Chad Nicholas Himmel

1968 - 2024

BORN

1968

DIED

2024

About

University of Texas

Chad Himmel Obituary

Brilliant, funny, creative, quick-witted with a touch of irreverence, and kind: this was Chad.

Chad Nicholas Himmel, P.E., 56, passed away on August 26, 2024, in Austin, Texas. Born June 14, 1968, in St. Louis, Missouri, Chad grew up in Richardson, Texas, where he attended J.J. Pearce High School.

He went on to earn dual degrees in Architectural Engineering and Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin before getting his start in acoustical engineering with Yantis and Associates in Seattle.

Chad then worked many years for Jack Evans Acoustics, followed by his most recent position at EEA Consulting Engineers, where he contributed his expertise until his passing.

Beyond his many professional accomplishments, Chad achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. Creating music and beautiful art were particular passions. He thought like an engineer but also thought like a stand-up comic looking for humor in all kinds of situations, with a weakness for spontaneous puns.

Chad was the smartest, funniest and most creative person; any one of those would have been enough to be remarkable, but Chad was all of those and more.

He is survived by his loving wife, Lisa "Stella," parents Marilyn and Dave, brother Todd and his wife Leah, niece Mallorey, and nephew Chandler, all of whom will miss him deeply.

Chad's family has announced that there are no services planned but they will have a private celebration of life at a later date. They kindly request that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to Austin Pets Alive, an organization close to Chad's heart.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Austin American-Statesman from Aug. 30 to Sep. 1, 2024.

Memories and Condolences
for Chad Himmel

5 Entries

Rob Nelson

September 5, 2024

It is a great loss to the world that Chad is gone. He could have brought much more humor, beauty, insight, common sense and active kindness into this world.
He was the funniest person you'd ever meet. He did not suffer fools, but his humor was never mean-spirited. It was more his vision into the foolishness of everything, including himself
He was an engineer but could explain how things worked in layman's terms. From the solar system to refrigerators. Always patiently and deliberately. That always seemed extra smart to me, because he actually understood stuff. Even though he was quite accomplished that's not something he'd dwell on with friends (except as a source of funny stories)
Because he was not a boastful person at all - the opposite even - you'd probably never know what a brilliant artist and songwriter he was. I don't think he'd describe himself that way, but it's true. I had the privilege of watching him progress from scratch, and it was an amazing thing to see. Some of his songs are my favorite songs from anybody. And his art has a lot of different elements - naturalistic, child-like, analytical, poetic - it's just very fascinating pictures and stories he puts together
He always kept a boyish enthusiasm, and playful spirit about what he was doing. Whether it was tending the compost, or keeping a spreadsheet. I'm remembering a time he said "Ask me what I'm doing?" - so I said "Chad, what are you doing?" - and he said "I'm killing nutgrass!" (He was excited about his plan to cover the lawn with plastic to kill his nemesis - nutgrass. So at that moment, he was "killing nutgrass"). He even wrote a song about it
To echo what others have said, he was the best friend you could have. He would do anything to help you out - or be accommodating, or just thoughtful. For my birthday present one year he helped me cut down a dead tree in the back yard! Brought over the tools - explained how to do it. I think he was a "teach a man to fish" kind of guy. Which is the best kind of friend. I thought we would be able to go out and get coffee when we were old men and reminisce. I'll miss him a lot
I've attached a few images from his "Makeshift Parallel Calendar" (a calendar he invented) announcement years ago. I like the "Thank you in advance for your cooperation"

Will Ambrico

September 5, 2024

I only knew Chad via work related emails and phone calls, but he was a heck of a nice guy.
I am truly sorry for your loss.

Will Burns

September 2, 2024

I will definitely miss Chad, his wisdom and especially his infectious hilarity. My condolences to Stella as well as Chad's immediate family.
Chad and I were in architecture school and in music projects together in Austin. We camped, hiked, and lived together at various times. He was always ready to go anywhere at a moment's notice no matter how crazy the prospect seemed. Including late night trips without any itinerary or any regard for what time it was or when we would get back.
I could always depend on Chad for his worldly insight. Chad taught me how to be fearless by saying we didn't need to look at our feet when we walk; peripheral vision does the rest, and he was right.
He also had his own unique kind of artistic vision, one which was always inspiring. He would make films with plastic cassette tape cases affixed to the lens at an angle producing a double and mirrored image. I remember watching some of the films he made endlessly and being astounded at their originality. Things such as Rob's dog Tetanus walk into himself with the mirror setup and vanish into nothing, or watching two of Tetanus's tails attached to each other and wagging while floating over the ground. Or impressionistic mirrored images of trees swaying in the wind. He was also an illustrator and would draw intricate and strange pictures and paintings, and they always had some incredible anecdote behind them.
He was obsessed with the Popal Vuh, the myth of the Mayan people. He was so into the Mayan calendar that he made his own version I believe, often dating his own artwork to that as well as the Gregorian. I think I still have one of his calendar creations in my files. I recall hanging out in Chad's kitchen with Rob and Tetanus while gigantic roaches would hop and fly around us and make great shadows when they got close to the overhead light. And I remember endless late night guitar jams with very low light and lots of reverb with all the windows open. Chad played intuitively by ear. He was great at musical improvisation. I wonder what people in the neighborhood thought. He also came up with some of the best songs I've ever heard. I still have several cassette tapes of his music and I will always cherish them.
Chad was very dependable when you needed help. I once went canoeing on the Colorado River for several days with a friend. We had a disastrous trip, not being to find camping, having to canoe in the moonlight etc. with dam release water always a threat. We decided to cut the trip short and called Chad up the day before we were to take out, told him where we would be and could he please come and pick us up early instead of the other take out? And he was there at the appointed hour.
Chad was always there when you simply needed a friend, another viewpoint or an ear. He was always the best listener for whatever was on your mind. Once I asked him for advice with purging LP records. I said I was going to toss all the bad ones. He instead said to keep them, because the only way to know good music is to have bad music for reference. And so, I keep bad music because of him. Thanks, Chad!
He was a great architectural and acoustics engineer, artist, guitar player, song writer, singer, poet - he was capable of making magic. Overall Chad possessed an incredible mind and was a really great friend. I expect him to show up to the afterlife in a wizard's hat.

Linda Ramsey

September 2, 2024

Oh, no.....such a dear person. Spent many hours in our home when he lived in Dallas, TEXAS on Daleport Circle. He and his brother Todd were SO very close to our son, Ken. Life is so brief...my heart breaks for Marilyn, Dave, and Todd.

Jordan Smith

September 1, 2024

I will dearly miss Chad, one of the funniest people I've ever known. SO TRUE about his spontaneous puns, which always made me laugh -- and sometimes groan! Lol! Chad's art, so much of it posted on his and Stella's refrigerator, always made me smile (including a piece I have framed in my office: Special Curtains Unit. lol. If you know, you know!)
I am so sad that Chad has left us in this realm, but he'll always be in my mind and heart -- and that's something you can never lose. xoxo

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