John H. McBryde

FORT WORTH - Judge John H. McBryde was born Oct. 9, 1931, in Jackson, Mississippi to Bertha and Marion Thomas McBryde as the youngest of four children. When he was one, the family moved to Fort Worth to be closer to his Aunt Ethel Holley, who was an integral part of his life and helped raise him alongside his mother. To make ends meet, he started working at the age of 7 throwing papers and delivering shoes for a neighborhood cobbler. He attended DeZavala Elementary School, McLean Middle School, and Paschal High School.
From Paschal, he went on to attend Texas Christian University where he received a B.S. in Commerce. While at TCU, he painted dorms and sold bibles to cover living expenses and pay tuition. From there, he went to Austin to study law at the University of Texas. While on a double date at a TCU vs. Texas game, he met Betty Vinson. Betty was not his date that night, but he was smitten, and within five months of meeting, they were married. She remained the love of his life until his passing. They had many adventures living together as a newlywed couple in Austin and West Virginia – where he would go during summer break to sell bibles. He cherished his time selling bibles at the Southwestern company, where he was consistently the top salesman during his seven year tenure with the company.
In 1956, he became an associate at Cantey, Hanger, Johnson, Scarborough, and Gooch (now Cantey Hanger) and was a partner from 1962 to 1969. From Cantey Hanger, he went on to become a founding partner of McBryde & Bogle, later known as McBryde, Bogle, & Bennett.
In 1990, he was appointed to the bench by George H.W. Bush as a United States District Court Judge for the Northern District of Texas. He served the court with distinction carrying a weighted caseload – higher than the national average – throughout his tenure as a judge. He was well known as a faithful steward of the courthouse in which he served and was intent on preserving the historic integrity of the 1930s New Deal era Federal Building now known as the Eldon B. Mahon US Courthouse. During his 32 years on the bench, he was served by at least 30 law clerks including his long-time clerk, Susanna Johnson. He was a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and American College of Trial Lawyers and a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation.
He loved his time practicing as an attorney and took great pride in representing every client to the best of his ability. He equally loved his time serving as a judge. He was known by those close to him as brilliant, detail-oriented, and a man of great integrity. He loved animals and had many beloved dogs throughout his life. He was known as a great provider and fierce protector of his family, to the end, by his children.
He passed away at home Dec. 25, 2022, surrounded by his family.
He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Betty and children: Rebecca McBryde, Jennifer McBryde Zarad (Osha Zarad), John Blake McBryde and grandchildren Jessica Sommers (Brett), Wesley Dippold (Sarah), Zaina Zarad as well as great-grandchildren: Logan Hite, Ryder and Marlee Dippold.
He was passionate about giving to his favorite charities including St. Jude's Children's Hospital (stjudes.org ), Union Gospel Mission (ugm-tc.org ), North Central Texas Academy also known as Happy Hill Farm (happyhillfarm.org ), and Hope Farm Fort Worth (hopefarmfw.org ). In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made, in his name, to one of these charities.
He was laid to rest Monday, Jan. 2, 2023, at Oakwood Cemetery, Fort Worth, Texas.