Donald Howard Burks Sr.

He grew up in Hot Springs, Arkansas, with his parents and older brother, Kenneth Burks Jr.

Don graduated from Lakeside High School in Hot Springs and went on to earn a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Arkansas.

After college, he went to work for Texaco in New Orleans, where the company trained him for his lifelong profession as a petroleum engineer. During that first assignment in New Orleans, he met his future wife, Mary Chassaignac. Don and Mary would share 55 years of marriage. There in New Orleans, his two children, Donald Jr. and Christine Mary Burks, were born.

Professionally, Don was a legend in the oil and gas industry. He became the youngest district engineer in the history of Texaco and accepted promotions that brought transfers first to Houma and then to Houston, bringing him and the Burks family to Texas, where they would remain. After stints at Williams Exploration and Apache, he founded Burks Oil and Gas Properties, Inc., where he worked for many years alongside some of his best and closest lifelong friends. Together, they pioneered methods of auctioning oil and gas properties, helping establish an industry that now includes dozens of companies.

Outside of his professional life, Don was known for his unrivaled photography skills, his Christmas lights, and his carpentry.

Don is survived by his wife, Mary Chassaignac Burks of Frisco; his son, Donald Howard Burks Jr. of Plano and his wife, Megan; and his daughter, Christine Flage of Carrollton and her husband, Brian.

He also leaves behind three grandsons: Colman Burks and his wife, Amanda, of Odenton, Maryland; James Burks of Plano; and Joshua Flage of Carrollton. His four granddaughters are Katie Flage-Smith and her husband, Caleb; Glory Flage; Gabrielle Flage; and Isabella Rose Burks, known to all as Rosie. His precious great-granddaughters are Alice Burks and Juliette Burks of Odenton, Maryland.

Don was preceded in death by his father, Kenneth Burks Sr.; his mother, Alice Pearl Burks; and his oldest grandson, fellow National Merit Scholar and genius Christian Anthony Burks.

Don’s unwavering support of his family, his church, his friends, the Knights of Columbus, his colleagues, and his community leaves a profound void. His family knows that the grief of losing him will endure for years, but they place their hope and trust in the healing love of Jesus Christ and the consolation of His Church.