Thomas Mcneese

Thomas Aylmer Dwyer McNeese was born in Houston, Texas. As a fifth-generation Houstonian, his family was one of the first settlers in Texas, arriving just prior to Austin’s Colony. Dwyer, as he was known to his friends and family, loved his native Houston and enjoyed watching his hometown become even more international and prosperous in recent years.

Dwyer attended The Kinkaid School and graduated from Washington and Lee University in 1962. He went on to receive a law degree from the University of Texas, a university rich with family history. His great-grandmother was in the first graduating class at UT and his father served on the Board of Regents for many years, including as chairman from 1973-1975.

After law school, Dwyer joined the law firm of Fulbright, Crooker, Freeman, Bates & Jaworski and was sent to Mexico in the summer of 1965 to head the firm’s Mexico desk. Dwyer, who spoke almost no Spanish, became enamored with his new country. He matriculated into The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the largest university in Latin America and learned Spanish as he obtained an additional law degree.

Upon graduating from the UNAM, Dwyer petitioned Mexico’s Supreme Court for the right to practice law in Mexico and subsequently became one of the first foreign-born attorneys licensed in that country. Dwyer soon fell in love with a beautiful Mexican national, Nancy, and they were married on June 14, 1969. The couple had one son, Thomas.

Dwyer worked for Bremer, Quintana, Vaca, Rocha, Obregón & Mancera and later as a partner with Goodrich, Dalton, Little & Riquelme before founding his own firm, Sesma, Sesma & McNeese. He also served on the board of various multinational companies, worked for the United States government, and served as president of the American Benevolent Society in Mexico City.

Dwyer was married to Nancy for almost forty-eight years. Their love for each other was unparalleled and is an example to everyone. He died in Houston, Texas on March 14, 2017. He was preceded in death by his father Aylmer Green McNeese, Jr. and mother, Catherine Ellen Elsbury McNeese. He is survived by his wife, Nancy Ellen Dalton McNeese, his son, Thomas Aylmer Dwyer McNeese II, his grandson, John Alan, his sister, Margaret Carter McNeese, and his two nieces, Catherine Carter McNeese and Bridget Teresa McNeese Cummins, all of whom he loved more than words. Dwyer made the world a better place and taught us all the meaning of love, kindness, and hope. He was an extraordinary father, husband, grandfather, and human being. May he rest in peace.

There will be a grave-side service at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 18, 2017 at Prairie Lee Cemetery in Brenham, Texas.

As a tribute to the excellent care provided by the faculty of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, including Dr. David D. McPherson, the family requests donations in lieu of flowers. Please visit giving.uth.edu/memorial and select the Thomas Dwyer McNeese Memorial Fund, or make checks payable to:

UTHealth

PO Box 1321

Houston, TX 77251-1321

Funeral services for Thomas McNeese are entrusted to Memorial Oaks Chapel, 1306 W. Main, Brenham. To post a tribute to the family, visit www.memorialoakschapel.com.

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