Ronald Guy Houdyshell

Ron Houdyshell of Austin passed away peacefully in the company of his family after a six year battle with dementia. Thankfully, he was able to remain at home surrounded by friends and family up until the last two weeks of his life.

Ron was born in Amarillo, Texas to Marie and Guy Houdyshell where he lived and then graduated from Caprock High School in 1965, He promptly left the Panhandle of Texas for Austin and the University of Texas It was there he joined the Kappa Alpha fraternity where he met and made many life long friends,

Along with many hours of classes and Saturdays watching Longhorn football, this is where he met his future wife. Merrianne Lindemann and Ron were married the summer of 1970 and made continued their lives together for over 55 years,

Upon graduation with a degree in Accounting, he was accepted at U.T. Law School. He deferred law school for a year to join the United States Air Force Reserves at Bergstrom Air Force Base where he served his active duty. He entered the U.T. Law School and found his love for the law. He was a member of the Law Review and graduated third in his class.

The summer of 1973 Ron and Merrianne moved to Dallas, Texas where he joined a prominent law firm and Merrianne taught school. It was here they established their family and welcomed three daughters Ali, Margaret and Angela. Many friends and memories were made at schools, weekends and events involving Good Shepherd Espiscopal School, Ursuline Academy, King of Glory Lutheran Church, Town North Y.M.C.A. and Northwood Club to name a few.

Ron continued practice of the law and initially developed experience as a litigator. Over the years he also practiced in the fields of oil and gas, general business and real estate. He represented many clients , companies and friends over the 50 years he was a member of the State Bar of Texas. He received his 50 year certificate from the state only shortly before his illness forced him to retire.

In 1996, Ron had the opportunity to join a law firm in Austin and moved the family, to Westlake to be exact. Here he practiced in the general area of Business Law and later opened a private practice. Life back in Austin was a great experience for the whole family. The family continued to grow, with the marriage of the three girls and then the wonderful addition of six grandchildren.

Ron’s family and friends were a wonderful part of his life and continued to be important even in his difficult late years. He is survived by his wife Merrianne Lindemann Houdyshell, daughter Ali and her daughters Leah and Keira and son-in-law David Thompson, daughter Margaret and her daughters Addie and Gwen and son-in-law Carlos Gonzalez all of the Austin area. Daughter Angela and her children Jordan and Josie and son-in-law Jeff Kennedy of Kerville, Texas. He was uncle to Richard Lindemann Jr. from Dallas and Sarah Jane Lindemann of Brooklyn, New York and Justin White and Carey Luhn both from Dallas.

A special thanks to our caregivers at Seaton Northwest and the staff of Beacon Hospice where Ron spent his last few days. They were all very supportive and caring to his family and to Ron.
Please send any contributions to BvB Dallas, an organization founded by sisters determined to make a difference after their father’s battle with Alzheimer’s.
https://givebutter.com/RonHoudyshell