Lindsay Thomas O'Connor

Duke, as we all knew him by, was born on February 14th,1960 in Hyannis, Massachusetts to John Parke and Lillie Mae O’Connor. He spent his childhood in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. In 1978, Duke, along with the family, moved to Austin, TX.

Duke was a gifted carpenter. His ardent attention to the details, combined with the joy of working with his hands, led him down the path to a successful career as a remodeling contractor, early on in his life. But being the curious and cultivating person he was, he decided to try something new. In 2008, when YouTube was in its’ infancy, an idea sparked. Duke decided he was going to record some of the soothing Texas rainstorms and post them on YouTube. After a couple years, his channel, Texashighdef, was generating so many views, he was able to make a living from those videos and retire from construction. This passion of Duke’s allowed him to live an idyllic life of freedom and exploration.

Not being the kind of person to sit idle, Duke pursued many hobbies: photography, sailing, gardening, yoga and his latest, favorite, e-biking. He was an integral part of the 512 Wheelie Crew and Captex Cruisers e-biking groups. His fellow friends and members could always count on him to have mapped out the best routes and know the detailed history of the areas they biked and explored.

Duke was also a beloved yoga instructor at Pure Austin Fitness. But this career as a yoga guru did not start out so smoothly when it began in 2000. “I could not even touch my toes!” Duke had said after attending his very first yoga class. But in Duke’s true-grit fashion, after much dedication, study, and practice, he became a well sought after instructor. This was Duke - he would dive straight into his interests and hobbies, cultivating a deep knowledge of each one.

When it was time to relax, you could always find Duke at one of his favorite restaurants, one of which was Cabo Bobs. He would arrive promptly at 10:55 a.m. to ensure he would be one of the FIRST ones there! Duke loved food and his favorite was shrimp, which of course, he was a connoisseur of. His family would joke with him about how many shrimps he would eat in a single day on our Port Aransas family trips. You couldn’t keep shrimp around long when Duke was nearby!

Duke was caring, outgoing, loving, meticulous and vivacious - his hands-on outlook on life is going to be greatly missed, as well as his dedication to his family and friends, which was unwavering.

He is preceded in death by his parents, sister, Erin O’Connor, brother Scott O’Connor, sister-in-law Tina O’Connor, and nephew Zachary O’Connor. He is survived by his brothers, Michael O’Connor, Larry O’Connor, Neale O’Connor [Christine O’Connor], Deane O’Connor [Loretta Blair], and sister Colleen Kieke [Michael Kieke]; nephews Andrew O’Connor [Jessica O’Connor], Travis Kieke [Jamie Mercer], Nieces Jessica Kieke, Erin O’Connor, Lindsay O’Connor, Jantzen O’Connor [Daylon Garcia]

A celebration of life will be held on August 8th from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Lions Municipal Golf Course. 2901 Enfield Road. Austin, Tx 78703. Food and drinks will be provided. Feel free to drop by any time during our celebration of his life. His absence will be felt by all. Together we can find comfort and healing as we share memories.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.cookwaldencapitalparks.com for the O'Connor family.