Daniel Coe Pressley

Daniel Coe Pressley of Taft, Texas, passed away on September 5, 2019, at the age of 90. Dan was born in Groesbeck, Texas on March 9, 1929, to parents Kate and Lowry Pressley. He was the older brother to the late Pattie Pressley Dukes of Hondo, Texas.  

Dan grew up in Taft and graduated from Taft High School in 1948. He attended Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas.  Dan served in the Army at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, from 1951 to 1953 as part of the Military Police Division.  Upon his honorable discharge, Dan married his childhood sweetheart, Ellen Shedd Pressley, on Christmas Eve, 1953. 

Dan and Ellen grew up next door to one another, dated for years, and were married 65 years until Ellen’s death in November 2018. They had three daughters: Cheryl Pressley (Ann Best) of Houston, Texas; the late Karen Johnston (John Johnston) of Portland, Texas and Kathy Stewart (Brian Bartos) of Boerne, Texas. Dan leaves behind five incredible grandchildren; Clayton Johnston (Tara Johnston) of Corpus Christi, Texas; Jennifer Padilla (Daniel Padilla) of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Brandon Johnston of Portland, Texas; Tatiana and Katya Stewart, both of Boerne, Texas. 

Dan had a 41-year career at Eastern Seed Company (ESCO) managing grain elevators in the Taft and Corpus Christi areas, selling crop chemicals to local farmers, and installed some of the first versions of “automatic” carwashes in Texas. Having 3 daughters, Dan was always that “overly” protective dad. Though it was a house full of girls, favorite gifts were mini-bikes, riding lawn mowers, and small shotguns. He raised his girls to be tough!  If his girls weren’t home by curfew time, you could see his black Silverado truck and hear his glass pack mufflers driving around the popular hangouts warning them to head home. No text messages were needed in those days. Just the sound of those mufflers did the trick and the girls were in the driveway before he ever got back home. Family was everything to Dan. His daughters, nieces, nephew, and grandchildren were his life. Nothing lit up Dan’s face more than family walking through the door for a visit.  

The Pressley Family sends heartfelt gratitude to all the staff at the Pavilion Assisted Living in Portland for their dedication, love, and care for Dan. Each staff member treated Dan and his family as their own. 

Visitation will be held Friday, September 13, 2019, 10:00 AM at Resthaven Funeral Home Chapel, Sinton. A chapel service will follow, 11:00 AM, at the funeral home. Burial will follow in Lamas Memorial Park Cemetery, Taft.

In lieu of flowers, Dan’s family would appreciate donations made to cancer research or a charity of your choice. 

Guestbook available online at www.resthavenfunerals.com

Arrangements and care entrusted to Resthaven Funeral Home, Sinton. 

If you were raised in small town Taft, Texas, you were one of the lucky ones. Town icons like Dan, and so many others of his generation, gave decades of dedication to making Taft a special place to grow up. 

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