Richard Gaston Fagin, our beloved father, grandfather and great-grandfather, passed away on Father's Day, June 19th, 2022, at the age of 90. Richard was born on April 20, 1932, in Tyler, Texas, during the Great Depression and, for a time, lived in a tent house next to the oil fields. Richard grew up in Dallas, Texas, and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School. He then went to the University of Oklahoma and graduated with a degree in petroleum engineering. While at OU he played a year of football for the legendary Bud Wilkinson and was a proud member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. His best moment on campus was when he literally bumped into Judy Jones, the true love of his life, while she was rushing to one of her field hockey games. Richard and Judy were married in 1954 during a three-day pass that Richard was granted by the Air Force.
After his service in the Air Force, where he achieved the rank of Captain, Richard joined Humble Oil Company and quickly rose through the ranks and helped pioneer the use of main frame computers to simulate oil and gas reservoirs. Recruited to D.R. McCord and Associates, he rose to the position of President and oversaw its acquisition by University Computing Company. As President of UCC International, Richard traveled the world. Later in his career, Richard acquired Hunter Associates, Inc., one of the premier civil engineering firms in Texas. He also acquired and expanded Captain's Cove and Lakeside Marinas, operated several homebuilding companies and invested in real estate throughout North Texas. Somehow he found the time to earn an MBA from Pepperdine University. Along the way. Richard participated in the engineering of the Seawinds Condominiums in Singer Island, Florida. Later, when the opportunity arose, Richard and his wife Judy acquired the unsold condominium units of Seawinds. Together they worked to furnish, advertise, manage and sell those remaining units, while keeping two adjoining condos that now serve as the vacation headquarters for the entire family. Richard had many titles: a Registered Professional Engineer in Texas and Louisiana, a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, in the Society of Petroleum Engineers of AIME, a member of American Mathematical Association and a Registered Sanitarian. Richard volunteered with the Boy Scouts, White Rock and Lovers Lane United Methodist churches.
Richard was a member of the Dallas Petroleum Club for almost 40 years where, along with his great friend Ken Perry, started the annual Fagin-Perry Christmas luncheon. He loved his Saturday golf group at Northwood Country Club, deer hunting throughout Texas and skiing in Colorado. One of his greatest passions was sailboat racing, which he began as a young boy at White Rock Lake. Over the years he competed in numerous regattas everywhere from Lake Ray Hubbard, the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, to the Race to Mackinac on the Great Lakes. Yet he was just as happy fixing an engine or putting in his own sprinkler system.
Richard's favorite title was "Anddaddy", as he was known to his family. His grandkids were often treated to an outing where they ate peanut parfaits at Dairy Queen on the way to Lake Ray Hubbard or "Trash-Can" ice cream in Florida - before lunch. And when the grandkids spent the night, they often raided the icebox for ice cream until Granny caught them in the act, as she always did. Richard delighted in spending time with his grandkids fishing and sailing. Richard stressed and instilled the love and importance of family through his words and in his daily life.
Richard was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 53 years, Judy, his parents and his great-grandson, Nathaniel Campfield. Richard is survived by his daughter and son-in-law Karen and Chuck Edwards, daughter, Lauren Butler; grandchildren, Ashley Campfield and husband Steve, Lea Tyner and husband Bobby, Alexa King, and Austin King and wife Tillar; great-grandchildren, James and Helen Campfield, along with many other Fagin and Jones family members.
It would be impossible to overstate the love, care, companionship and adventures that Richard enjoyed with his assistants in his later years. Donna Dismore, Barbara Bowman, Sandy Herman and Carol Finch cared for Richard as if he was their father and he reciprocated the love in kind.
A celebration of a life well lived will be held on Wednesday, June 29th at 1:00 pm at Highland Park United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Highland Park United Methodist Church or to the University of Oklahoma, Mewbourne School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering.
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