Richard Haas

Richard Charles Haas, 69, of
Lakeway, Texas, passed away
on Tuesday, October 10, 2017,
in Lakeway. He was born on
June 13, 1948, in Buda, Texas,
to Richard Earnest “Dick”
Haas and Louise Clark Haas.
His sister, Trevlyn Jean Haas,
was one year old at the time.
The family lived in Buda for
several years where his father
managed the Herman Heep
ranch before moving to Wichita Falls where he then worked
for Allbright Moving and Transfer Company, owned by Louise’s
parents, Robert and Lora Clark.
When Richard was in elementary school his family moved
to Corpus Christi where he attended Montclaire Elementary,
Hamlin Junior High and Cullen Junior High. He attended Ray
High School, and was a member of the Ritter Club, taught
music lessons and played guitar in several bands. He then
graduated from King High School the first year it was open.
Richard attended Texas A&M University at College Station
as a second generation Aggie and graduated with a BBA
in Marketing with the Class of 1970. Upon graduation he
went to work for Mercantile Bank in Corpus Christi. He
later worked with his father in the oil and gas industry for
many years before starting his own business, Pinnacle Royalty
and Operating Company (Proco). Richard was the first
independent to drill horizontally in the Austin Chalk, being
awarded two patents for the horizontal drilling technology
and processes he developed. He was a featured speaker
for World Oil conferences on the topics of horizontal drilling
and drilling in the Austin Chalk. He was also an instructor
for private drilling seminars and his articles were published
in World Oil and American Oil and Gas Reporter.
Richard served on the board of directors for the Former
Students’ Association of Texas A&M University from 1989 to
1993, was twice President of the Corpus Christi A&M Club
and was Aggie of the Year. He was an avid skeet shooter
who won many awards and contributed a great deal to the
community both by giving his time and providing financial
support for youth shooters and the A&M shooting team. At
the time of his death, he was the Vice President of Vortex
Tools, LLC, and President of the recently established Poco
Loco Operating, LLC.
Richard was preceded in death by his father, Richard E.
Haas, his mother, Louise C. Haas, and his sister, Trevlyn J.
Haas. He is survived by his wife, Tonya Brooks Haas, his five
daughters, Tiffany Hull (Stephen), Emily Garmon (Shelby),
Natalie Fredrickson (Eric), Jennifer Dennis (Jim), and Kathryn
Haas, as well as a step-son, Andrew Pierce, and eight
grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at The Lakeway Church in
Lakeway, Texas, on Saturday, October 28, 2017, at 1 PM. In
lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to St. Jude Children’s
Research Hospital, a favorite charity of Richard’s.