Richard Joseph Ganem

1948 - 2025

Richard Joseph Ganem
02/29/1948 - 09/27/2025
Richard Joseph Ganem (February 29, 1948 – September 27, 2025)Richard "Rick" Joseph Ganem was born February 29th, 1948 in El Paso, Texas. He was the eldest of four children and was raised in Los Angeles, CA and El Paso, TX. After graduating high school in 1966, Richard served in the United States Army. He trained at the Army Intelligence School in Ft. Holabird, MD, then served as an Intelligence Specialist, both domestically and in the Republic of Viet Nam under assignment to G2, I Corps, Chu Lai. After military service, he attended the University of Texas at Austin (class of '75), obtaining a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with an emphasis in Petroleum Land Management.

Richard spent 50 years engaged in the land and legal aspects of the energy arena, first within Amoco Production Company in Houston, TX, and Adobe Resources Corporation in Midland, TX. He started a consulting business in 1992 and created his first independent oil & gas company, Caprock Producing. His expanded experiences included involvement in the major basins of the United States, from the Rockies to the Texas gulf coast, and offshore. In addition to several energy companies, Richard also founded Environmental Site Assessors, LLC specializing in oil and gas field assessments in Texas and New Mexico. Throughout his life, he continued his involvement in oil & gas, real estate investments, and expert testimony.

Richard's community involvement over the last five decades comprised of volunteer work with various local schools and organizations including serving as Chairman for the Planning & Zoning Board, President of the Midland Chapter of the University of Texas Ex-Students Association, conference speaker on environmental issues for the PBLA, and an advisory member for AAPL Environmental Committee. In 2008, he participated as a representative to the United Nations Council on Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland. He continued to maintain memberships in local and national associations and held advisory board positions for several start-ups.

He enjoyed spending time with his adult children, grandchildren, and extended family and friends in Texas and beyond. He loved to travel, and regularly enjoyed hunting, fishing, wing & clay shooting, and the rare game of golf. He could often be found watching the sun set from his back porch at Lake LBJ with a cigar and a whiskey in hand. He truly enjoyed people of all walks of life and was always up for interesting facts, silly jokes, and a "healthy debate." He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Richard is preceded in death by his father Anthony and his beloved mother Rose Ganem. He is survived by his children Amanda (Tim) Johnson, Kenley (Andrea) Ganem, and Emily (Luke) Ganem Wagner, his cherished grandchildren Jace, Nash, Lane, Wells, Birdie, and Margaret, and his sisters Ginny Parraz, Myrna Baca, and Patsy Brandon.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the University of Texas Alumni Center on Sunday, November 16th, 2025, 11am. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Texas Parks & Wildlife.