Obituary of John D. Hughes
John Desmond Hughes passed away from complications of Alzheimer’s disease on January 20, 2025, at the age of 83.
John was born on January 19, 1942, in Great Bend, Kansas, to Margret Elizabeth O'Keefe Hughes and James Sylvan Hughes. The family quickly moved to Texas so John could become an almost native Houstonian at the age of six months.
John attended St. Anne Catholic School and remained involved with the church there for many years. An alumnus of St. Thomas High School, he graduated in 1959 as captain of the golf team. After a year at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service he returned to much warmer Texas and finished his undergraduate degree at The University of Texas at Austin where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity. He went on to earn his law degree from The University of Texas Law School in 1965. Immediately after law school he joined the Army Reserve in the Judge Advocate General Corp.
John was a well-known real estate attorney in Houston and a founding partner at Hughes, Watters & Askanase where he retired after 45 years in practice. Years of investigating land and property gave him unparalleled knowledge of Houston backroads and shortcuts and he could give detailed directions from memory anywhere in the region.
He was also involved in numerous social & charitable organizations including Citizens for Good Schools, the board of YMCA Camp Cullen, KPFT Radio, and was a founding member of the River Oaks Breakfast Club.
John followed his parents’ example and was a lifelong Houston Astros fan and season ticket holder. He enjoyed watching and playing golf and loved snow skiing, traveling as far as Innsbruck, Austria to ski on Olympic slopes and ride a bobsled down the track. His love of travel led him to visit 37 countries around the world and complete 48 of his 50 states goal- missing only North Dakota and Hawaii!
Outside of travel his favorite pastime was reading. John read the newspaper every morning, clipped out the comics he wanted to share, did the daily jumbles and crossword puzzles in pen, and had shelves full of detective novels. There were always stacks of articles and magazines he wanted to read “as soon as he had time”.
John is survived by his wife, Sharon Gage Hughes; his children, Allison Hughes, Elizabeth Hughes-Salazar (Manuel), and James Hughes (Ha Na Lee); and his cherished grandchildren, Matteo Salazar, Henry Hughes, and Senna Hughes. He is also survived by his brother in-law Joseph Shupak (Margaret); niece Susan Chrobak (Tony); nephews Mark Shupak (Regina) and Jimmy Shupak (Ruth); and stepchildren Jenny Gunter (JD) and Clinton Gage (Eleanor).
John was preceded in death by his parents and sister Margaret Hughes Shupak (Joseph).
The family wishes to thank his many caregivers, both at home and at Silverado Hermann Park Memory Care Community, for their excellent care of John during his illness.
A memorial service celebrating the life of John D. Hughes will be held at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, February 1, 2025, at Covenant Chapel, 4949 Caroline Street in Houston, Texas.
John D. was called “Dondee” by his grandchildren. The goofy nickname was bestowed by Matteo, his first grandchild. John and Matteo had a very close bond and when Matteo was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes(T1D) John was heartbroken. In lieu other remembrances, the family requests donations be made in John’s honor to BreakthroughT1D (www.breakthroughT1D.org), helping to find a cure for diabetes