Dick McCreary

Richard Bruce McCreary, Sr., 77, devoted husband, father, grandfather and friend, passed away on February 23, 2011 following heart-related complications resulting from pneumonia. He was born on April 20, 1933 in Akron, Ohio.

Dick enjoyed his younger years with his family on frequent fishing trips to the family’s cabin in Georgian Bay, Ontario, Canada.

He attended Purdue University where he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity and participated in the Naval ROTC program. He graduated with an Electrical Engineering degree, joining the Navy as an Ensign in 1955.

He married Lois Ann Goodnough in June 1955 in Indianapolis and they raised three children together: Beth, Mary and Bruce.

Upon leaving the Navy, Dick began his career as an engineer with General Electric in upstate New York, and received his Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering from Syracuse University. His career with GE took Dick and his family from New York, to Ohio and finally settling in Houston, TX in 1968. While in Houston with GE, Dick worked on the Alaska oil pipeline project as well as NASA’s Apollo space program.

He embarked on a second career in 1972 when he started a Goodyear Tire and Service center, which eventually grew to three locations in the Houston area.

In 1989, Dick and Lois moved to Lakeway where he eventually retired following a short career in commercial real estate.

Dick lost his wife and partner of 43 years in 1998, when Lois passed away from breast cancer at the age of 62.

Dick was remarried in 1999 to Barbara Sommerfeld, whose husband Ray had passed away in 1995. Dick and Barb met while singing in the Lakeway Church choir. They had twelve wonderful years of marriage, enjoying traveling, summers in Colorado and sharing their many friendships. Having the love of their blended family was the joy of their time together.

Dick is survived by his wife Barbara, their five combined children and their spouses: Beth and Randy Siebert, Mary and Matt Marshall, Bruce and Nancy McCreary, Andrea and Rick Lee and Kris Sommerfeld, plus ten grandchildren: Zach, Abby, Griffin, McCall, Morgan, Anna, Blaire, Mason, Amanda and Michael.

He is also survived by his sister, Marilyn White of Hudson, Ohio.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Lake Travis Crisis Ministries at: http://www.laketraviscrisisministires.org/

or to Rio Bravo Children’s Mission at: www.rio-bravo.org