Curtis Anthony Dumesnil Jr.

Curtis Anthony Dumesnil, Jr. was born in Port Arthur, Texas, on July 4, 1945. After 80 years of birthday celebrations with family, friends, and fireworks, Curtis passed away peacefully on October 13, 2025, at Houston Methodist Hospital, surrounded by family, friends, and the tremendous physicians and nurses at the DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center.

Curtis was raised in Port Arthur by his parents, Curtis Sr. and Georgette George Dumesnil. As a youth—and, frankly, for the rest of his life—Curtis liked to go fast. Starting as a teenager and continuing into his early adulthood, he competitively raced hydroplane boats that, at the time, approached top speeds near 100 mph. Until recently, Curtis might have on occasion reached similar speeds on the Texas highways.

Curtis met the first love of his life, LaNell Ann Bourgeois, in Port Arthur in 1965. On June 5, 1966, Curtis and LaNell were married, and shortly thereafter they moved to Houston (and later to Conroe, then back to Houston) to build a life together while raising their three children: Curtis III, Bryan, and Andrea.

Curtis was a serial entrepreneur, owning and operating ventures ranging from a men’s clothing store in Conroe to several iconic nightclubs in Houston—including Johnny B. Dalton’s, Bayou Mama’s, and The Texas Longhorn Saloon—to a start-up that designed and manufactured bags for patients equipped with LVADs (more on LVADs in a moment). But Curtis worked to live rather than lived to work. Through boom or bust, he was always generous with both his time and money, hosting dinners, holiday events, and vacations for friends and family alike.

In addition to his passion for spending time with friends and family, Curtis was an avid outdoorsman. He loved hunting and fishing in equal measure, and you always knew where to find him depending on the season—deer hunting in the fall and winter, or fishing anytime and anywhere the fish were biting. Curtis especially loved chasing speckled trout at the mouth of the cut at Rollover Pass and wade fishing for trout and redfish in the Laguna Madre, using his favorite topwater lure or his trusty Tony Accetta #7 gold spoon—usually with his best friend, Mike Waddell, fishing by his side.

Although Curtis lived a blessed life, like most people he also faced his share of challenges. In 1993, he suffered a massive heart attack that nearly took his life, but he received a successful double bypass surgery at the DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center. In 2005, Curtis lost his wife, LaNell, to cancer. They had been married for 39 wonderful years.

A year later, Curtis met the second love of his life, Kelley Alkek. Curtis and Kelley made a life together in Katy, Texas, where Curtis helped raise Kelley’s daughter, Chelsea, as if she were his own. Curtis and Kelley shared nearly 20 wonderful years together.

Despite the successful bypass surgery in 1993, Curtis eventually became a regular at the DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center. In 2013, he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, having lost all but 10% of his heart’s functional capacity. Not a candidate for a heart transplant, his cardiovascular team introduced him to a device called an LVAD (Left Ventricular Assist Device)—a battery-operated mechanical heart pump implanted in patients who have reached end-stage heart failure. Curtis had no alternatives, and his first LVAD was successfully installed (he would have two others over the next 12 years). From that day forward, Curtis had his life back—along with his ever-present 10 pounds of equipment and batteries when out and about, and his “Johnny No. 5” wall unit when at home.

Curtis did not waste the additional time he was given. Not only did he continue to hunt, fish, and spend time with friends and family, but he also began volunteering his time to speak with Methodist Hospital cardiovascular patients who were LVAD candidates. Additionally, he hosted an annual hunting trip for LVAD patients and their families. Many of these patients became his friends, and he would often check on them, offering encouragement and sharing tips and tricks for living fully while on an LVAD. Curtis also attended medical conferences to share his experiences with medical professionals. Through his volunteerism, Curtis played a meaningful role in helping others suffering from end-stage heart failure.

Curtis is survived by his son, Curtis Dumesnil III; his son, Bryan Dumesnil, and wife, Linda; his daughter, Andrea Register, and husband, Terry; four grandchildren—Taylor, Bryan Jr., Cameron, and Lauren; his life partner, Kelley Alkek; her daughter, Chelsea Traughber, and husband, Ryan; and their children, Rhett, Jacob, and Luke, whom Curtis thought of as his third set of grandchildren.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Curtis Dumesnil Sr. and Georgette George, and by his wife, LaNell Ann Dumesnil.

A visitation will be held at Earthman Resthaven Funeral Home, 13102 North Freeway, Houston, Texas 77060, on Friday, October 24, 2025, from 4:00–7:00 p.m. A memorial service will follow at Earthman Resthaven Funeral Home on Saturday, October 25, 2025, at 10:00 a.m., with a committal service at 11:00 a.m.

The family wishes to express their deepest gratitude to the physicians, nurses, technicians, and countless other exceptional team members at the DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center for giving us twelve additional years with Curtis. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Curtis Dumesnil to the Houston Methodist Hospital DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center at https://givingforms.houstonmethodist.org/GeneralGivingForm