Roll Call Tribute

(Published in) Kingsville Record (on) December 24, 2016

Allie Richard Thallman

Allie Richard Thallman, a former resident of Kingsville, passed away on Dec. 20, 2016, at the age of 81.

He was born on Sept. 8, 1935, on a ranch in Bandera County to Allie O. Thallman and Geraldine Combs Thallman.

His ancestors were early settlers in Bandera County and had been in the ranching business there for four generations. He attended public school in Bandera, and was active in the 4-H Club and Future Farmers of America, raising sheep and Angora goats.

Following high school, he attended Texas A&M University in College Station, earning his B.S. degree in animal science and his M.S. degree in animal breeding and serving in the U.S. Army Reserve. While attending Texas A&M, he met Joanne Miller of Orange and they were married on June 22, 1957. In 1958, after graduating from Texas A&M, Richard joined United States Testing Company, and was a branch manager in Philadelphia, then assistant to the president at their headquarters in Hoboken, N.J. In 1971, Richard and his family returned to Texas and he worked as Executive Vice President of Santa Gertrudis Breeders International in Kingsville.

Early in his career, Richard visited many interesting places such as Australia, New Zealand, the Fiji Islands, Guatemala and Argentina. In 1974, he began a career in real estate, with an emphasis in farms, ranches and commercial properties.

In 1979, he began development of the Escondido Creek Estates residential subdivision outside the City of Kingsville and was later approved by the Public Utility Commission of Texas to provide public drinking water to the homes in this community. The slowdown of the real estate market in the early 1980s resulted in his next career move, where he accepted a position with Celanese Corporation in Bishop. Richard retired in September 2000 at age 65.

Richard was a lifelong member of the United Methodist Church and held many lay leadership positions in the local church, district and conference including Lay Leader of the McAllen District and Chairman of the Southwest Conference Board of Trustees. In the Kingsville community, he served as an Adult Leader for the 4-H Club, president of the Kingsville Rotary Club, South Texas Team Penning Association, Kingsville Builders Association, and was a director and treasurer of the Friends of the John H. Connor Museum, and a director of the South Texas Water Authority. A Lifetime Member of the American Quarter Horse Association, Richard kept his roots in the ranching industry alive by working with his children’s and grandchildren’s 4-H projects, as well as raising Santa Gertrudis cattle and later fulfilled his dream of becoming an American Quarter Horse breeder. Above all on this earth, Richard loved his wife, Joanne, his children and grandchildren and all things related to horses, Bandera and Texas A&M.

Richard is survived by his wife of 59 years, Joanne Miller Thallman; son, Mark Thallman and his wife Cheryl of Blue Hill, Neb.; daughters, Tricia Ciancarelli and husband Chet of Fort Worth, Karen Keeter and husband Mike of Dallas, Pam Davis and husband Dean of Plano; grandchildren include, Allie Thallman, Will, Zachary and Maddie Morgan, Sam, Will and John Keeter, Russell and Hank Davis.

Richard was preceded in death by granddaughter, Caroline Grace Thallman.

A memorial service will be held in Cox Chapel at Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas on Tuesday, Dec. 27 at 10 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas or First United Methodist Church in Kingsville.