Dan Comstock

Dan Comstock passed peacefully from this life into the next on July 14, 2022 with his wife, Pat and a dear friend of the family, Lillian Phillips, at his bedside. Dan was born in Colby, Kansas on October 6th, 1941. He spent the first 9 years of his life in the small town of Selden, Kansas where he learned the values of integrity, respect for others, being a good neighbor and kindness to all; values that remained with him throughout his life.

When Dan was 9 years old the family moved to Fairbanks, Alaska, several years before it became a state. During that time he had many wonderful adventures and experiences as a paperboy and boy scout. In 1953 the family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma where they settled permanently.

Dan was the oldest of 11 children. He had 3 brothers and 7 sisters. The following is a description by his sister, Kathryn Comstock Waterfield, of what Dan meant to his siblings, his mother, and his many aunts, uncles and cousins.

“At the young age of 19 Dan found himself with the daunting task of taking over the care and financial welfare of his 10 younger siblings. Our father had left the year prior and our mother was in the hospital for several months.

To prevent us from going into foster care, Dan presented to the court system a plan of with whom and where his siblings would reside, and how they would get to church and school during this time. He was accompanied by our grandmother, and uncle, both of whom lived in Tulsa, and our parish priest who lived in Sand Springs, Oklahoma at the time. He was awarded Legal Guardianship of all of us until we reached legal age. He maintained that guardianship all of our lives, and at the time it was granted, our youngest sibling was one year old.

Doing so, he gave up any aspirations he had of going to college, the possibility of marriage any time soon, and any thoughts of having a regular job. The year before, he had taken a job which had long hours, days spent on the road, and many nights away from home in order to earn the necessary income.

Every year Dan had to present to the court new documentation validating his earnings and the outgo of his income, justifying the right to maintain his guardianship. For the rest of his life it would be his goal to keep his siblings together, and he did...day after day, year after year, he saved us. And here we are today to honor our brother, Dan, the greatest brother anyone could have ever had.”

One by one the children grew up and began to leave home to start their own lives. It was at this time that Dan met Patricia Anne Hayes through their mutual interest in the church choir. After an 18 month courtship, they married on November 25th, 1972 and were together for 50 years until his death.

Dan began working in the oil industry in 1964. Eventually he became an industry leader in oil and gas measurement with expertise in numerous calibration, trouble shooting and start up activities on foreign and domestic sites. He was a member of The American Petroleum institute for over 40 years where he served on various subcommittees. Over the years he received several API Service Awards, including the Chester W. Ochsner Mentor Award. He was a valuable contributor to the body of knowledge at the International School of Hydrocarbon Measurement since 1982 where he was invited to give a paper on liquid and gas measurement at their annual meeting every year.

Dan began semi-retirement in January of 2008 and at that time established his own consulting business. In August of 2008 he began working part time for the University Of Texas, Cockrell School of Engineering as a senior instructor in their Petroleum Extension School (PETEX) in Houston, Texas. Working part time gave Dan the opportunity to engage in two of his favorite activities, Politics and Golf.

Dan was a devout Catholic and an unabashed patriot. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus and was initiated into the 4th degree which is the patriotic level of that organization. He served in the Harris County Republican Party as a precinct chair and election judge for 12 years and served two terms as the President of The Cherry Tree Republicans.

Nothing made Dan happier than when he knew he would be getting together with his brothers and sisters at a Thanksgiving gathering or a Family Reunion. He expressed his love for each individual and was very proud of their successes and accomplishments. His siblings were the joy of his life, and, his wife of 50 years, who was so generously and graciously accepted into his family was his soul mate.

Dan made the most of his 80 years on this earth. He always maintained a humble gratitude for the many blessings God had bestowed upon him, even throughout his illness. He was a warm and loving person who never met a stranger. He was loved and respected by all who came to know him...because, the truth is that Dan Comstock never left that small town where he grew up. For Dan, all the world was just an extension of Seldon, Kansas.

And the Lord said, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

May he rest in peace.

Dan was preceded in death by his parents: William and Pauline Kirkland Comstock. His siblings: Constance (Stanzi) Comstock, Norman Lee Comstock, and Peggy Comstock Gamboa.

Those left to cherish his memory are his SIBLINGS: Kathryn Comstock Waterfield (John), Don Comstock, Jon Comstock (Stephanie), JoAnn Comstock Bly, Trish Comstock Gilbert (Don), Nancy Comstock, and Mary Ann Comstock Ackley (Wade); NIECES AND NEPHEWS, Dawneva Mari Mendez (Queenie), Norman Comstock (Elsa), MaryAnn Comstock King (Chris), Jeb Beich (Hoda), Sandra Beich (BJ), Cassandra Comstock Burns (Mike), Matthew Comstock (Pam), Ben Comstock, Barton Chimera Comstock, Hillary Comstock, Latisha izzy Ensinger, Mike Ensinger, Elizabeth Bly, Bryan Gilbert, Andrew Gilbert, Joshua Garcia (Jamie), Andrea Lazenby (Daniel); GRAND NIECES AND NEPHEWS: Iza, Ibrahim, lptisam, Zam Zam, Moza, Remy, Reese, Corey (Lisa), Jessica, Alexandria (David), Noah, Jonah, Hamzah, Gwydion, Gavin, Jaelee, Isabel, Leo, Johnny, Julie, Jacob, Ethan, and Jackson; GREAT GRAND NIECES AND NEPHEWS: Arish, Leon, Jayden, Kaiden, Landon, Trinity, Leeann, Raylee, David, Nicholas, and Savannah Rose, CLOSE FIRIENDS: Jim Strawn, Pete Jakubenus, Penny Jones, Lillian Phillips, Marylin Kent, and Martha and Paul Seymor, Ward and Denise Turner and his many cherished friends and neighbors from the Oil Industry, the Republican Party of Texas and St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church.

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