Richard Charles Haas

Richard Charles Haas, 69, of Lakeway, Texas, passed away on Tuesday, October 10, 2017, in Lakeway. He was born on June 13, 1948, in Buda, Texas, to Richard Earnest "Dick" Haas and Louise Clark Haas. His sister, Trevlyn Jean Haas, was one year old at the time. The family lived in Buda for several years where his father managed the Herman Heep ranch before moving to Wichita Falls where he then worked for Allbright Moving and Transfer Company, owned by Louise's parents, Robert and Lora Clark.

When Richard was in elementary school his family moved to Corpus Christi where he attended Montclaire Elementary, Hamlin Junior High and Cullen Junior High. He attended Ray High School, and was a member of the Ritter Club, taught music lessons and played guitar in several bands. He then graduated from King High School the first year it was open.

Richard attended Texas A&M University at College Station as a second generation Aggie and graduated with a BBA in Marketing with the Class of 1970. Upon graduation he went to work for Mercantile Bank in Corpus Christi. He later worked with his father in the oil and gas industry for many years before starting his own business, Pinnacle Royalty and Operating Company (Proco). Richard was the first independent to drill horizontally in the Austin Chalk, being awarded two patents for the horizontal drilling technology and processes he developed. He was a featured speaker for World Oil conferences on the topics of horizontal drilling and drilling in the Austin Chalk. He was also an instructor for private drilling seminars and his articles were published in World Oil and American Oil and Gas Reporter.

Richard served on the board of directors for the Former Students' Association of Texas A&M University from 1989 to 1993, was twice President of the Corpus Christi A&M Club and was Aggie of the Year. He was an avid skeet shooter who won many awards and contributed a great deal to the community both by giving his time and providing financial support for youth shooters and the A&M shooting team. At the time of his death, he was the Vice President of Vortex Tools, LLC, and President of the recently established Poco Loco Operating, LLC.

Richard was preceded in death by his father, Richard E. Haas, his mother, Louise C. Haas, and his sister, Trevlyn J. Haas. He is survived by his wife, Tonya Brooks Haas, his five daughters, Tiffany Hull (Stephen), Emily Garmon (Shelby), Natalie Fredrickson (Eric), Jennifer Dennis (Jim), and Kathryn Haas, as well as a step-son, Andrew Pierce, and eight grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at The Lakeway Church in Lakeway, Texas, on Saturday, October 28, 2017, at 1 PM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, a favorite charity of Richard's.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Corpus-Christi Caller-Times from Oct. 22 to Oct. 23, 2017.

Memories and Condolences
for Richard Haas

Sponsored by All Faiths Funeral Services North Austin Location.

19 Entries

Alan miller

October 5, 2024

Been thinking of Ricardo again this week.
On 10/10 it will be 7 years since his passing from this earth. We talk about him often - he email messages still pop up in topic searches and he was funny.
We still remember you.

Alan and Colin

Alan Miller

October 10, 2023

Another year - it was 6 years today, my friend Ricardo left this earth. What a great guy - still miss him.

Alan Miller

Alan Miller

October 8, 2022

Hard to believe that on 10/10 it will have been 5 years since Ricardo passed from this life. Colin and I still talk about him regularly in our business discussions at Vortex - and regularly, I come across his words of wisdom, often with his wistful sense of humor. He lives on, in the lives of the many people he influenced.

I am proud to call him my friend - and recall all the blessings he so completely shared with everyone he met. For his family and friends - remember the light that Ricardo was and the influence he still has today.

Alan Miller
Vortex

Pete Eldridge

May 19, 2022

I heard the name Haas today and its sparked some old memories. I got to know Richard when we attended Cullen JH in Corpus Christi. I moved from Corpus after our junior year at Ray but I did run into him at A&M. I have told my children several time about Richard; his smile, laugh and "go for it" attitude. He IS a certified inspiration.

Virginia Garner

October 16, 2021

Virginia Garner

October 16, 2021

Virginia Garner

October 16, 2021

Richard Haas was married to my sister Laura Haas. My husband, Lavell, and I spent so much time with him and Laura during holidays and family vacations. Our kids grew up together. Some of our favorite times were at his family ranch in Colorado where we rode horses, helped pull calves in the spring and explored the 50,000 acre ranch that included covered wagon tracks on the Santa Fe trail. Richard loved family, hunting and the oil business.

Several years after Richard passed my sister Laura passed. We miss them so much I can´t express it.

These photos remind me of those times on the ranch when a man, bigger than life, showed us their land.

Alan Miller

October 16, 2021

Four years have passed, but Richard's influence continues strong. We miss him in our business organization for sure, but I also remember him fondly as a friend .

Colin McKay Miller

October 20, 2020

Often in our work meetings one of us will ask, "What would Richard think?" Thankful to have known the man; thankful for his influence still.

Tonya Haas

October 16, 2020

Best man that ever lived. I miss you so much my love-
T

Barbara Griffith

October 18, 2019

Richard was a very nice gentleman, excellent shooter and a fun person. I miss seeing Richard at the gun shoots. I pray his family is doing well.

Dee Thornton

October 11, 2019

I had lost touch with Richard over the years and was researching issues with horizontal drilling when I came across his obituary. Richard was the most amazing person I have ever known. He was inspiring, loved life and lived life in a way that always amazed me and made me smile. Nothing held him back and any obstacle became his challenge that by damned he was going to conquer and have the time of his life doing so. I grew up with him being like my big brother(he was 10 years older than me). He actually was my God-brother, Dick and Louise being my God-parents. I moved to Houston after graduation from Texas A&M and as with life, I lost touch over the years. I would occasionally run into him at Oil & Gas functions or A&M functions. I wish I would have stayed closer over the years but even apart he inspires me and to this day still brings a smile when I think about him. You will be missed but never forgotten. Thanks for making my life better and teaching me there is nothing you can't overcome. Love ya, Brother.

Brad/Gail Gavit

January 28, 2019

We have many fond memories from our friendship with Richard! There will never be another like him. In spite of the lemons his life presented him, he usually made lemonade-and then (often) made a cocktail out of that!!!! May God Bless you, Clinkety Clank....See ya on the other side, Amigo....

Lasca Arnold

October 27, 2017

Richard and Kate taught me to shoot skeet and enjoy the camaraderie of the sport. Thank you. That was many years ago, but what I most remember about Richard was his love of his daughters. He was so proud of their beauty, but more of the strong, successful women they are. I hope you all know how much he loved you and how proud he was of each of you. My prayers to his family, Lasca Arnold

Alan Miller

October 27, 2017

Ricardo was my business partner, mentor and friend. He was VP of Operations for Vortex at the time of his passing.

He was an amazing guy. He is sorely missed and loved by many, including me.

Thanks for sharing your life with us.

Alan Miller
Vortex Tools, LLC

Colin McKay Miller

October 27, 2017

Richard was our friend and coworker at Vortex Tools.

Our team recently we had a meeting where we referenced how we thought Richard would handle a current business situation. He had keen insight, a wealth of experience, gravitas, and a deep respect from all who met him in our industry.

We put up the following thoughts on our blog:

Oil & Gas Loses a Great One: Richard C. Haas

Half his garage was ammo; the other half was tequila. That was the first thing I noticed when I pulled up to Richard's house in Austin.

We were slated to ride to Lubbock, Texas to present at a local event, and he was driving. What I did not know at the time was that, because he had no use of his legs, Richard drove his Chevy Suburban entirely with his hands. This would be fine, except that he also talked on his phones (yes, plural), smoked repeatedly, and wait, how many hands do you have again? Then he'd take a corner fast and guns would come sliding out from beneath the seats to greet your feet (it's Texas, people).

This was our VP Operations of Vortex Tools: Richard C. Haas.

As a kid, Richard was diagnosed with polio, wore leg braces, and was then wheelchair-bound almost his entire life. The son of an oil man, he followed his father's footsteps, but his approach required more grit and determination: Oil & gas rigs do not have disabled access. This meant that Richard would leave his wheelchair off to the side and slide around using his upper body strength. A rig can be a brutal environment when you're standing on your feet and Richard would drag his body along to get the job done.

If there was an award, he received it (he was voted Aggie of the Year at Texas A&M twice). If there was a featured roleinstructor, speaker, Club President, Chairman of the Boardhe got it. He received two patents and wrote several articles and White Papers. After negotiating oil & gas deals around the world (in the U.S., Mexico, and the Gambia), Richard settled back in near Austin, Texas. In 2001, he helped found Border to Border Exploration. Under his drilling guidance, BBX turned a $2.4 million investment into a billion-dollar asset valuemaking them one of the top independents in the U.S.

In 2011, he joined Vortex Tools to explore innovative uses of our optimization tools. In drilling, he'd complete a well in less time and for less money than other companies in the area. As an operator, he'd get more production from his wells, and that was the kind of innovation we wanted in our company. Since Richard entered the industry when oil was a mere $20 a barrel and gas a bare 10 cents an MCF, he was always looking to, as he said, get the last squeal out of the pig.

As a company, we believe that, despite what you may think of the oil & gas industry, it's the key resource we have right now, so we should make it as optimal and as clean as possible. Richard's approach fit right into that viewpoint.

He also drank repeatedly brewed iced tea that had the consistency of motor oil. First time he offered me some, my boss shook his head. I took it anyway, drank down a couple of inches, and shook wide awake until 2 AM.

And in June, Richard suffered a stroke. Three months later, he passed.

He's survived by his wife, six adult children, several grandkids, and many friends who can tell you more about his home life, but I'll speak to our coworker: In an industry where everyone thinks they know everything, people listened to him. In an industry where there's so much success, he was revered.

In short: The man was a notch above.

Here's to our friend and coworker, Ricardo.

--

Originally posted at: https://spirofloblog.wordpress.com/2017/10/20/oil-gas-loses-a-great-one-richard-c-haas/

Patti Knowlton

October 26, 2017

Richard was a loved friend, we enjoyed our time spent with Richard and Tonya. He was very well versed, intelligent, respectful of all, a joy to be with. We have lost a beloved giant of a man. He is so missed by so many.
Love to his family,
Patti Knowlton

From our Family, Nicholson, Roby, McCain and Garner

Jenny Garner

October 25, 2017

Richard Haas was a dear member of our family. We have so many wonderful memories at the ranch in Colorado, our favorite camping spot, Chalk Bluff, and at home. Richard was married to my sister Laura. Together they had a beautiful daughter, Katie. He was loved by everyone in our family, our sons, Bryan, Richard and Paul, my sisters, Joy and Tracy and their families, my father, Richard Nicholson and mother Lola Nicholson. Dad could stay up all night talking to Richard. He loved him so much. Our hearts and prayers are with his family. His daughters, Tiffany, Emily, Natalie and Jennifer, idolized him. My father is in the hospital so we cannot leave at this time. Our son, Bryan Garner will represent the Garners and Nicholsons. All our love, Lavell and Jenny Garner

Kelley Kenyon

October 25, 2017

So very sorry for your loss. He was a kind and very special man. He will be greatly missed.

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