John Pryor Castleman Jr.

Born in Lexington, Kentucky on January 7, 1939, to John Pryor Castleman and Mary Jane Castleman. John was the elder of two additional brothers, Breaux and Michael, to whom he was forever devoted. The family lived in the environs of Louisville, principally Anchorage, until 1952 when they trekked to the frontier of Midland, Texas. From Midland, John attended the Woodberry Forest School in Orange, Virginia, graduating in 1957, and later Williams College of Massachusetts, graduating in 1961. John was an athletic young man, excelling at football, basketball, baseball and golf throughout high school and college. John married Jessie Fay Oliver of Midland in 1961; together they had three children: daughter Pryor and twin sons Ballard and Rives.

John began his lifelong career as an independent in the oil and gas exploration business in 1965. John got his pilot’s license and bought his first, of several, Beechcraft Baron airplane. In 1969 his young profession would take his family to Amarillo, Texas to join a public cattle and oil and gas exploration company. The family lived in Amarillo for several years, made many lifelong friends and enjoyed all the benefits of living in the panhandle: cool summer nights, cold winter nights, duck and goose hunting and Taos, New Mexico skiing. In 1973 John would return his family back to Dallas, where he would call home until his death.

The mid-1990’s would lead John on a decade of international energy projects, primarily in the extraction of coal bed methane, through Canada, China, Africa and finally Australia. In 1997, John co-founded and lead Sydney Gas Company in Sydney, Australia exploring coal bed methane in New South Wales. John and Vicky would “commute” to Sydney until re-settling, “permanently,” in Dallas in 2006, resuming independent oil and gas ventures in Texas, California and the Bay of Bengal in India until retiring at 80 years of age.

John married Vicky Watson in 1986, the absolute love of his life. As a business women in her own rite he was very proud of the fact that she did a lot of the heavy lifting during the hard time of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. John and Vicky enjoyed golf, hunting, traveling, horseraces, family and entertaining friends – for which John was internationally known for his long stories and infectious laugh. He was a very kind and generous man, a devoted father and grandfather and a loyal friend. He just loved people. He had a gift of writing very entertaining emails and travelogs. He had an exceptional memory and could recount long stories about himself and his family and if a friend told him their life story, he could recount that also. He could spell and tell you the definition of nearly any word, even the Latin origin. You would not be able to find one person in this whole world who did not like John Castleman.

John was active socially and philanthropically. As a longtime member of Brook Hollow Golf Club, John would serve two terms on the Board of Governors. He made many friends serving in The Salesmanship Club of Dallas. John would lead Williams College Southwest Regional Development Committee from 1986 – 1989. From 1982 – 1992, he served on the Board of Trustees of Woodberry Forest School, chairing the Board from 1989-1992, which John would often say was one of the most rewarding endeavors of his life. He received the Woodberry Forest School Distinguished Honor Award in 2008.

John is survived by his loving wife Vicky, daughter Pryor Castleman Lancaster, son Ballard Castleman and wife Tracy, and son Rives Castleman and wife Helen. Known as “Grammer,” John’s nine grandchildren include Lynch Lancaster and fiancé Logan Grant, and Emily Lancaster; Blakely, Rives and Campbell Castleman (Ballard) and Sloane and Shea Castleman and Julia and Elliott Bell (Rives). John was thrilled to meet and rock many times great grandson Wells Pryor Lancaster.

His retirement years were spent similarly to his previous 80: family, friends, traveling and entertaining with long stories and that infectious laugh. You will live in our hearts forever, Grammer!

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.Sparkman-Hillcrest.com for the Castleman family.