Just an hour before sunrise on September 6th, John Albert Cavin, Jr., retired attorney at law, passed away in Austin, Texas. He was born in Amarillo, Texas, on February 27, 1928, where he spent his youth, attending Amarillo High School and traveling around the region, with many summers spent in Red River, New Mexico, and the foothills of the Colorado Rockies. John was the last remaining of his brothers, Guyle, Jimmy, and Tommy, with whom, along with their sisters Lois and Emma, he spent a childhood akin to those of the Little Rascals.
After attending the University of Alabama, John graduated from the University of Texas, first with a degree in business, and then, after his return from service in the Korean War, his Doctorate of Jurisprudence. He practiced law as a trial attorney and eventual partner with the Houston firm of Ross, Banks, May, Cron, and Cavin, retiring from the firm after a long career, though without ever losing his love of a well-developed argument. He helped to develop that firm during his tenure and was proud to have helped mentor those who joined it.
John was a voracious reader of non-fiction, including a passion for old encyclopedias, along with works concerning the history of the world and its peoples. He tended to favor elephants over other animals, collecting books, paintings, and other objects as well-received presents from his family and friends. He always wished he had taken the time to go to Africa to see elephants in the wild.
He also loved to watch football, enjoying the strategy and logic, along with the importance of team effort, as much as he admired the athleticism. And although he continued to think kindly of the University of Alabama, his allegiance was firmly on the side of the University of Texas, especially during those family-divisive Thanksgiving Days when some of his family were of the Aggie persuasion. He had a long standing bet on the Longhorns against his younger sister Emma, who graduated from the University of Oklahoma. He remained a life-long fan of the Dallas Cowboys from the days of Don Meredith through the building of the most recent dome in Arlington, Texas, though his favorite coach remained Tom Landry (after Darryl Royal, of course).
His wife and best friend, Billie Jean Cavin, died in Spring, 2003, but John is survived by one sibling, Emma Cousland of Tulsa, Oklahoma; his three children, Guyle Cavin, a retired US diplomat living in Austin; John A Cavin III, writer and deacon of the Orthodox Catholic Church, living in Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Jennifer Cavin, realtor, who lives just outside Austin; his grandchildren, Erica Forget, James Cavin, Nathaniel Cavin, Ashley Walters, Marisa Cavin, Erin Walters, and Walt Cavin; and a cloud of nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, and grand-nephews, each of whom was his favorite. The family and close friends will hold a private celebration of John's life.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that those wishing to remember him contribute to their church or favorite charity, or consider a donation to the Alzheimer's Association www.alz.org 225 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 1700 Chicago, IL 60601-7633.
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