John Robert Braziel, 89, a lifelong entrepreneur and commercial real estate developer in Austin, passed away on Saturday, May 16, 2026 at home with his family by his side.
Born to Rachel and Leo Braziel in Greenville, Texas on August 28, 1936, John grew up in Emory. His mother Rachel was a schoolteacher, and his father owned the local feed, seed, and fertilizer business. He and his older brother Bunker ran a dairy farm as teenagers.
John was a gifted athlete at Emory High School, but he especially excelled at 6-man football and baseball. He also enjoyed tennis, water skiing, and snow skiing.
In the fall of 1954, he enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin where he went out for the freshman football and baseball teams. While his playing career was short at the college level, he never lost his love for his Texas Longhorns. He was a UT football, basketball, and baseball season ticket holder since graduating from the UT School of Business in 1960, and he also had the distinction of attending 64 consecutive Texas-OU football games in the Cotton Bowl. He was a true and dedicated Longhorn fan. His enjoyment of UT sports extended to his tailgate friends who meant so much to him.
It was also at the University of Texas that he met the love of his life, Dixie Kay Pinckney from Austin. They got married on June 30, 1962. Together they started a family in Austin and enjoyed years of adventure, laughter and love together with their children.
He was a devoted husband to Kay for nearly 64 years, and John showed all around him how to live fully, love deeply, and give selflessly. Kay and John traveled often, shared meals with many friends, and loved family gatherings with their children and grandchildren. His pancakes were famous and delighted many over the years.
John’s career in business was diverse, but he was best known for real estate development in the Austin area. He was part of the development of many apartments, condos, and office buildings. But he was just as likely to have one-off projects, like creating a seafood processing plant in Nicaragua. In fact, he was once recognized as an exceptional entrepreneur in the state and spoke on the subject at UT Austin.
John was a community servant. He was Commodore and President of the Austin Aqua Festival during its heyday in the 1970s. He also served as President of two Austin Rotary Clubs, and as President of the English-Speaking Union. He helped to establish several scholarships through Rotary which have benefited high school seniors in Austin for over 25 years.
He was committed to everything he chose to do with his time. He was a 36-year Community Bible Study student and leader, a 25-year yoga participant into his late 80s, and he spent 18 years in the Quest Program at UT with Kay after finding they were addicted to new information. In his later years, he especially enjoyed writing his memoirs through a writing class and growing tomatoes for family and friends at Sunshine Community Gardens.
Faith was also a significant part of his life. He always saw the big eternal picture and his faith led him in his work and his relationships, excelling at serving others, loving others, and helping others. That is why he developed so many friendships with people from so many different walks of life over the years, with many dating back to his hometown of Emory. One of the joys of his life was taking trips to Cuba in 2009 and 2011 with Covenant Presbyterian Church. He supported many friends he made there until shortly before his death.
John would want to be remembered for his devotion to his family—wife Kay, daughter Meri Braziel Swoyer (Ben), son Robert Pearson Braziel (Julie Frank), and four grandchildren-Whitley Braziel (New York City), Katherine Braziel (New York City), Robert Swoyer (Repton, England) and Sienna Swoyer (Southhampton, England). He is also survived by his niece Kristi Williams of Emory and her family, and his sister-in-law Sharon Pinckney of Lampasas and her family.
The family wishes to thank Compassus Hospice for their care and compassion in the final week of John’s life.
The family would appreciate donations in John’s memory to their favorite charity, Helping Hand Home for Children, 3804 Avenue B, Austin, Texas 78751(www.helpinghandhome.org).
Memorial services will be held on Tuesday June 2, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. at Covenant Presbyterian Church at 3003 Northland Drive, Austin, Texas 78757. Livestreaming will be available.
Arrangements by Weed Corley Fish Funeral Homes.