Lynn Walter Storm

Lynn Walter Storm, distinguished rancher, engineer and business leader of Dripping Springs, TX, died peacefully June 29, 2007 with his loving family around him. He was 92. The youngest of five brothers, Lynn was born in 1914 in Juneau, Alaska which was then a territory of the U.S. His father, Lynn Whippo Storm, was a mining geologist working for the Alaska-Juneau Gold Mine, at that time. The Storm family lived in Juneau for about three more years after which Lynn's dad got hired to work on a silver mine in the interior of Mexico. He moved the family to Alameda, California for a short time while he got established in the little village of Copala, at the top of the Sierra Madres in Sinaloa. As soon as his father could make a home for them, Lynn's mother, Katherine Kennedy Storm, moved the family to Mexico. The Storms lived in Copala for four or five years until the Mexican Revolution forced them to ride mules over the mountains to Durango to catch a train to Tucson, Arizona. Lynn always had fond memories of his time in Copala where he learned to speak Spanish like a native. He recalled that he and his brothers would catch the wild donkeys that roamed the area and ride them into the mountains. After a brief stay in Tucson, the family moved to El Paso where Lynn's father was hired by Sun Oil company. During this time, Mr. Storm bought a small ranch in Glenco, N.M. where the family began to spend the summers and the boys worked for the big ranchers in the area. It was here that Lynn acquired his love of ranching. In 1925, the family moved to Austin so Lynn's oldest brother, John, could attend the University of Texas. Lynn finished grade school in Austin and it was at Allen Junior High that he met the love of his life, Maxine Richter, a beautiful, blond North Austin girl whom he married in 1935 and shared a wonderful life with until her death in 1995. He graduated from Austin High (Class of 1933) where he distinguished himself in football, basketball and track and served as president of his senior class. He entered the University of Texas in 1934 and earned a degree in petroleum engineering during which he was awarded the Ram's Horn, the highest award for excellence in that school. During the school year, he worked at a filling station and, over two summers, in the oil fields of east Texas where he learned much about drilling and hard labor as a roughneck. Upon graduating, Lynn landed a job with the Texas Railroad Commission testing gas wells around Pampa, Texas. From there, Lynn and Maxine moved, with their new, baby daughter Lynnette, to Houston where Lynn served as the commission's District Engineer. He worked there until he was hired away by William Hells, an independent driller from New Iberia, Louisiana who wanted to form a drilling company specializing in the recovery and removal of broken drilling tools or "fish" from oil wells. This new "fishing" company was quickly successful and was acquired by Romeo, a major oil tool company out of Houston. The Storms moved, with their newest baby daughter Anne, to live and work out of Corpus Christi. When war broke out, Lynn volunteered for the Navy, received a commission as an ensign and orders to report to Quonset Point, Rhode Island. However, his company had signed a contract with the war department to build landing struts for C-47 aircraft and the contract required a registered professional engineer to be on hand. Admiral Foote rescinded Lynn's commission and the company moved him to Houston where he was made the head of it's design and manufacturing operation which went on to receive the Army-Navy E for excellence under his guidance. Three days after the end of the war, Lynn decided to form a consulting company of his own. During this time, he designed and developed several drilling tools two of which were quite successful and secured his future. In 1950 he moved the family, including his new son, Scott, to Austin where he set out to find a place to pursue his lifelong dream of ranching. He began to acquire ranchland south of Dripping Springs, TX and started a registered polled Hereford breeding operation that became, over the next thirty years, one of the top herds in the country. In 1963, a herd bull from the Storm Ranch won Best of Show at the Kansas City Royal, the top livestock show in the country. Also during this time, Lynn was elected to the presidency of the board of the Texas Polled Hereford Assn. and, in 1969, the American Polled Hereford Assn. He was twice a delegate to the World Hereford Conference, once in Dublin, Ireland and once in South Africa. He worked closely with his son during his last eight years on a project with the Hill Country Conservancy to conserve his beloved ranch and enable his family to continue the legacy he created for them. His fairness, intelligence and reputation for complete honesty caused many organizations to seek his help or participation. These included service on the boards of Bowen Tool Co., Texas Professional Engineers Assn., Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Assn., Texas Polled Hereford Assn., American Polled Hereford Assn., Austin Chamber of Commerce, Austin-Travis County Livestock Show, Austin Aqua Festival, Wimberley Bank, The Petroleum Club, Westwood Country Club, The Cork Club (Houston) and Theta Xi. He was preceded in death by his parents, his four brothers John, Dan, Mark and Joe and his wife, Maxine. He is survived by daughters Lynne Storm and Anne Geis and her husband AI and son Scott Storm and his wife Linda, also seven grandchildren with their spouses including Lissa Rabon and her husband J.T., Andrew Burnette and his wife Jill; Grady Burnette and his wife Kathy, Molly Burnette, Kris Herzog and her husband Randy, Grant Geis and his wife Mya; and Josh Storm. He is additionally survived by ten great grandchildren. There will be a memorial celebration of his life on Wednesday, July 18th at 5:00 p.m. at the Storm ranch. Friends of Mr. Storm and the family are invited. The ranch is located 6 1/2 miles south of Dripping Springs, Texas on RR12. Signs posted at the ranch entrance will provide directions to the house. For more information please call Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home at 452-8811. Donations may be made in his memory to Hill Country Conservancy Post Office Box 163125 Austin, TX 78716-3125. Obituary and guestbook online at wcfish.com