John Keevil Gresham

John was a proud native Texan and Sam Houston Bearkat alum who had a long, established career as a title and estate attorney in Fort Bend County.

He loved living and working in Richmond and was for many decades an early-morning regular at Richmond’s downtown barbershop.

Known for his thoughtfully restrained and gentlemanly personality; his always-ready-to-help attitude; his quick wit and sharp sense of humor; and his deep historical knowledge of Fort Bend County land title records, John will be dearly missed by family, friends, neighbors, former colleagues & co-workers, and fraternity brothers.

John was born on October 31, 1938 in Austin TX, to parents Willis E. Gresham, Sr. and Ruth E. (Keevil) Gresham.

The third of four children, John spent much of his boyhood in Huntsville TX, where he developed a deep appreciation of and respect for small-town life.

His family later moved to Houston TX, where John graduated from San Jacinto High School.

He studied political science, government, and history at Sam Houston State Teacher’s College in Huntsville.

He and Nancy M. Glenn of Houston met as undergraduates at Sam Houston and married on August 5, 1961.

In the late 1950s, John was one of the “gentlemen brothers” of Sam Houston’s legendary Dons Social Club (and later installed as a local chapter of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity).

He stayed in close contact with many of his fellow Dons throughout his life, and the highlight of many of his retired years was attending the annual ATO/Dons reunions at Trail’s End Ranch in Medina TX.

Following the path of his father and several uncles, John attended the University of Texas School of Law.

After graduating in 1963, John accepted a position as a first-year associate in the Richmond law partnership that was eventually to carry the name Scherer, Roberts, Slone, Gresham, Lytle & Moore.

He later joined Fort Bend Title Company as a staff attorney and then held a similar position at First American Title for many years before retiring.

John enjoyed backyard gardening, bass fishing, weekend country drives, book collecting, card games, and watching professional golf and football from the comfort of his well-worn recliner.

He was a voracious reader of both non-fiction and fiction, with the novels of Elmore Leonard and Larry McMurtry holding special interest.

He possessed an incredible memory and attention to detail that served him well as an attorney and storyteller.

He was also a strong supporter of local, family-owned restaurants and a regular contributor of over 40 local, national, and international charities and causes. John is preceded in death by his wife, Nancy M. (Glenn) of Houston; parents Willis E. & Ruth E. (Keevil) Gresham of Houston; sister Mary V. (Gresham) Annand of St. Louis, Missouri; and brother-in-law Richard L. Hunter, Sr. & sister-in-law Mary “Sally” (Glenn) Hunter of Houston.

He is survived by two sons: Glenn Gresham (Patricia) of Cushing, OK; and Keith Gresham (George) of Dana Point, CA. Three grandchildren: Christina Brazda (Andy) of Richmond, TX; Kevin Gresham of Corpus Christi, TX; and Paige Gresham of Cushing, OK. Three great-grandchildren: Natalie M. of Flower Mound, TX; Lilly M. of Mexia, TX; and Asher D. of Cushing, OK. Two siblings: Willis E. Gresham, Jr. (Shirley) of Lubbock, TX; and Margaret Mannchen (Kurt) of Alpine, TX. Along with many loved nieces, nephews and cousins. The family extends special thanks to Dr. Margaret Umah and Dr. Priya Oolut of Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital; Dr. Mayank Parikh of Fort Bend Cardiology; the dedicated medical and social services professionals of Three Oaks Hospice of West Houston; the staff and residents of Clayton Oaks assisted living community in Richmond; and private care provider Roxanne Grice.

A celebration to honor and remember John’s life (along with his favorite foods) will be held on his heavenly birthday at 11.30 a.m. on Thursday, October 31, 2024, at the Fort Bend Museum, 410 S. 5th Street, Richmond, TX 77469.