Obituary of Justus Thomas DeWindt

Justus Thomas DeWindt, passed away on June 16, 2017.  Justus was an only child born to Justus Douglas DeWindt and Eleanor Eileen Rickling on July 17, 1943 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

He attended the University of Michigan then transferred to Franklin and Marshall College in Pennsylvania where he earned his undergraduate Bachelor's Degree in Geology. He continued his studies and earned an Ivy League Master's Degree in Geology from Princeton University. There, he was a professor and wrote several geological books, many of which still remain in the Princeton Department of  Geosciences. 

His passions were fossil rocks and also model diesel locomotive trains, specifically the Union Pacific Railroad. He loved to work on model railroad dioramas on the weekends. He also loved classic cars, and even collected a few!
The gulf coast oil and gas business brought him to New Orleans and then to Houston. He worked for Murphy Oil Exploration making maps for offshore oil drilling in Asia and the Gulf of Mexico until his early retirement due to being diagnosed legally blind due to macular degeneration in 2002.

Although he lost most of his vision, he tried to stay active in his hobbies. He continued to make model railroad dioramas. He also kept in contact with many of his professors, classmates, and work colleagues. Until recently, he was currently working on a geology book with an old friend.

Justus Thomas DeWindt had six daughters; Priscilla DeWindt and Kathleen DeWindt both preceded his death, and his surviving daughters are Lorrie DeWindt, Bonnie DeWindt, Heather DeWindt, and Margaret DeWindt.