Thomas Wayne Warren

Wayne was born in Electra, Texas in 1923 to Jamie Stansbury Warren and Lester Paul Warren. From the age of 10, he and his younger brother Jerry were raised by their mother in very humble circumstances. The little family moved to Wichita Falls and then to Austin. In each place Wayne excelled academically. Due to the generosity of an elderly math teacher, he was able to enter the University of Texas, graduating in three years at the age of 20 with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering with honors including Tau Beta Pi. While attending the University, Wayne held five jobs, several of which involved his beautiful bass voice. He was paid $2 to sing at All Saints Episcopal Church and at a funeral parlor. His quartet was dubbed the “Free Lunch Four” because of the many free lunches they received for their talents. He and lifelong friend Cactus Pryor won a contest and enjoyed a year of free dinners at Old Seville, an Austin Mexican restaurant. During this time he met his devoted wife Marie Cunningham. They had countless dates at Old Seville and recently celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary.

Following graduation, Wayne joined the U.S. Navy. He served during World War II as a lieutenant, commanding an LCT boat in the Pacific. His boat was one of 46 in a fleet, only half of which made it from the Philippines to Okinawa in a typhoon. While overseas, Wayne was finally able to repay his high school teacher the $250 she had loaned him to attend college.

When the war ended, Wayne was employed by the Humble Oil Company in Baytown, TX. During the Korean War he spent two years with the U.S. Petroleum Administration for Defense in Washington D.C. The family then moved to Detroit, Michigan where he was employed by Ethyl Corporation, then to Dallas and the consulting firm of Purvin and Gertz. In 1964, he joined Pennzoil Company in Houston where he served as a member of the board of directors, President of Pennzoil Products Company, and as a board member of various public companies. He retired from Pennzoil in 1986.

Wayne and Marie have three children: Deborah Rommel (and husband Ross) of Hunt, TX; Russell Warren (and wife Lyn) of Charlottesville, VA; and Margaret (Maggie) Brown of Houston. They have been blessed with seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, who adored their dear Daddy Wayne, as well as a devoted Maltese named Daisy.

Throughout their happy marriage, Wayne and Marie enjoyed extensive travel as well as bridge, golf, and tennis at Lakeside Country Club and Riverhill Country Club in Kerrville. They have been members of St. Francis Episcopal Church since 1964. Wayne and his family shared many wonderful memories of weekends at their farm near Brenham.

A memorial service celebrating Wayne’s life will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Wednesday, June 1st at St. Francis Episcopal Church, 345 Piney Point Road, Houston, TX, the Rev. Stuart Bates presiding.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to St. Francis Episcopal Church, 345 Piney Point Road, Houston, TX 77024 or to St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 320 St. Peter St., Kerrville, TX 78028.