Daniel H. Townsend

Daniel Hubert Townsend, of Austin, died Saturday, June 6, 2015, at the age of 59. A Celebration of Life service will be held seaside in Galveston with friends and family in the near future. Daniel, known best as Hugh, was born Friday, November 4th, 1955 in Liberty, Texas, to Daniel David Townsend, Jr. and Edith Maurice (Armstrong) Townsend. After graduating from Hardin High School in 1974, he spent the early years of adulthood building a life for his family in Liberty, TX--working mainly in the oil and gas industries--and purchasing one of the homes in which he had spent a part of his childhood. Hugh was a jack of all trades who did whatever he had to do to take care of his family. He was a simple man with a big heart, and he loved his kids more than he loved fried shrimp (which was an awful lot). He was happiest when he was in the garden, under the hood of an old Cadillac, or sitting on a porch drinking a glass of iced tea with someone he loved. He lived briefly in different parts of Texas and California, eventually settling in Austin, TX-- the first place he was able to truly call home in some time. He loved the music, the culture, and being close enough to Pedernales Falls to take a day trip with his children. He might not have loved the price tag attached to going to music festivals, but he loved that he could bring a lawn chair and sit outside of ACL to hear his favorite bands or rent a canoe to paddle around the lake when they played Auditorium Shores. It was a great place for him to make a new life for himself, and to watch his children grow into adults. Of all the things he was he proud of, his crowning achievement was witnessing the birth of his first grandchild. It was proof to him that he had done his job as a father- the only job he ever really cared about. He fought long and hard against a rare neurological disease that ultimately got the best of his body, but never had a fighting chance against his spirit. Where most people would have given up, he persevered- all the while pestering his children about the last time they had gotten their oil changed and whether or not they had called their grandparents recently. Anyone that knew him well knows that his legacy could never be contained within just a couple of paragraphs- you would have to tell it in chapters, and the space between those chapters would have to be filled in among friends, sharing stories and smiles around a campfire. Those left to cherish his memory are one daughter, Caitlin Townsend of Austin; two sons, Stephen Chase Townsend and wife, Melissa, and David Hunter Townsend of Austin; grandson, William Hunter; two sisters, Sharon Townsend Overstreet of Lake Charles, and Laurie Townsend Woodhead and husband, Joe, of San Leon; his parents, Edith and Danny Townsend of Livingston; and partner, Paul Haltom. In lieu of flowers, contributions in honor and memory of Daniel may be made to Austin Pets Alive by visiting http://www.austinpetsalive.org/donate/