John Vinson

John Vinson passed away peacefully at his home on August 29, 2023, in the presence of family members who loved and cherished him.

Born July 21, 1960, in Lafayette, Louisiana, he delighted everyone who knew him with his wit, playfulness, and generous spirit. A lifelong gardener and lover of the natural world, John was endlessly curious and creative. He hiked, collected rocks, foraged for mushrooms, and made bread, beer, sauerkraut, and kimchi, which he shared with friends, family, and neighbors. He also loved to cook and was known for his P Soup (containing ingredients beginning with the letter "p"). And he was an artist, painting his "Rabbit" series of portraits and other works now treasured by his family and friends. John also wrote haikus and witty pieces, including "Reported Legal Case Opinions Pertaining to or Mentioning Coleslaw," published in the online literary journal McSweeney's.

A graduate of Southern Methodist University in Dallas and Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland, John began his legal career as a constitutional litigator working on First Amendment cases throughout the United States. He joined the Office of the Texas Attorney General in 1992 as an Assistant Attorney General. There he monitored, investigated, and litigated cases involving the large nonprofit sector in Texas. John had a lead role in a suit against several Texas nonprofit hospitals for their failure to offer the required charity care, which spurred the passage of Texas's Nonprofit Hospital Charity Care law. He also played a lead role in a yearslong suit against Texas's nonprofit Blue Cross Association that attempted to ensure that the Association would establish a charitable trust to fund healthcare for low-income Texans. Other cases that intrigued him involved imposing receiverships on primate and tiger sanctuaries that were mistreating animals, taking action against a megachurch and one of its leaders for deceiving donors, and dealing with the complex probate and corporate holdings of the artist Donald Judd.

After John left the Office of the Attorney General, he worked for the Texas Department of Insurance and then opened his private practice. Specializing in probate, estate planning, nonprofit, and cooperative corporate law, he served on numerous co-op boards and became the go-to legal guy for cooperative businesses around Texas. He also became the go-to legal guy for the neighborhood, choosing to make his services affordable to people of all incomes.

Loved by all who knew him, John is survived by his wife, Martha Vogel; his sister, Genna Vinson (John Twomey); his brother, James Richard Vinson (Sandy); his brothers-in-law Steve Vogel (Carole Wolin), Paul Vogel (Vicki), John Vogel (Jennifer), and Matthew Vogel (Kathy Bucher); his sisters-in-law Margaret Vogel and Catherine Holt (Tim); 28 nieces and nephews, including Brant Davis (Desiree) and Elizabeth Didlake (Billy), who were as close to him as siblings; his loving friends; and his cat, Olive.

We are grateful to Dr. William Matsui of Dell Medical School and UT Health Austin, Dr. Jason Melear of Texas Oncology, Dr. Aravind Ramakrishnan of the Sarah Cannon Blood Cancer Center at St. David's South Austin Medical Center, Brian King of Austin Palliative Care, and the wonderful staff of Hospice Austin for their care of John during his long cancer journey.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to your local Meals on Wheels, an organization that John supported throughout his life.

A celebration of John's life will be announced at a later date. For a more complete obituary, please visit https://www.austinnaturalfunerals.com/obituaries/John-Vinson-5/#!/Obituary