Dana Thurston Richardson Jr.

Dana Thurston Richardson, Jr, age 90, passed away surrounded by his wife and children on Jan. 29, 2018 at his home on Lake Conroe, Willis, Tx. Dana was born 7/9/27 in Oak Park, Illinois to Dana T. Richardson, Sr and wife Helen, grew up in River Forest until family moved to Houston in 1943 to join his father, a World War I veteran who had reenlisted in the Air Force in 1942, and was stationed at Ellington Field as a Lt. Colonel in charge of cadets. Dana, Jr. joined the Navy in June 1945 after graduation from Lamar High School and was assigned to a minesweeper sweeping mines throughout Japan.

After discharge, he attended the University of Texas and was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. Upon graduation in January of 1950, he went to work for Shell Oil Company in Midland, met his future bride in June, married in December and remained married for 67 years. He left Shell in 1954, became an independent petroleum landman in San Antonio, and moved to Houston in 1956. During the late 60's and early 70's, Dana transitioned from oil and gas to a real estate/entrepreneur career where he put together partnerships to buy and sell large parcels of land north of Houston near the Champions/FM 1960 area. In 1974 he moved his family to Corinthian Point, a Lake Conroe subdivision he and his family were developing. They later developed Lakewood on Lake Conroe subdivision and other successful family businesses connected to Lake Conroe.

Dana was the President of the Houston Association of Petroleum Landmen in 1968 and 1969 and founded the Lake Conroe Association (LCA) in 1977, with the assistance of many local business owners/bankers/property owners. Dana and the LCA saved Lake Conroe from the noxious vegetation, Hydrilla, which covered over 45% of the 21,000 surface acre Lake in 1979, basically 100% of the shallow water shoreline. He was President of the LCA for over 25 years and continued with his businesses and advocacy for Lake Conroe, working full time until his health slowed him down during the Fall of 2017.

Dana was preceded in death by his mother and father. He is survived by his wife Linda, 5 children, Dana III (Phyllis), Bart (Diana), Gary (Sheryl), Ben (Brenda) and Gail (Burke), sister Lenore Dunwoody and nephew David (Kacki), grandchildren Larry, Michael, Tricia (Tyler), Kevin, Summer (Justin), Kyle, Lindsay, Matthew (Alex), and Christopher, and several great grandchildren.

Dana's life will be celebrated in a private, family only service. In lieu of flowers, donations to St.Jude (www.stjude.org) or Shriner’s Children Hospitals (www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org) are greatly appreciated.