Tom McMichael

Thomas Collins McMichael (Tom), 92 of Austin, Texas died Saturday, October 29, 2011. Tom was born in Cason, Texas August 20, 1919 to James Young McMichael and Lilla Stokes McMichael. He had two brothers and two sisters; James, Bill, Norma and Margret Ann.

Tom attended Daingerfield High School in Daingerfield, TX where he played quarterback on the football team, developing a lifelong love for the game. Upon graduation of high school as Valedictorian, he knew that education was the key to a better life, and so he hitchhiked to Austin to enroll in the engineering program at the University of Texas Austin, graduating in 1942 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. With degree in hand, Tom was successful in obtaining a position with Westinghouse Electric Inc., and with World War II in full swing, Westinghouse loaned Tom to the US Navy, where he was sent to Guam to service and maintain ship propulsion systems. Although technically a civilian, he wore a service technician's uniform, which drew salutes from the guards (just in case.) When the war ended, he was transferred to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania continuing his career as an engineer. Tom then supervised installation of steam turbines on the US Navy ships in ship yards along the east coast, but wished to be close to his family, and so requested a transfer and returned to Texas.

Once back in Texas, Tom visited Austin and the church that he had attended while at school - University Avenue Church of Christ. While there he met his future bride, Jean Evelyn Busby. After their first date on a boat ride in Evelyn's "Garwood" speedboat, Tom knew he had found the love of his life. On November 18, 1950 Tom and Evelyn married and were the first couple to walk down the aisle in the new church building, just completed in 1949.

The first few years of marriage, Tom & Evelyn traveled throughout Texas for Tom's job repairing steam turbines in power plants. It was an exciting and adventurous time as the happy couple pulled their first home, a silver Spartanette house trailer to each location.

In 1953, Tom purchased what we call the Lakehouse, which is now the family home. Though purchased as an investment property, they eventually fell in love with it and thought it a great place to raise their three sons; Glenn, Wayne and Dean.

Transferred to the Westinghouse sales office in Houston in 1958, Tom no longer had to travel so they bought a home, and although the boys were in school in Houston, nearly every weekend and every summer was spent in Austin at the Lakehouse. In fact, most of the UA Church members didn't even realize that the McMichael's lived in Houston!

The years went by and in 1969, Tom took the opportunity to join his good friend Albert Smith, who also had worked for Westinghouse, in founding a new company called Power Systems Engineering; a company that designed, owned and operated power plants while pioneering "cogeneration" – a more efficient way to operate gas turbines by recycling their exhaust heat to boost fuel efficiency. The company grew and after going public on the American Stock Exchange as PSE Inc., it was bought entirely by Dow Chemical in 1989 to form its new cogen power and energy resource company, Destech Energy.

Tom continued to work for Destech to assist in the transition of their employees to the new company, and then retired in 1990 to join Evelyn at the newly completed Lakehouse to begin their "Golden Years."

Since then, they've enjoyed the fellowship of long-time friends and sitting on the front porch, watching the passing boats on Lake Austin. During this time, Tom also worked with his sons on various investment ventures.

Unfortunately, his health began to decline in 2004 due to kidney failure and since then, his activities were necessarily limited, but he managed to keep his warmth, charm and optimistic outlook on life. Finally in October of 2011, Tom's health took a sharp turn for the worse and after a week of hospital care at St. David's, he was transferred to Christopher House, a hospice facility where he finally passed peacefully from this life.

He is survived by Evelyn McMichael, his wife of nearly 61 years as well as their three sons and grandchildren; Jon, Aiden, Corey, and Kamaura, as well as his brother Bill McMichael and sister Margret Ann Montgomery-Sheffield.

As a family, we rejoice in knowing that Tom is in a better place - at home with God.

If desired, donations can be made in his honor to the Central Texas Children's home, located at:

13200 Crane Road

Austin, TX 78610