Daniel William Benthall, age 90, died Friday, December 31, 2010 at the Vitas Hospice in Houston, Texas following complications from pneumonia. He lived a rich and full life that began on August 18, 1920 in Pt. Arthur, Texas. He was the only child of Inez Josephine de Bouligny Barras and Daniel William Benthall, Sr. He was the grandson of Anne Virginie de Bouligny and Paul Clebert Barras of New Iberia, Louisiana and Louis Littleton Benthall and Madeline Zernial of Wharton, Texas. He grew up in Pt. Arthur, Texas, graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School (class of 1939), and briefly attended what is now Lamar University on a football scholarship. Unable to qualify for any branch of military service in WWII due to a childhood cancer, he began a lifelong career in electrical maintenance and engineering, beginning in Orange, Texas at the Du Pont refinery.

He married a very distant cousin and high school classmate, Mildred Hazen in Pt. Arthur, Texas on December 20, 1941. Together they shared 57 wonderful and loving years together until her death in 1999. To this union was born one daughter, Linda Louise 'Ingrid' Benthall of Sargent, Texas who survives him.

At the end of World War II, being fluent in both German and French, he briefly served in a civilian capacity in Germany assisting in the collection of evidence for the prosecution of Nazi war criminals. In 1952, he began a 28 year career with Ethyl Corporation and took early retirement at age 60, moving permanently to his beloved home on Caney Creek near Sargent, Texas. For the next 30 years, Mr. Benthall was an integral part of the Sargent community, serving many years on the Board of Directors of the Sargent Chamber of Commerce and the Caney Creek Club Estates. He was an avid outdoorsman, enjoyed fishing, hunting, and especially the Annual Richbourg Fishing Tournament. Upon retirement and as a co-founder of the East Matagorda Bay Foundation, he dedicated the next thirty years of his life to the maintenance and preservation of the waters of East Matagorda Bay for generations to come.

Mr. Benthall and his colleagues were instrumental in halting a major oil company from dumping polluted water into the bayous and tributaries feeding into Caney Creek and eventually the East Matagorda Bay. Next, he opposed, and with some success halted the local Drainage District's practice of felling 100+ year old trees and using herbicides to strip vegetation from the banks of Caney Creek as a means of flood control. Finally, his greatest conservation challenge and most enduring accomplishment was the fight to oppose the opening of the polluted Colorado River into the east end of the East Matagorda Bay [the so-called Southwest corner cut] by special interests groups, politicians and developers. Enlisting the help of leading scientists and environmental attorneys, the Southwest Corner cut was defeated and today, the pristine waters of this part of East Matagorda Bay remain an invaluable source of oysters, shellfish, and fish.

Mr. Benthall's roots in America go back many generations. He is a direct descendant of the Thomas Benthall listed in the church records of Hungers Parish, Northampton County, Virginia in 1638. His great-grandfather, Littleton Benthall (1800-1885) was born in Northampton County, Virginia. From there he moved to Tennessee, then Mississippi, and after the Civil War and three times widowed, settled in Texas with his fourth wife, the mother of Mr. Benthall's grandfather, Louis Littleton Benthall. Through his mother, he is descended from the earliest leaders of New Orleans, namely Francisco de Bouligny, Commandant of the military forces during the time of Spanish rule and his wife Marie Louise D'Auberville, both being Descendants of the Blood Royal of France and England. Likewise, his late wife shares the same royal descent that accounts for the "distant cousin" relationship.

Mr. Benthall is survived by his loving daughter, Linda Louise 'Ingrid' Benthall of Sargent, Texas. Dad, you were the best Dad ever. You taught me faith, love, hope, compassion, and above all to meet any adversity, however egregious, with strength and dignity. I am truly blessed that God rewarded you with 90 years and 4 months of life as that allowed you to receive more retirement years of pay than years worked. Hard work does indeed pay off. I will miss you dearly.

Mr. Benthall is also survived by a nephew and his wife, Charles William and Mary Phyllis McDonald Covington, their sons James Michael, David Allen Covington and his wife Jennifer, their children, Will, Jonathan, and Kayleigh Elizabeth. Special family friends Charles Edward Franks, II and wife Evelyn of Deer Park, Texas; their children Charles Edward Franks, III and wife Tina of Katy, Texas, Craig Elliot, and Cory of Deer Park, Texas; their grandchildren Charles Edward, IV, Danielle Leigh, and Cori Alleys. Special hunting buddy, Arthur Joseph (Sandy) Gillen and the members of the Blessing Hunting Club.

Mr. Benthall remembers with love and good will his friends and neighbors on Caney Creek, especially Nelda Anderson and her late husband, Andy Anderson, Delores and Clarence Crocker, Doris Young, Gus and Teresa Richbourg, Mike and Rita Richbourg, and Suzanne and Mickey Poretto and their sons, Marcus and Sam.

Special thanks goes to caregiver Rosalind Bell whose care and compassion were a great source of strength and joy for Dad these past 16 months.

The family will receive visitors and friends at the funeral home, on Monday, from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM. The Rosary will be held at 7:00 PM Monday, January 3, 2011 at Taylor Bros. Funeral Home. The Funeral Mass will be held at 2:00 PM Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at Holy Cross Catholic Church with Rev. Casey Jarzombek officiating. Interment will follow at Roselawn Memorial Park in Van Vleck, TX.

In lieu of the usual remembrances, contributions may be made in Daniel's honor to the East Matagorda Bay Foundation at PO Box 4004, Sargent, TX 77404-4004; or to the charity of your choice.

Words of comfort may be shared with the family at www.taylorbros.net. Arrangements are with Taylor Bros. Funeral Home, Bay City, TX (979) 245-4613.