Jack Dahlstrom

Prominent Texas highway contractor, Jack Dahlstrom, died Thursday Feb. 2 in Buda, Texas after battling illness for many years. He was born Jack Howard Dahlstrom at Seton Hospital in Austin, Texas on September 27, 1928. He moved to Buda at an early age. His father, Eric Carl Dahlstrom was a local rancher, and his mother, Dora Henrietta Saenger, grew up in the German community of Cave Creek near Fredericksburg. He attended Buda Schools and the University of Texas where he was in the Navy ROTC program and was an active member of Buda United Methodist Church. He married Gay Ruby, his childhood sweetheart, at the Christian Church in Buda on April 18, 1948. His career in highway construction began that same year when Cecil Ruby, his father-in-law, helped him secure a job on a survey crew for colleague Bill Allan of Allan Construction Company. In the early 1950's, Jack and his brother-in-law, Jim Ruby, using equipment owned by father-in-law, Cecil Ruby, went to work clearing brush and doing site work for local ranchers. Shortly after Cecil Ruby joined the young men and began Cecil Ruby Co. They worked together until 1968 when Jack bought Cecil Ruby out. By 1971, Dahlstrom Corporation was formed solely owned by Jack Dahlstrom. Jack Dahlstrom worked in the Dallas area from 1961 – 1989; his family living in the Dallas area from 1964- 1989. During this period, he performed work in 9 states and two countries, while pursuing construction projects around the world. Some of his many achievements included construction of the D/FW Turnpike, the tunnel and roadways in Big Bend Park, and the highway work through the El Capitan mountain range in the 50's and 60's. Projects during the 70's and 80's included 90% of Loop 635 around Dallas where he built three triple-deck interchanges, all the site work at D/FW airport, four sections of the North Dallas Tollway, four sections of MOPAC in Austin, and the Port of Houston's ship channel and turning basin in La Porte. Dahlstrom Corportation worked for the Corps of Engineers constructing the Waurika Dam in Oklahoma and the Georgetown Dam in Texas. Responsible for construction of over $300 million in contracts with the Texas Department of Transportation, in order to oversee his many projects, he owned 22 airplanes and 2 helicopters. He built his company into the third largest general contractor on fixed costs federally funded projects in the United States. Jack was a daring, high energy entrepreneur. Other achievements included collaboration with Consolidated Coal Company in a visionary plan to develop coal mining and extraction of oil in the tar sands outside Eagle Pass, Texas. Beloved by his employees, by his colleagues and his family, he will be missed by many. Survived by wife, Gay Dahlstrom; son, Jack; and daughters, Cecilia, Cynthia and Dodi; seven grandchildren; three great-grandchildren. Family visitation will be held at the home of Mel and Cecilia Barrentine on Sunday, Feb. 5 from 1-4 p.m. at 3950 FM967 in Buda. Funeral Services will be on Monday Feb. 6 at 11 a.m. at Buda United Methodist Church with burial at Live Oak Cemetery and reception following at the Ruby Ranch Lodge. Flowers are welcome. For those who prefer, donations may be made to Buda United Methodist Church Helping Hand Fund.