George Austin Dishman, Jr., 86, of Beaumont, passed away Thursday, November 17, 2016. He was born in the Amelia neighborhood of Beaumont on December 3, 1929 to George A. and Stella Curtis Dishman.
The oldest of three boys, George worked the rice farm with his father, brothers, and cousins, and graduated from Beaumont High School. He attended Lamar Tech and went on to study business administration at Texas A & M University, where he served proudly in the Corps and graduated in 1952, the year he wed his wife of sixty-four years, Judy (JoAnne) Gay Dishman. From there he served as Lieutenant in the United States Air Force forging a lifelong love of aviation. The service took him and his growing family first to California and then to Germany, after which they returned to Beaumont where George, and his brother Jim, went to work for their uncle, Herbert Eugene Dishman.
George thus began his first career as an independent oil operator, eventually assuming the role of president of Prudential Drilling Company. As he honed his skills in the oil industry, he formed cherished professional relationships with other entrepreneurs with whom he enjoyed lifelong friendships. From the duck blind to the boardroom, his many friends came from all walks of life. George continued applying his business acumen to banking and real estate and flourished in each successive industry. Over the course of his storied career, he served as a director for First Security National Bank, InterFirst Bank, and Mid-County Bank, among others. George served on the original board of Conn Appliances and formed C & D Realty with his cherished friend C.W. Conn. He was a Beaumont City Councilman and active in the alumni association of his beloved Texas A & M University.
George’s love of hunting and fishing led him to several continents but he was always most at home in Southeast Texas. In 1981, he was named a Regent at Lamar University. Always civic-minded as his family before him, George and Judy generously re-invested in the community by supporting many charitable causes; donating land for schools, creating scholarships, and most proudly, endowing Lamar University’s first named department, The JoAnne Gay Dishman School of Nursing. In the final years of his life he was a proud and active member of Calder Baptist Church under Reverend James Fuller.
George is survived by his wife, Judy (JoAnne) Dishman; children, G. Austin Dishman, III and wife, Phoebe, of Beaumont; Melanie Dishman of Beaumont; and Claire Dishman of Santa Fe, New Mexico; grandsons, David Dishman and wife, Adrienne, of Beaumont; and Robert Dishman of Houston.
The family would like to extend our sincerest thanks to Mona Lucas of Grace Hospice, and to his evening caregivers, Georgia and LaTanya.
A memorial service for Mr. Dishman will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, November 19, 2016, at Calder Baptist Church, 1005 North 11th Street, Beaumont, under the direction of Broussard’s, 2000 McFaddin Avenue, Beaumont. A gathering of family and friends will follow in the Fellowship Hall. His committal will be held at Broussard’s Crematorium, Beaumont.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Buckner’s Children’s Village, 9055 Manion, Beaumont, Texas 77706; or to Calder Baptist Church Children and Youth Ministries, 1005 N. 11th Street, Beaumont, Texas 77702.
