George Marshall Ragsdale

George Marshall Ragsdale
10/15/2025
George Marshall Ragsdale grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, and was born to Tom & Elizabeth Ragsdale. Following high school, George attended and graduated from Texas A&M University, where he thrived in the Corps and Ross Volunteers and received many other honors from A&M. He joined the Army and, following his honorable discharge, graduated with an MBA from Harvard University.
George had three children, Tom, Lowry, and Scott, with his former wife. When they moved to Houston, George went to work for Gerald Hines. Several years later, George met and married his wife, Laura Ledbetter Ragsdale (nee Jaques), raising his three children together with Laura's two, Jennifer Jaques and Scott Jaques, as his own. George and Laura called themselves the Brady Bunch as they raised their combined five children in the Houston Bunker Hill area.
George, always the entrepreneur, soon formed his own company called Ragsdale Development Corporation. George served on many boards, including the Houston Racquet Club, Hudson Forrest HOA, and, more recently, the Royal Oaks Country Club Board, where he was instrumental in making Royal Oaks Country Club a member-owned club!
George's passions were many, and he was a man of many talents and interests, including reading, golfing, birding, bicycling, tennis, hunting, fishing, scuba diving, snow skiing, canoeing in the Boundary waters in Canada and the Buffalo Bayou, and flying. He loved flying, especially to Mexico, and was known for his "Ragsdale Ritas!
He instilled in his children proper manners at the dinner table, a love of the outdoors, how to grow wonderful tomatoes, education, and many other qualities too numerous to list. He gave back to his community by participating in the Prison Entrepreneur program, guiding those incarcerated to a brighter future and always helping those in need.
Later in life, George and Laura moved to Royal Oaks Country Club, where they enjoyed golfing, entertaining, and doing yoga!
George was one of a kind, a mystery, Marlboro man! Always involved in entertaining business ventures, planning fun trips, pain and suffering trips with friends, hiking further than intended, carrying heavy packs and canoes over portages, and sparring with friends with a wonderful sense of humor.
He is survived by his wife of over 55 years, Laura Ragsdale; his children, Jennifer Kaplan-Lawson (Mike), Scott Jaques (Kammy), Tom Ragsdale, Lowry Ragsdale, sister and brother in law, Mary & Dennis Dellagrecca, daughter in law Angie Ragsdale, 10 grandchildren, 12 great grandchildren, and nephews and niece, Cinco Feuille (Katie), Mary Elizabeth McCommas (Jim), Forrest Feuille (Emily) and their children. He is predeceased by his parents, his mother-in-law, his youngest son, (Little) Scott, and his granddaughter, Claire Crook.
A family gathering honoring George's life will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Texas A&M Corps of Cadets Association and/or Ross Volunteers or to the Scott McKissick Ragsdale Young Life Camp Fund. For the Corps of Cadets Association, please send to 1134 Finfeather Road, Bryan, TX 77803. Please put in memory of George Ragsdale '58, and if you want the funds to go specifically to the Ross Volunteers, please indicate that in the memory line also. Gifts to the Scott McKissick Ragsdale Young Life Camp Fund can be made at https://giving.younglife.org/ScottMcKissickRagsdaleCampFund.