Michael Robert Corboy

Michael Robert Corboy, better known by many around the world as “Crash Corboy” and “Uncle Mike,” passed away peacefully at his home in Dallas on January 29, 2024, surrounded by family and friends. He was a considerate, caring, generous, dignified, and good-natured gentleman. An Irish friend of his said, “In a world ever more defined by self-interest, Mike Corboy stood out like a giant of the opposite persuasion. A force for good in a world that needs correction.”

He was a faithful Roman Catholic, a gifted and fair-minded businessman, a generous and involved philanthropist, and a dedicated civic leader. He touched many lives with his kindness, optimism, and warm and humorous personality, and he was a sterling role model for fulfillment through faith, family, and business ethics. Many aspired to be like Mike, considering him their confidante, sounding board, and mentor.

Mike was born in Chicago in 1930 into a warm and loving family, the son of William F. Corboy and Eileen Dunne Corboy and the grandson of Edward F. Dunne, the former Mayor of Chicago and former Governor of Illinois.

He attended Loyola Academy (a Jesuit high school in Chicago) and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. In addition, he received his Master of Business Administration from Pepperdine University and completed Advanced Biblical Studies from the University of Dallas.

After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy, he served four years in the Navy as a Gunnery Officer aboard the destroyer USS Mullany and the Electronics Officer aboard the aircraft carrier USS Valley Forge. While in the service, he was humorously known as “Crash Corboy,” with many a tall tale of imaginary mishaps to go with the name.

Mike later moved to Dallas and joined the then-small Texas Instruments, where he began in sales and later became the European Marketing Manager in Bedford, England, and Geneva, Switzerland. Upon returning to the home office, he was Manager of Investor Relations, with a total tenure of 11 years with TI. Following his success there, he helped form a venture capital partnership specializing in high-tech companies, where he was a founding investor in Mostek (early computer memory chips) and five other high-tech startups. He then served in leadership roles for two startups – President of Tocom (early converters for cable television) and President and CEO of Amtech, the pioneer and leader in installing the toll tag systems now seen on toll roads around the country, including the Dallas North Tollway, and airports around the globe. Mike had a strong work ethic and was conscientious about helping his employees reach their greatest potential through goal-setting and teamwork.

Mike “retired” several times, but upon the last one he shifted his focus to community service and philanthropic work. He was a champion of education for children and leaves a legacy in the hearts and minds of generations of children in Dallas and Ireland. He received The Catholic Foundation Man of the Year Award for his work with the Diocese of Dallas inner-city schools while President of the St. Anthony School Foundation and on the Board of The Children’s Education Fund. He was also honored with a Man of the Year award from Jesuit College Preparatory School for his roles as President of its Foundation and Board of Advisors, where he also established a Chair for the Corboy Math/Science Scholarship Fund. Other board roles included serving on the Board of Trustees of the University of Dallas, the Board of Visitors of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, the Advisory Board of the Allies in Service, the National Board of the American Ireland Fund, and on boards of numerous private and public companies.

Mike was proudly a bachelor until age 45, when he married his Dallas sweetheart, Lou Ann Lancaster. He maintained close relationships with his twin sister, Mona, and three brothers, Edward, Stuart, and William. He was a mentor to over 20 nieces, nephews, and their families and was godfather to 30 of his family and friends’ children.

He loved to travel worldwide and took as many as 45 trips to Ireland to connect with his Irish heritage and the schoolchildren he supported there. He was a founder of the Texas Ireland Fund Golf Challenge Cup to raise funds to promote peace in Ireland. He was a great football fan, first as a player in high school, where he was inducted into the Loyola Football Hall of Fame, and during his Plebe year at the U.S. Naval Academy, and later as a devotee of the Dallas Cowboys. He also enjoyed playing golf, watching basketball, skiing, and keeping himself fit through regular exercise.

He is predeceased by his parents William F. Corboy and Eileen Dunne Corboy, his twin sister Mona Corboy West, and his brothers, William Corboy, Stuart Corboy, and Edward Corboy. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Lou Ann Lancaster Corboy, and close nieces and nephews: Mona Elizabeth West (Dale Baskin), Stuart West (Katherine), Dr. Eileen West Shobeiri (Dr. Abbas Shobeiri), Mary Corboy Hilgeman (Dr. Joe Hilgeman), Patty Corboy, James O’Conor Corboy, Dr. Edward Dunne Corboy, Jr., and numerous nieces and nephews.

Mike and his family are so grateful for the skill and compassionate care his nurses, medical teams, caregivers (Edith Bush, Bernie Hall, Jessica Magel, Gaston LaChaise, Josie Vineyard), and doctors gave him, especially Dr. Hugh McClung, who was his physician at UTSWMC for many years. We also appreciate the tremendous love and support of friends and family. The world is so much poorer for his passing but so much better for his living.

We welcome friends and family to the Park City Club, 5956 Sherry Lane, Dallas 75225, 17th floor, from 6:00 - 8:00 pm on Thursday, February 8, to celebrate Mike’s extraordinary life with a warm and friendly Irish Wake featuring Irish music, cocktails, and camaraderie.

A Memorial Mass will be held the next day, Friday, February 9, at 1:30 at Christ the King Catholic Church, 8017 Preston Road, Dallas 75225, followed by a reception at the Park City Club from 3:00 - 5:00.

Instead of flowers, please consider donating in Mike’s honor to the Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas, Catholic Charities of Dallas, The Catholic Foundation of Dallas, or another charity of your choice.