Daniel Ray Brister

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Daniel Ray Brister, 84, died of natural causes on Friday, August 19, 2022, at his home in Odessa, Texas.  A memorial service will be held August 27 at 2:00 pm at the First Presbyterian Church, 1401 N. Sam Houston, Odessa, Texas 79761. 

Danny was born March 3, 1938, in Grandfield, Oklahoma to C. Wayne Brister and Mae Eloise Brister (Green).  His father was his hero.  His mother passed along her love of fishing. Danny prided himself as coming from a blue-collar, working-class family. Danny always looked up to his big brother, Freddy.  As teenagers, they worked at their father’s gas station.  Danny frequently told fond memories of those days, including many pranks and jokes.  He had a special place in his heart for his sister, Chrys, born when he was 13 years old. 

Danny graduated high school in Pampa, Texas.  Danny loved music and had a fantastic tenor voice.  He sang in choirs while in high school, and a popular local barbershop quartet.  He had a great memory in all respects, and through to his final years he remembered and could sing all the words to an impressive American songbook. 

Joey and Danny fell in love at first sight. They fell madly in love with one another, and less than a year later they married on June 18, at ages 19 and 16, in Groom, Texas.  Joey and Danny truly had a rare, special marriage.  They were a role model to all. 

Eleven months after getting married, they started a family.  By the time Danny was 23, and Joey was 20, they had a full family with three children.  Danny’s life was his family.  He often said he wished he could outlive all his family so that he could take care of them their entire lives.  He and Joey both put family before everything.  They selflessly raised their children, showed them unconditional love, and were quick to forgive.  They made sure their kids were raised in a house that knew Jesus Christ was their savior. They raised their kids to believe in hard work, to be respectful, and to love one another.

As grandparents, Joey and Danny set the bar high.  Very high.  Danny and Joey would travel many hours for hockey games, baseball games, and band concerts.  Danny would install impressive Christmas lights for the grandchildren, and in the summers, he made them homemade ice cream.  He was a calm and patient male role model, who valued tradition, and set an example for how men should treat women.  He loved spending time with all the grandkids doing whatever they liked to do.  He had advice when they wanted to listen, but he was patient, kind, and loving even when they didn’t.   

Danny was a principled person.  He believed that a man was largely defined by his work ethic, honesty, integrity, and dedication to providing for his family.  His first job was as a gas station attendant at his father’s gas station.  His later jobs revolved around the oil and gas industry, including work as a rough neck, truck swamper, pipeliner, and laborer.  His interest in the industry turned into a profession when he began working in sales for major oil field equipment manufacturers.  Those jobs took him from Pampa, to Midland, to Houston, to Casper, Wyoming, to Denver, Colorado, and back to Odessa, Texas.  Danny’s work ethic, charisma, and thirst for knowledge fueled a long, rewarding, and fruitful career.  Danny had a passion for work, rooted in a love for gaining and sharing knowledge. 

Danny’s best friend was his brother-in-law, Jack Zuerker.  They were like brothers ever since they married sisters Joey and Tommie.  They always seemed to find ways to work together.   After working several jobs together, they started a company, OGP Oil and Gas Processors in Casper, Wyoming in 1973. They sold the company in 1981, but worked together again at Sivalls, Inc., where Danny stayed for another 33 years.  He retired at 80 years old as the Vice President of Marketing. For years, Danny and Jack had lunch together every workday at the restaurant inside the Albertsons grocery store.

Danny was preceded in death by his parents, Wayne and Eloise Brister, his brother Freddy Brister, and his wife Joey Darlene Brister (Babcock). 

Danny is survived by his sister, Chrys Smith (Brister) (and husband Ron); his children, Danny Joe Brister, L. Dean Brister (and wife Karmen), and Daphne Stewart (Brister); his grandchildren Michael Glenn Brister, Austin Wayne Brister (and wife Meredith), Matthew Paul Brister (and wife Eva), Amber Nicole Stewart, and Ryleigh Mae Hammons; his great-grandchildren, Ella Brister, Arya Brister, Hazel Brister, and Bennett Brister; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and in-laws.