Stephen Lasher

1948 - 2021

Stephen A. Lasher
1948-2021
Steve Lasher drank heartily from the cup of life and was regrettably forced to put down the cup on Sunday, the 1st of August 2021. No golfer who can shoot his age is ever ready to go, and Steve was definitely not ready for the sun to set on this particular round. Yet he made the most of his 73 years on this planet, leaving behind a tremendous legacy of love, friendship, community, and accomplishment.
Steve is survived by his wife of 18 years, Janiece Longoria, who with her love and devotion kept Steve on Earth for many more years than any of us expected. He is also survived by his daughter Kit Ballenger, along with her husband Matt and their children Joshua and Charlie. Kit inherited her father's principled sense of family, community, and justice. He is also survived by his son Andrew, along with his wife Melissa and their children Abe, Sydney, and Rae. Andrew inherited his father's love of fishing, golf, and business, if not his immense talent for those pursuits. He is also survived by his brother, Alfred W. Lasher III. For all Steve's talents and virtues, and so much more, his widow and children are grateful beyond measure. Mostly, we are grateful for the joy of his company and the legacy he leaves us.
Steve was born in 1948, the son of Alfred W. Lasher Jr and Bernice Weingarten. He was the grandson of Abe Weingarten, who identified Steve's early business acumen and talent. Like his grandfather, Steve's success and genuine popularity were imbued with the spirit of reliability, honor, fairness, and trustworthiness. Steve graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1970, returned to Houston shortly thereafter, and began riding the rails at Rotan-Mosle, a regional investment bank. He married his first wife Patricia (Pat) Lasher, with whom he raised their two children in Houston. He loved his job and performed it well, quickly earning promotions and plaudits. He was an accomplished tennis player, but upon gripping a golf club in 1982, never picked up a racquet again. Thus began a lifelong devotion to the game of golf, marked by early frustrations, countless hours of practice, and eventual mastery. He loved to practice, loved to play, loved to talk about it, forged friendships over it, and provided countless tips and lessons to his many playing partners. Anyone who played with him could sense the joy he took from the game. They also learned never to let him hang around in a match. You had to put Steve away early, because no one was better standing over a six-foot putt on the 18th hole. In spite of his competitiveness, which was a calling card in many aspects of life, Steve was unfailingly generous with gimme putts and a generous winner at the 19th hole. He always bought the drinks, and always overtipped. His golf career ended with seven (!) holes-in-one, more than many professionals. He loved playing the world's great golf courses and will be especially missed on the fairways of River Oaks Country Club.
Steve and several partners eventually opened their own investment banking firm, GulfStar Group Investment Bankers, and grew it over the last three decades into a prominent and respected regional business. Always up for a challenge, he learned about the automotive business from his cousin Ken Schnitzer, who loved him like a brother and vice-versa. Steve opened a Mercedes Benz dealership in Sugarland, and over the past twenty years, along with his partner Ken Enders, has grown it into the region's pre-eminent shop. Steve had a love of "heavy metal" and internal combustion engines, and if there is one amusing bright side to be found here, he will be somewhat happy to have missed out on the electric car revolution. During the early panicked stages of the pandemic, Steve was most proud of keeping everyone at MB Sugarland on the payroll. Most dealerships furloughed or fired, but ever the optimist, Steve and Ken did what was right for the loyal people who helped make the enterprise successful. It never occurred to Steve to handle it any other way.
Steve was diagnosed with chronic leukemia in 2004 and received incredible care from his team at MD Anderson Cancer Center. In particular, we want to thank Dr. Phil Thompson, NP Jackie Broadway-Duren, guardian angel Cynthia Coffman, Dr. Michael Keating, and Dr. Michael Wong. Pause for a moment and imagine you were given an incurable diagnosis 17 years before your death, and think about how you would spend your time. In your wildest dreams, you probably could not imagine attacking life as Steve Lasher actually did. He strolled down fairways in Scotland and Augusta, landed multiple 32-inch rainbow trout in Alaska, flew a helicopter onto glaciers in New Zealand, and traveled the wilds in Patagonia. He grew multiple businesses and invested aggressively and wisely in an uncertain and unpredictable time. He served on the boards of MD Anderson Cancer Center, Weingarten Realty, Congregation Beth Israel, the Houston Children's Museum, and was chairman of the board of the Houston Society for the Performing Arts. In particular, he appreciated his five decades of service to Weingarten Realty, a family business that grew into a publicly traded company under the stewardship of his cousin Stanford Alexander. It was quite a legacy of his grandfather Abe's grocery business, led by family with an enduring community impact. Steve was extraordinarily successful and extraordinarily generous with the fruits of that success. He was generous with his time, his money, his expertise, his mentorship, and his friendship. Much of his generosity focused on the city of Houston, which he loved for its resilience, diversity, commerce, and ingenuity. So much of this great city's character was imprinted on Steve, and likewise, he now leaves his imprint on Houston.
Steve Lasher loved life and didn't waste much time. Steve and Janiece traveled the world together to pursue their mutual love of flyfishing. He had more fish to catch, and would have liked to get a few more holes in before sundown. But what a life he lived! He and his family ask that you take to heart what made that life so special. Like Steve, try to plan for the future but live in the moment. Give generously of your time, your money, and your friendship. Know that good business creates multiple winners, along with people who want to do business with you down the road. Be a mentor. Always eat the big frog first. Take one more club than you think you need. When you gather with friends and family, order too much food for the table and definitely more wine than everyone can drink. And if you ever had the pleasure to join Steve's foursome or sit at his table, please recall this gallant man's many virtues and share them freely with the people you love.
The funeral service is to be conducted at ten o'clock in the morning on Wednesday, the 4th of August, at Congregation Beth Israel, 5600 North Braeswood Boulevard in Houston.
In lieu of customary remembrances, please direct memorial contributions to the Leukemia Center at MD Anderson Cancer Center.