeff Planck Memorial Scholarship to Study Abroad” online at www.tke.org/donate or by mail: Tau Kappa Epsilon Foundation, 7439 Woodland Drive – Suite 100, Indianapolis, Indiana 46278.

A visitation will be held Saturday, March 18, 2023 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. followed by a funeral service beginning promptly at 2:00 p.m. in the Grand Chapel at Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery, 6900 Lawndale St, Houston, TX 77023.