Roll Call Tribute
John Withers '57 March 21, 2019 8:41 AM updated: March 21, 2019 8:45 AM
Sparkman/Hillcrest Funeral Home obituary
Dallas, TX
214-363-5401
John Houston Withers
MARCH 6, 1936 – MARCH 18, 2019
John H. Withers, 83, of Dallas, Texas passed away on March 18, 2019 after a short but courageous battle with lung cancer.
A memorial service will be held at 3:00 PM on March 25, 2019, at The Church of the Incarnation with the Rev. Thomas Kincaid, officiating. A private interment will be held some time later.
John was born in Lubbock, Texas to Rene and Leon Withers on March 6, 1936. He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in December 1953 and attended Texas A&M thereafter, majoring in Chemical Engineering. Because A&M was a small college in those days, many courses were not offered year around, so John took several math courses to get in step with his graduating class. He graduated in 1958 with a degree in Chemical Engineering and just a few credit hours shy of a mathematics degree. Following graduation from Texas A&M, John married the former JoAnn Tate on August 29, 1958, at Perkins Chapel on the SMU campus. He then reported to Fort Sill, Oklahoma for his Field Artillery Office Basic Course. John and JoAnn loved to tell the story that while at Fort Sill at the end of the month, they were often short of money, so they would go to the O-Club and order steak dinners on John's O-Club account. Once he completed his training, John had to scrape up enough money to pay off his O-Club bill before being allowed to clear the post.
Upon return to Dallas from Fort Sill, John worked as an engineer for the Lone Star Gas Company. Wanting to further his education and ultimately work for himself, John applied to SMU to complete a degree in mathematics. Because SMU did not know how to credit his engineering hours, it was suggested that the law school was accepting applications. So John walked across campus and applied for and was accepted at SMU's law school, taking courses in the evening. John graduated from law school in 1964 and hung out a shingle with his study buddy Richard "Dick" Harrison, taking court appointed criminal cases and handling small divorce cases. John and Dick soon formed a partnership with Reagan Martin, and John's legal career gravitated more toward family law. John was board certified in family law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and became certified to mediate family law matters when mediation of divorce cases was a novel concept. In 1996, John partnered up with his son John to form the law firm of Withers & Withers, P.C., where he worked pretty much until the day he died. John was beloved by his clients for his firm but fatherly advice and his meticulous trial preparation skills and admired by other lawyers for his gentlemanly style and his veracity. John was a member of the Family Law Sections of both the Dallas Bar Association and the State Bar of Texas. He was also a member of the Revision Committee of the State Bar of Texas Family Law Practice Manual. John was an avid gardener and took great pride in his roses, okra, and TAMU tomatoes.
John is preceded in death by his parents and his brother Leon.
John is survived by his wife JoAnn, son John and his wife Mojgan, daughters Angela Meyer and her husband Baker and Elaine Lozano and her husband Raymond, grandchildren, Robert and his wife Ashley, Michael, and Daniel Withers, William and Katherine Meyer, and Grace and Mia Lozano, and great-granddaughters Layla and Claire Withers.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Tate-Withers Fund for Continuing Education (checks payable to Chapter BC, P.E.O. c/o Pamela Shamblin, 8600 Thackery St. #2207, Dallas, TX 75225).
Services
25
MARCH
Memorial Service
3:00 pm
CHURCH OF THE INCARNATION
3966 McKinney Ave
Dallas, TX 75204
Dallas, TX
214-363-5401
John Houston Withers
MARCH 6, 1936 – MARCH 18, 2019
John H. Withers, 83, of Dallas, Texas passed away on March 18, 2019 after a short but courageous battle with lung cancer.
A memorial service will be held at 3:00 PM on March 25, 2019, at The Church of the Incarnation with the Rev. Thomas Kincaid, officiating. A private interment will be held some time later.
John was born in Lubbock, Texas to Rene and Leon Withers on March 6, 1936. He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in December 1953 and attended Texas A&M thereafter, majoring in Chemical Engineering. Because A&M was a small college in those days, many courses were not offered year around, so John took several math courses to get in step with his graduating class. He graduated in 1958 with a degree in Chemical Engineering and just a few credit hours shy of a mathematics degree. Following graduation from Texas A&M, John married the former JoAnn Tate on August 29, 1958, at Perkins Chapel on the SMU campus. He then reported to Fort Sill, Oklahoma for his Field Artillery Office Basic Course. John and JoAnn loved to tell the story that while at Fort Sill at the end of the month, they were often short of money, so they would go to the O-Club and order steak dinners on John's O-Club account. Once he completed his training, John had to scrape up enough money to pay off his O-Club bill before being allowed to clear the post.
Upon return to Dallas from Fort Sill, John worked as an engineer for the Lone Star Gas Company. Wanting to further his education and ultimately work for himself, John applied to SMU to complete a degree in mathematics. Because SMU did not know how to credit his engineering hours, it was suggested that the law school was accepting applications. So John walked across campus and applied for and was accepted at SMU's law school, taking courses in the evening. John graduated from law school in 1964 and hung out a shingle with his study buddy Richard "Dick" Harrison, taking court appointed criminal cases and handling small divorce cases. John and Dick soon formed a partnership with Reagan Martin, and John's legal career gravitated more toward family law. John was board certified in family law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and became certified to mediate family law matters when mediation of divorce cases was a novel concept. In 1996, John partnered up with his son John to form the law firm of Withers & Withers, P.C., where he worked pretty much until the day he died. John was beloved by his clients for his firm but fatherly advice and his meticulous trial preparation skills and admired by other lawyers for his gentlemanly style and his veracity. John was a member of the Family Law Sections of both the Dallas Bar Association and the State Bar of Texas. He was also a member of the Revision Committee of the State Bar of Texas Family Law Practice Manual. John was an avid gardener and took great pride in his roses, okra, and TAMU tomatoes.
John is preceded in death by his parents and his brother Leon.
John is survived by his wife JoAnn, son John and his wife Mojgan, daughters Angela Meyer and her husband Baker and Elaine Lozano and her husband Raymond, grandchildren, Robert and his wife Ashley, Michael, and Daniel Withers, William and Katherine Meyer, and Grace and Mia Lozano, and great-granddaughters Layla and Claire Withers.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Tate-Withers Fund for Continuing Education (checks payable to Chapter BC, P.E.O. c/o Pamela Shamblin, 8600 Thackery St. #2207, Dallas, TX 75225).
Services
25
MARCH
Memorial Service
3:00 pm
CHURCH OF THE INCARNATION
3966 McKinney Ave
Dallas, TX 75204
505 George Bush Drive
College Station, TX 77840
(979) 845-7514
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