David Russell Hester

Retired Lubbock businessman and civic leader David Hester died Nov. 7 at Carillon House in Lubbock. Hester, 90, ran Hester’s Office Supply for decades before selling it in the early 1980s and beginning a second career in real estate development. He launched La Colonia Homes near Hillcrest Country Club. Hester served on the Lubbock Planning Commission, was a leader in the American Business Club and served on various committees and the session at Covenant Presbyterian Church. He also volunteered for Meals on Wheels. In the 1950s, as a Lubbock community ambassador, he spent part of a summer in Sweden. As a decades-long member of the Lubbock Rotary Club, he led a cultural exchange to Brazil. In 1978, he ran unsuccessfully for a Lubbock County seat in the Texas House. In retirement, Hester, a graduate of Lubbock High, established a “Great Thinkers” group. He arranged monthly lunches with guest speakers, with the goal of keeping Westerner alums connected to the community. As an undergraduate at Texas Tech University, Hester was on the varsity tennis team. He remained an avid tennis player to retirement and beyond. He and his first wife, the former Billie Hotchkiss, ran tennis tournaments for the Lubbock Tennis Association. David Hester served on the state tennis association’s board. He also loved alpine skiing and was a hyper-competitive player of the “hearts” card game. Hester, who holds a bachelor and master’s degree from Texas Tech in business marketing, served in the Army in Korea for two years. He taught business education and coached tennis at Lubbock High before joining in the office supply business of his late father, Wyatt Hester. David Hester and Billie were married for 49 years until she died in 2005. The following year, he married Marcy Bateman, a teacher of English as a second language classes and fellow member of Covenant Presbyterian. She died in 2016. Hester was predeceased by stepson Melvin Laman of Lubbock; parents Wyatt and Nettie Hester of Lubbock; and brother Carl Hester of Bayside, Texas. He is survived by brother Ross Hester of Lubbock. For the past year, Ross and David lived on the same floor at Carillon and enjoyed visiting one another daily. Other survivors include daughter Tina Hester and her husband Bob Garrett of Austin; daughter Karen Hester of Pahoa, Hawaii, and Grand Lake, Colo.; grandson Wyatt Garrett of Lubbock; nieces Sherry Kenney and her husband Andy Kenney of Denver, Colo., and Renee Hester of Lubbock; nephews Randy Hester and his wife Lyn Hester and Steve Hester and his wife Olive Hester, all of Lubbock; nephew Jeff Hester and his wife Jan Hester, of Pagosa Springs, Colo.; and “adopted” son Brian McPeak of Lubbock. Perhaps the hallmarks of David Hester’s life were close attention to others and enjoyment of the outdoors. He and Billie served as host family for international students attending Texas Tech. They befriended international refugees, including Tao Bui, who arrived penniless from Vietnam at 18 and became a lifelong friend. David considered Tao’s daughter, Kelley, who currently attends Tech, his “granddaughter.” David Hester was known for his phenomenal ability to keep track of friends and acquaintances over many decades. Admirers laughingly described him as a professional attendee of funerals. In what sounds as if it is cliché but is true, he visited the sick and remembered the shut-ins. To hundreds in need of a boost, he penned encouraging notes. To one and all, he told corny jokes. He was always the “networker,” helping friends or students find employment and housing -- or much-needed friends. He had a ready smile and time for all, especially all the kids in the neighborhood. Born in Amarillo in 1928, he lived the rest of his life in Lubbock. But he traveled widely and loved to be in nature. His all-time favorite trip, he later recalled, was going to Kenya with daughter Tina when he was 60. After a safari, they climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 24, at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 4600 48th St., Lubbock. The family suggests memorials to Meals on Wheels, South Plains Food Bank and International Rescue Committee and Covenant Presbyterian Church.

David Russell Hester

July 22, 1928 - November 7, 2018