OBITUARY Tom J. Fatjo Jr. September 25, 1940 – January 24, 2019 Tom Joseph Fatjo, Jr., beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend passed away peacefully to be with his Lord and Savior on Thursday, the 24th of January 2019. Tom was a true visionary. He was born the 25th of September 1940 and raised in Richmond, Texas by his loving parents Tom J. Fatjo, Sr. and Doris Cooper Fatjo.
Early experiences at his father’s various enterprises led him to a lifetime of entrepreneurship having a lasting impact on countless lives. Tom was the ultimate optimist and believed there was nothing that could not be accomplished. His charismatic personality and positive attitude became a foundation for his ability to attract, develop and lead his business partners.
His honesty and integrity were hallmarks of who he was. He attended Rice University and graduated in 1963 with a degree in Accounting and Economics. While attending Rice, Tom played football and served as captain of the golf team.
He remained a loyal supporter of Rice University and the University of Texas athletics throughout his life. In 2008, he was selected to receive Rice University’s Distinguished Alumni Award. Tom was no stranger to dreaming big.
Early in his career, he came across a challenge to improve waste collection in his neighborhood. Tom embraced this challenge which led to the creation of Browning-Ferris Industries. Under Tom’s leadership, BFI became one of the largest waste management companies in the nation.
This entrepreneurial venture was only the beginning. Tom has been the founder and major shareholder in many different businesses including Fannin Bank, Mortgage Banque, American Title Co. and Criterion Management. Tom shared his creative enterprise process through authoring the book “With No Fear of Failure”.
In 1979, driven by a personal passion towards health and fitness, Tom developed the Houstonian Hotel and Fitness Center along with the Houstonian Estates. His expertise in health and fitness resulted in his appointment to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports under Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush. During this time, Tom ran over 30 marathons, including 13 Boston Marathons.
Tom returned to his roots in the waste business in 1990 and over the next 10 years founded Republic Waste, TransAmerican Waste and Waste Corporation of America. Tom is a true “pioneer and founder of the modern-day solid waste industry”. Above all, Tom was devoted to his family.
He especially enjoyed spending time together in Galveston and at his beloved Texas Hill Country ranch. Tom was also deeply spiritual which influenced all aspects of his life. He is preceded in death by his parents and former wife, Amy Elizabeth Fatjo.
He is survived by his loving wife of 25 years, Shawnna Cochran Fatjo; Children Kimberly Fatjo Ruud and husband Lance, Thomas Joseph Fatjo, III and wife Wendy, Austin Joseph Fatjo and wife Ally, Ashley Elizabeth Fatjo, Jacqueline Jett Fatjo, Channing Riley Fatjo and Jordan Ross Lally and wife Elizabeth; Grandchildren Jessica, Landon and Justin Ruud and Berkeley, Thomas IV and Travis Fatjo. Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family from five o’clock in the afternoon until seven o’clock in the evening on Monday, the 28th of January, in the library and grand foyer of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston.
A memorial service and celebration of Tom’s life is to be conducted at two o’clock in the afternoon on Wednesday, the 30th of January, in the sanctuary of Second Baptist Church, 6400 Woodway Drive, in Houston. Prior to the service, the family will have gathered for a private interment at Memorial Oaks Cemetery in Houston. Those interested in a remembrance are gratefully asked to make a contribution to the Clayton Dabney Foundation, 6500 Greenville Ave.
#342, Dallas, Texas 75206.
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