William Powers Denison

William “Mack” Powers Denison, Jr. was greeted into his Savior’s arms on February 4, 2026, at the age of 89. He was preceded in death by his loving wife of 59 years, Linda Beeley Denison; his parents, William “Mackie” Powers Denison and Mona Blackmore Denison; and his brother, Gerald Lambdin Denison.
Mack is survived by his younger brother, James Wright Denison of Kerrville, Texas.
Mack is also survived by his four children: Dawn Thompson and her husband, Lance; Darby Denison; Courtney Greenwood and her husband, Cameron; and Colby Denison and his wife, Susanne. He is also survived by his eight grandchildren, whom he adored: Cameron Thompson, Luke Thompson, Walt Fortney and his husband John Goodman, Tatum Fortney, Tanner Fortney, Worth Denison, Merritt Denison, and Miles Denison. He is also survived by his beloved dachshund, Jenny V, the last of his five dachshunds named Jenny.
Mack was born in Austin, Texas, on November 19, 1936, when his mother was just 19 years old. Four years later, they moved to Andrews, Texas, where his father served as a firefighter for the Humble Oil Co. After a short stint in Gaines, Texas, they arrived at their final destination in Houston, Texas. Mack graduated from Stephen F. Austin High School in 1954.
Mack joined the ATO fraternity at the University of Texas, where he served as social chair. Mack bled orange. After graduating and moving to Houston, Texas, he married Linda just weeks after she graduated from UT. The love of his life, he stood by her until the end of her battle with cancer.
Despite living in Houston, they rarely missed a home game arriving and staying until the end of “The Eyes.” He achieved one of his dreams of returning to Austin by building a home on Lake Travis, where he created many wonderful memories for friends and family.
Mack retired from Merrill Lynch after 38 years of dedicated service. Despite many attractive offers, he stubbornly refused to leave. He befriended many of his managers, who viewed him as a man of integrity and honesty; he was universally trusted by his clients. He did not view himself as a salesman, so he built his book through transactional excellence, customer service, honesty, and integrity. Mack never took a sick day.
Mack was intensely loyal to their close friends. After the death of any of their friends’ spouses, Dad would say, “You’re with us now.” He and Linda made friends for life, and those friends stuck together until the end. He would never miss his children’s or grandchildren’s sporting events or special ceremonies.
Mack shared his creative talents through the construction of his beautiful homes filled with beautiful antiques. After work and on weekends, Mack remodeled our home with his own two hands. Mack could fix anything. During our annual vacations to Hot Springs, Arkansas, he would repair the boats and jet skis. He not only fixed our home but also our cars.
He loved all things Linda: his girls, the Thetas, Camp Waldemar, and all the children of his friends. At Waldemar, he proudly wore purple, green, and orange to ensure he was cheering on all three of his girls. He then continued the tradition when his granddaughters attended.
Special thanks to all of his friends and to Hilda and Leighton for their devoted and loving care.
After a private burial, a memorial service will take place at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 25, at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, 717 Sage Road, Houston, Texas, with a reception to follow.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to St. Martin’s Church.
Dad, we love you and thank you for all you did for us.