Walter G. Mize

1938 - 2008

Walter G. Mize passed away Saturday, Jan. 26, 2008.
Funeral: 10 a.m. Wednesday at Field Street Baptist Church. Interment will follow in Mitchell Cemetery in Iredell. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Field Street Baptist Church in Cleburne, where Mr. Mize and his family have been members for over 30 years.
Memorials: The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to one of the following: Creation Evidence Museum, P.O. Box 309, Glen Rose, Texas 76043; Spirit of Sharing, Field Street Baptist Church, 201 N. Field Street, Cleburne, Texas 76033; or Remembering Israel, c/o Christian Heritage Foundation, 2 N. Caddo Street, Cleburne, Texas 76031.
Walter G. Mize was born in Anson and grew up in the North Central Texas area. He graduated from Alvarado High School in 1956 and North Texas State University in 1961. He married the former Mary Ann Medvecky on Sept. 4, 1960, and is survived by her.
Mr. Mize was an entrepreneur, a businessman and a rancher. He sold Bibles door to door to earn money while he was in college. Later during his college years, he sold insurance for Commercial Standard Life Insurance Company of Fort Worth. After he graduated college and had been in business for just a few years, Mr. Mize purchased and subsequently sold that same insurance company.
His first venture in real estate was working as a mortgage loan broker, securing loans for others. He then went into real estate development for himself, which led to various real estate ventures, including building, owning, managing and selling in excess of 5,000 apartment units as well as motor hotels, condominiums, shopping centers, office buildings and other residential and commercial land development.
Mr. Mize was involved in the oil and gas business, starting in 1963, and continuing until the present time. His various companies have drilled or caused to be drilled over 400 oil and/or gas wells in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico.
Mr. Mize was president, chairman of the board and CEO of a public company traded on the NASDAQ and Boston Stock Exchange, and president, chairman, and CEO of many privately held companies.
Mr. Mize was active in local and national politics. He served one term as republican county chairman for Johnson County and was involved in many political campaigns for others. Because of his extensive knowledge of the oil and gas industry, in 2003 he worked with the U.S. House of Representatives sub-committee on energy and air quality on a comprehensive energy bill.
One of Mr. Mize's great loves was ranching. He owned two ranches, one near Hico and one outside Cleburne. He began raising traditional breeds of cattle, moved toward exotic breeds, and finally to Fullblood Italian Chianina cattle. He was one of the first Chianina breeders in the U. S., introducing Chianina influence into his herd. In 1975, he brought the first three Fullblood Italian Chianina females into the U.S. and created the premier herd of Fullblood Italian Chianina cattle in the country. He served in many capacities in many breed associations. He served as president of the International Chianina Association and, in the American Chianina Association, served two terms as president of the Southwest Region, two terms as national board member, and two terms as chairman of the national board of directors.
Mr. Mize was chairman of the board and majority shareholder in two national banks, the Grand National Bank in Fraser, Colo., and the First National Bank in Cleburne. When he sold the First National Bank in Cleburne in 1982, he used the profit from that sale to set up the Christian Heritage Foundation, a non-profit foundation dedicated to encouraging and supporting the churches of Johnson County. Through the end of 2007, the foundation, through Johnson County churches, has helped nearly 24,000 families through its benevolence program, as well as sponsoring many outreach ministries and events to help Johnson County churches tell the story of the saving grace of Jesus Christ. A new outreach program of the foundation is called Remembering Israel and seeks to help the nation of Israel and the Jewish people.
Survivors: His wife, Mary Ann Mize; children, Adam L. Mize of Hico, and Mary C. Mize Hicks of Cleburne; grandchildren, Cody R. Hicks and Hunter G. Hicks, also of Cleburne; brother, Donnie G. Mize of Hunt; several nieces and nephews; and numerous cousins and other family members.