Lee Allbritton

Jack “Lee” Allbritton, Jr. was born in Houston, TX on April 27, 1967 to Jack L. Allbritton, Sr. and Carol Covington Allbritton. With bright blue eyes and a warm smile, Lee was a charmer from the beginning. His parents instilled in him the importance of love, loyalty, and independence. His older sister Ashley shared with him her love of music and adventure. And his younger sister Allison brought out the “protector” in him (once when she was struggling during a swim meet, Lee jumped into the pool - fully clothed! - to rescue her).

Lee’s adventurous spirit became apparent early in life, as he and his beloved pup Casey would take off on walkabouts with Ashley around his Memorial neighborhood. One day, when he decided he had had enough of kindergarten, he and a pal managed to sneak out of the schoolyard in search of a more exciting endeavor (alas, they were quickly nabbed and returned to school). Lee’s pre-teen years were filled with bike and go-kart rides, treks through the bayou, and the occasional pyrotechnic mishap. Family vacations and Kinkaid School trips took Lee on more far-flung adventures and awakened a love of international travel. Whether it be a family roadtrip or a boat-ride through the Amazon, Lee fully subscribed to the concept that not all who wander are lost (even when he was, in fact, very lost).

At home and abroad, Lee loved nothing more than connecting with people and learning about their lives. He had a true curiosity and interest in others and a knack for making you feel like you were the most important person in the room when he was talking with you. Lee attended the University of Virginia and majored in American Studies, which was the perfect fit for a guy who liked to learn about a topic from all perspectives. He took a year off after college, returning to Houston and waiting tables, which he greatly enjoyed, writing to his college friends about the great “mom and pop” Italian restaurant where he’d first landed a job. It was called . . . The Olive Garden.

Not surprisingly, customers loved him - this tall, handsome man who was truly kind and genuine. Despite the occasional spill (including an entire Carraba’s lasagna down the back of a grandmother during a Rice graduation lunch), he made great tips. He ultimately followed in his father’s footsteps and became a lawyer but liked to note that he made less as a first-year associate than he had as a waiter. Law school did introduce him to another concept that he took to heart though - the theory of optional completeness; however, he applied it not in the legal sense, but rather as the explanation for why there were at least 5 pieces “left over” after putting together a piece of Ikea furniture.

In 1996, while still living in Houston, Lee met his future wife Anissa at an “Enron” party (if there were ever a company to time-stamp the place and time of a relationship!). They had both been invited by friends who were concerned that they only seemed to know other lawyers; but instead of meeting some exciting Enron folks, they managed to connect with each other and spent hours talking. They would ultimately confess that they had each noticed the other around town - at parties, in the infamous Houston tunnels, and at UVA alumni events - and had caught each other’s eye a year earlier. They had a fun-filled courtship which included lots of law firm parties, late-night live music, and trips to friends’ weddings. They married in 1998 and moved to Austin shortly thereafter.

While Anissa continued to practice law, Lee discovered a much more fun way to use his knowledge of the Texas legal world - he became an attorney recruiter. It was the perfect profession for Lee who was always a whiz at connecting people. In 2004, he made another great connection - this time for himself and his business - when he joined forces with Alysa Schildcrout to form Amicus Search Group. Together, they built one of the most successful and respected attorney search firms in Texas. Lee truly loved what he did and it was evident in how he treated his clients and candidates, many of whom became good friends along the way.

Lee and Anissa made sure to also enjoy all that early 2000s Austin had to offer - great music, wonderful friends, and lots of fun days out on the lake in their (mostly) trusty old Cobalt. They also continued to travel throughout the US and abroad, the international trips made that much richer by Lee’s facility in picking up other languages (he was fluent in Spanish and conversational in French, while picking up way more in “dodici lezioni” of Italian than anyone would believe). Wherever they went, Lee loved meeting and learning from the local residents and would often get involved in deep political and philosophical discussions with them in their native language. And while Anissa would do her best to keep him on the mapped-out route for their travels, somehow Lee always managed to veer off onto the squiggly-line mountain road at the exact moment she looked down to reach for a drink or snack. But they always made it to their destination relatively unscathed (though the same can’t be said of the tiny European rental car Lee backed into a medieval castle wall when they got turned around during a torrential rain storm in a small French town).

In 2005, Lee and Anissa put their travels aside for a bit when they welcomed their daughter Evan Louise. Lee was absolutely born to be a dad - he adored Evan completely. Together they explored parks, rivers, and their favorite - “windy flower” mountain overlooking Lake Austin. Lee would smile ear-to-ear as he rode Evan around the neighborhood in her bicycle “chariot” and could always be counted on to chaperone school camping trips to West Texas. He and Evan would spend hours together on the weekends doing art projects and watching cooking shows on PBS. Lee and Anissa also shared their love of music with Evan, with the whole family enjoying kitchen dance parties while cooking their favorite dishes. And the family ultimately resumed their travel adventures - taking road-trips around the US, exploring beautiful lakes in Nicaragua and Canada, and returning to Europe with Evan.

When Evan graduated from high school, she requested a family road-trip out west. The three of them spent an amazing 3 weeks exploring New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah and Colorado. They enjoyed some stunning sites along the way - the Grand Canyon (Lee was happy to confirm Clark Griswold’s take), Santa Barbara beaches, Lake Tahoe, and Park City - and reconnected with family and friends throughout the trip. It was a trip they knew they would always treasure.

Shortly after they returned, Lee’s congenital heart condition seriously worsened. After a few months of trying other options, his doctors determined that his only course of action was a heart transplant. So Lee embarked on yet another journey - he was listed for transplant at Ascension

Seton Medical Center in Austin in August 2023. While awaiting transplant, he was placed on ECMO and became the first person at the hospital who actually walked while having ECMO cannulas in his femoral arteries. As one of his caregivers said: “He was so brave and took on this challenge like the champ that he was. He forever changed the care (for the better!) that we give patients at ASMCA. So many patients have literally walked in his footsteps in the three years following.” Even in the hospital, Lee was a trailblazer!

Lee received his transplant on September 3, 2023. After 2 more months in the hospital, he was finally strong enough to return home. Lee’s family will forever be grateful to his donor for this extra time with him. While there were some setbacks along the way, the family got to enjoy several more trips (Rosemary Beach, Lake Toxaway, Charlottesville, and even Mexico) and family holidays and lots of great ACL tapings.

Throughout all of his challenges, Lee kept his optimism and good humor. When he landed back in the hospital last summer with pulmonary complications, he again set about charming and befriending all of the various caregivers and staff members - his nurses, OT/PT/RTs, the housekeeping staff, and doctors. As always, Lee cared about knowing them all as people, and they would often comment on how amazing it was that he could remember their kids’ names, where they were from, and what they liked to do in their free-time. After several lung procedures, his recovery seemed to be proceeding well, and Anissa and Evan were looking forward to getting him back home this summer. Unfortunately, following his final lung surgery in late March, he suffered several complications that he just could not surmount no matter how hard he fought.

Lee passed away on May 23, 2026 and leaves behind a legacy of love, generosity and kindness. His family and friends are missing his wonderful sense of humor and roguish charm, as well as his sparkling blue eyes and warm smile. He has left an unfillable hole in their hearts, but they will carry on all of his kindness to others.

Lee is survived by his wife, Anissa Albro Allbritton; his daughter, Evan Louise Allbritton; his mother, Carol Covington Allbritton; his sisters, Ashley Allbritton Worley (Jim) and Allison Allbritton Dwyer (Kelly); and his nieces, Emily, Annabel, Katherine and Maggie Dwyer. Lee was preceded in death by his father, Jack L. Allbritton, Sr.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday June 28th at 4:30 p.m. at the St. Andrew’s High School Chapel in Austin. The family is working to establish a foundation to benefit the personal and professional development of the dedicated ASMCA caregivers as well as other complex patients like Lee. Tax-deductible donations may currently be made (note “Lee Allbritton Fund”) via: https://urlgeni.us/venmo/cordonate