G. Hughes Abell

Hughes was born on December 2, 1950, in Monroe, Louisiana, to Nelson and Bennie Abell. From an early age, he loved the outdoors, spending countless hours hunting and fishing with his brothers and friends. His entrepreneurial spirit emerged early, from catching turtles to sell to the pet store to running a roadside vegetable stand that was quickly shut down after complaints from the local grocery store. Hughes graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1972, where he was a proud member and treasurer of SAE. During his summers, he worked as a counselor at Camp Longhorn, forming many lifelong memories and friendships.

Hughes began his career at a bank in Nashville before moving to Texas in 1974 to serve as sales manager for a fertilizer business established by his father and others on the Texas Gulf Coast. It was during this time that he met Betsy at the annual “throwing out the lime” party he hosted at his home on the Texas coast. He impressed her with his sailboat maneuvers, guitar playing, and by having one of the first “mobile phones” mounted in his pick-up truck.

After eight successful years growing Texas Liquid Fertilizer, he returned to Louisiana to manage his family's fertilizer and plastics companies, Ouachita Fertilizer Company and Poly Processing. In 1995, he sold his interest in the family business and moved to Texas to pursue his longtime dream of ranching.

Hughes was the founder and general partner of Llano Partners Limited, a family partnership with ranching, farming, and cattle-feeding operations in Texas, New Mexico, and Florida. He and his family spent time between their home in Austin and the ranch properties he acquired and loved in Texas and New Mexico. He also actively managed private investments in oil and gas, timber, and commercial real estate. His children became involved in the family's ranching operation, continuing the family's dedication to agriculture and stewardship of the land.

A respected leader in the cattle industry, Hughes was a longtime member of the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and served as President of TSCRA from 2020 – 2022. He also served as a director of the Texas Livestock Marketing Association, National Finance Credit Corp., the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, and as a member of the National Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board. Hughes strongly valued service to his community and acted as chairman of the Board of Trustees of St. Edward's University and of St. Andrew's Episcopal School, as well as vice chairman of the Lower Colorado River Authority, a director of Humanities Texas, and a trustee of the Texas Water Foundation and of the Texas State History Museum Foundation.

Hughes was preceded in death by his parents, Bennie and Nelson, and his brother, Nelson. He is survived by his wife, Betsy; his daughter, Lucy; his son and daughter-in-law, Sam and Kristyn; his grandson, David; his brother, Dixon; and many beloved nieces, nephews, extended family members, and friends.

Hughes will be remembered for his devotion to his family and friends, his love of the land, and his commitment to service and leadership in his community and industry. The smell of cigar smoke will always remind us of him, his small-brimmed hat, his sense of humor, his chivalry and his kindness.

The family would like to express deep gratitude for the loving care provided by Shawnta, Lex, Bruce, Helen, Ali, and Karina.

In lieu of flowers, the family would be grateful for donations to the TSCRA Leadership Development Foundation at PO Box 101988; Forth Worth, Texas 76185 or the Buena Vista Foundation CAMP Endowed Scholarship at St. Edward University at St. Edwards University; PO Box 2147; San Antonio, TX 78297 or electronically at https://bit.ly/seumemabell .

A celebration of his life will be held at the Driskill Hotel on Sunday September 20th at 2:00 PM.