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Carl Estes Obituary
1936-2020
Born February 9, 1936 in Ft. Worth, Texas, to the Honorable Joe Ewing and Carroll Cox Estes.
Carl graduated from St. Mark's School in Dallas, Texas, and attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology before graduating from the University of Texas at Austin. He was a member of the Texas Cowboys and Kappa Sigma Fraternity. Carl earned a law degree from The University in 1960 and clerked for Supreme Court Justice Tom C. Clark before joining Vinson & Elkins, where he became a partner and practiced law until his retirement.
Carl was a member of Houston Country Club and Allegro and served as Senior Warden at Christ Church Cathedral. He was an avid bridge player and an honorary member of The Garden Club of Houston. Carl is survived by his wife of 61 years, Gay Gooch Estes, his daughters Adrienne (Danny) Bullard and Meg (Filson) Tapp, two granddaughters, Addie Tapp and Chace Bullard, and his sister Carroll Lynn Estes and niece Duskie Estes. Services will be private.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Carl's memory may be made to Christ Church Cathedral, 1117 Texas Avenue, Houston, 77002 (www.christchurchcathedral.org), The Salvation Army (www.salvationarmyhouston.org), or to the charity of your choice.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Carl Estes
4 Entries
Tony Price
November 25, 2023
One of my best friends.
Anthony John Price
December 12, 2020
I remember Carl from St Mark's School where we both played varsity football and soccer in the early 1950s. Carl had a good technical grasp of the sciences, which initially led him to MIT. He was a good friend and would clearly become a fine community leader as he grew older. He was the type of admirable person that is in great shortage at the present time.
Dawson Charlotte Green
December 4, 2020
What a sad loss to a wonderful family. My heart and prayers go out to all you. Give Gay a hug from me.
Theresa Falco
December 1, 2020
I worked for Carl at V&E for 22 years and those were truly memorable years. Carl was always very kind, courteous, appreciative to me and everyone, and very professional. He and his family were so kind and treated me like a member of their family. I will truly miss this very fine gentleman, but am relieved to know he is no longer suffering. He was one of the finest bosses I could have ever had. I always remember him telling me that I didn’t work for him but worked WITH him. Rest In Peace, Carl.
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