H. Wayne Gifford's Obituary
Age 74, passed away June 2, 2012 in Dallas, Texas with his immediate family by his side. He was born December 7, 1937 in Rienzi Mississippi. Wayne is preceded in death by his parents Terry Gifford Sr. and Gertrude Gifford of Mississippi; and his sister Louise Odle of Chicago. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Myrtle Gifford; daughters Machelle Gifford Selbe and her husband Dennis Selbe and children Sarah, Jason and Josh of Arkansas & Missouri; Anna Gifford Greathouse and her husband Chris Greathouse and their children Jacob, Mitchell and Grant, of Magnolia, TX; and son Hugh W. Gifford II and his wife Mandy Stewart Gifford and their son Hugh W. “Trip” Gifford III, of Dallas, TX. He is also survived by his broth’ er, Terry Wayne Gifford Jr., of Mississippi and his sister Ann Glidewell and her husband Bob, of Mississippi; niece Robin Odle of Chicago; nephews Terry Wayne “Skip” Glidewell and Rob Glidewell, of Mississippi; along with a great number of extended family and friends all over the world. Wayne, a retired Geologist and Geophysicist, graduated with honors from Mississippi State University in 1959, majoring in geology with minors in physics and math. Immediately after graduation, Wayne became employed with Texaco Oil & Gas, as a geophone placement technician, shooting seismic technology in the North Texas Sherman Basin. He quickly advanced to the position of Junior Geophysicist, where he began interpreting seismic data; and continued to advance over the years, working in several of Texaco’s regional offices across Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. In 1965, Wayne moved from the technical labs of Texaco into its domestic exploration division working in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. He was responsible for the interpretation of deep, salt structures in the Gulf, including salt piercement (7), slumping and other complex structural features; which later would improve success rates of drilling performance and minimize risks of a dry hole. In 1968, Wayne moved to Caracas, Venezuela for Texaco where he worked off-shore in the Gulf of Venezuela and in the interior at Lake Maricabo. Wayne was responsible for shooting the seismic, interpreting the seismic and convincing Texaco’s management to drill the then Onado Prospect in the State of Anzdingue, which resulted in finding and developing a billion barrel oil field. In 1972 he was transferred to Houston where he was made Exploration Manager of Texaco’s South American and West Africa Division, which included Central America, developing oil and gas prospects using the most modern seismic and geological practices. In 1974, Wayne left Texaco and relocated his family to Dallas, Texas to work as Exploration Manager for Bunker and Herbert Hunt and later ran all of the geology and geophysics for Hunt Energy until 1979. Fueling his entrepreneurial spirit and desire to run his own oil and gas exploration, drilling and production company – in 1981 Wayne joined Newport Petroleums, Inc., in Dallas where he ran operations and held a seat on the Board of Directors. After mergers, acquisitions and name changes over a number of years, today this entity is Exco Resources, Inc. Wayne established Gifford Operating Company (GOC) in 1986 and the company continues today under the management of his three children. Wayne had many accomplishments during his successful career; including a well drilled in 1996 in southern Illinois; which at the time was the longest laterally-drilled well in the US for its depth. This well continues to be a steady producer operated by GOC. In 2004, Wayne rejoined Exco Resources as an Exploration Manager and since then, two million barrels of oil have been produced using Wayne’s geological seismic surveys and related science. Wayne retired from Exco in 2010. Wayne was an incredibly loving husband, father, grandfather and dear friend to many. Absolutely nothing was more important to him than the happiness of his family and friends. He took tremendous pride in the accomplishments of his three children, and spending time with his family and friends was what gave him the most joy. An avid sports enthusiast – Wayne was known for his amazing mind and ability to recall stats. In his early years, he lettered in basketball and later on enjoyed pro-am golf with the likes of Chi Chi Rodriguez, Lee Trevino, and Byron Nelson. Although he enjoyed most sports – Wayne truly loved baseball and horse racing. He had been a St. Louis Cardinals fan since childhood and developed a love of Horse Racing while living in Caracas. Wayne was also known for his amazing storytelling and jokes; there’s no doubt that many of these “Wayneisms” will be shared for generations. Wayne will be remembered by his much beloved family, friends and business associates for his total commitment to everything he did in life, his un’ believable intelligence and compassion for others, his integrity and courage, and his wonderful wit and sense of humor. He will be missed, but certainly not forgotten. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Friday, June 8 from 6-8pm and a Celebration of Life Service will be held at 12:30pm, Saturday June 9, at Restland Memorial Chapel. A private graveside service will follow. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Friday, June 8 from 6-8pm and a Celebration of Life Service will be held at 12:30pm, Saturday June 9, at Restland Memorial Chapel. A private graveside service will follow. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of H. Wayne Gifford to either of these organizations: The American Parkinson Disease Association www.apdaparkinson.org; Dallas Hospice Compassus www.hospicecompassus.com/loc-TXDAL.html
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