OBITUARY Eugene Thomas Byrne Jr. September 16, 1934 – November 8, 2018 Eugene Thomas Byrne, Jr. PhD—husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, brother, son, teacher, and Dodger fan—died Thursday evening, November 8, 2018, having lived a full and beautiful life. He certainly would have liked to live more of it, as he loved to be around friends and family. He recently celebrated a birthday with his family, spending time to tell stories and some of his best dad jokes.
He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Te; his children, Tom (Heather), Rene (Andreas), Kyle (Shellie), Michelle (Keith), and Shannon (Alan); his grandchildren, Jess (Matt), Alex (Robyn), Tad, Caroline, Jodi, Ben, Whit, Jacob, Peyton, Brian, Barrett, and Claire; his great-grandchildren Shani, Andreas and Frida; his sisters Carole (George) and Susan (Sal). He was preceded in death by his father, Tom; his mother, Marion; his sister, Marion; his brothers, Dennis and Kenneth, and grandsons Nicolas and Rainer. He went to Brooklyn Tech High School, where he played baseball.
After graduation, he played briefly for the Brooklyn Dodgers farm team. He then attended the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point where he played baseball and football. His love of sports lasted his whole life.
He loved not just the games, but also their lessons of teamwork, practice, and perseverance. He carried those lessons with him in everything he did. He worked as a merchant marine before attending graduate school at Tulane University, where he earned an MBA and a PhD in Economics.
He was an administrator and professor of business at Southern Methodist University where he made lifelong friends and influenced countless others. He left SMU to become the Director of the Department of Education at the Office of Thrift Supervision and retired in 1993. Always, he made time for the things that really mattered: time with family, especially his grandkids; opening day of baseball; fishing trips; coaching his kids’ teams; camping.
He could spend all morning telling stories about growing up in Brooklyn, but was always ready to listen and offer life advice. Everyone who knew him would agree … he loved to talk. Services will be Tuesday, November 13, 2018.
A rosary will begin at 1:30 PM followed by a memorial mass at 2:00 PM at Mary Immaculate Catholic Church, located at 2800 Valwood Parkway, Farmers Branch, Texas, 75234. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to: Eugene T. Byrne Endowed Faculty Innovation Award Fund Southern Methodist University Gift Administration Box 402 Dallas, Texas 75275-0402 Play ball! Calvary Hill Funeral Home in Dallas, Texas has charge of arrangements.
If you found any mistakes, or you would like to add/remove to this obituary, please contact us by email: info@obituary.memorial. We never ask money for this.
