I’m Broken
Y’all, there is no other to say this, but my Bubba Don passed away unexpectedly last night.
I’m really not ready to talk about it, but I need time to mourn and heal as best I can. El Jefe has agreed to take over the joint and give me the precious gift of time.
I’m including the first draft on Don’s obituary written by our sons. Please keep us in your prayers.
Judge Donald W. Bankston, 73, of Richmond, passed away on March 24, 2021.
Born and raised in Dallas, Judge Bankston left his hometown to pursue a law degree at the University of Houston. He went private practice in Houston and then moved to Richmond in 1984 as a young lawyer to raised his family.
During the first half of his career, Don served as a prosecutor with the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office. Over the next half of his career, Don became a local legend in private practice, known for his uncompromising defense of constitutional rights, his battles against police brutality and corruption, and his fierce stands against prosecutorial overreach. He was also a pioneer in the fight to keep junk science out of the courtroom.
Don was also well known as a lifelong community activist and a foundational figure in creating the local Democratic Party. In the GOP-dominated 1990s, Don began the long process of organizing a local party from scratch, and for the next 30 years, he labored tirelessly for the ideals he was so passionate about. To his peers in politics, he was variously known as a true believer, a troublemaker, a negotiator, a rabble-rouser, and a steadfast mentor to a generation of public servants.
During the last years of his life, Judge Bankston was deeply honored to preside in the 268th District Court, a privilege he undertook with great sincerity. Judge Bankston was kind, sympathetic, and accommodating to every party who entered his courtroom, except perhaps to the attorneys representing banks seeking to foreclose for minor HOA fee delinquencies in the midst of a pandemic. His rebuke of these banks was a point of personal pride.
Don is survived by his wife of 50 years, Susan DuQuesnay Bankston, a former teacher, journalist, political humorist, and currently semi-professional grandma, his son Bryan Bankston, a veteran and an artist who works at the Fort Bend County Libraries, his son Mark Bankston, a plaintiff’s lawyer, his daughter-in-law Elizabeth Eakin, an environmental prosecutor, and his grandson Benjamin Bankston, his best buddy in the whole world. Don will be joining his departed son Chip Bankston on the other side, where they can watch Astros games while wearing Hawaiian shirts and reminiscence about riding in the MS-150.
The family plans to announce a public service soon when gatherings become safer. Condolences can be sent to Mark Bankston, Farrar & Ball, LLP, 1117 Herkimer St, Houston, TX 77008. Donations are suggested to the Autism Society of Texas or the Juanita Jean PAC on Act Blue to keep making good trouble.
What Inkdreamer @ 24 said along with my deepest condolences for your sudden and heartbreaking loss. So sad!
1I’m so sorry
2Death is Nothing at All
3by Henry Scott Holland (1847-1918)
Canon of St. Paul’s Cathedral
Death is nothing at all.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
I am I and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other, that we still are.
Call me by my old familiar name.
Speak to me in the easy way which you always used.
Put no difference in your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without affect, without the trace of a shadow on it.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same that it ever was.
There is absolutely unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am waiting for you, for an interval,
somewhere very near, just around the corner.
All is well.
I’m so sorry. Gentle virtual hug, if you want one. Prayers ongoing for you and your family.
4Susan
5I am deeply sorry for this massive loss.
I will be praying for your family continuously.
It’s heartbreaking. I’m so sorry for your loss. My deepest condolences to the Bankston family.
6O my.
I liked the part about keeping junk science out of the courtroom.
7I am so sorry to read of the loss. Judge Bankston’s obituary shows a principled public servant and loving family man — both praiseworthy, both ended too soon.
May warm memories come to melt some of the jagged edges of the holes in the hearts of those who loved him.
8Damn! My 46yo friend just passed from a heart attack Monday afternoon, and now I learn this. Sending you all the empathy I can muster.
9My condolences to you and your family. Your whole family seem like the loveliest of fighters-for-good. I can’t imagine the depth of your loss.
10Dear Susan,
11I am sending my deepest condolences and prayers of comfort and peace for you and your family.!! Don will be missed!!
One less hero.
12No words.
Condolences
Oh, no, JJ, I am so sorry!
My deepest condolences. Please take all the time you need.
Many loving hugs from the UK.
13Susan, we are so very sorry to hear about Don. You and your family are definitely in our prayers. We enjoyed the time we spent with Don in the fight to make life more equitable in Fort Bend. We are here if you need anything, if only to talk.
The Gills
14Sending friendship hugs from across The Pond .
15Susan – that obituary was flawless. I feel as if I knew him personally now.
16We all await your return.
Oh, Susan. My heart breaks for the Bankston family. Don was my partner on the SDEC and it was wonderful to have such a warrior by my side.
17My sincere condolences to the family. A personal loss and another good man gone.
18I am so very sorry, Susan. I know that Alabaster Al (aka SquireAl and AlVT) who passed away last month would want me to extend our condolences to you and your family. A friend send this to me:
Of those loved way-companions who made dear
With their companionship our world of strife and stir,
Say not with sadness: They are no longer here
But say with gratitude: They were.
19I’m so sorry. May his memory be a blessing to you.
20My heart aches for you and all your family, and the community for which his life has been a blessing. I am holding you in the Light, as Friends/Quakers say.
21I love you Susan and I’m so so sorry for your loss. You and your family are in my thoughts.
22I am sad for your loss of your beloved husband, Susan.
23Oh Susan!
24my heart breaks for you
and for everyone around him.
oh, JJ, I’m so very sorry. Take care of yourself and hold your dear ones close
25WOW! To be so fondly remembering by so many good people is one helluva achievement at the time it most counts.
26My heart is broken for you. I have no words that are adequate to ease your pain, but know that we support you and your family. May you find peace and comfort in the coming days.
27Respectfully,
Rick Stelter.
Condolences from all of us patrons of the salon. Our hearts go out to you, Susan.
28Thinking of you and your family. What a wonderful man, what a loss.
29Very sorry to hear this. My deepest condolences to your family.
30Peace, love, comfort, and strength to you and your family as you deal with this shocking loss. My deepest sympathies.
31I pray for you the strength and courage to do what needs to be done in the sorrowful days to come, and the comfort of family and friends to help see you through the darkness.
32So sorry for your family!
33I’m so sorry Susan.
34My sincere and heartfelt condolences on your sudden loss. After so many years of reading your columns, you, Bubba and your family feel like family to me. After the great race he ran, may he surely rest in peace.
35I am so sorry. Life and those we love are so precious.
36Very sorry to hear this, I know your fellow only through your loving descriptions and that’s more than I can ever offer.
Best wishes to you and family.
37May his memory be a blessing to your children and grandchildren.
38So very sad……
You and your family are in my prayers. You all have become dear virtual friends through time spent in the ‘beauty salon.” Gentle hugs to everyone for your loss. When you feel up to it, let us know how we can help continue Bubba Don’s fight for equality, fairness, right, and keeping junk science out of the classroom.
39You have done so much for us. This cruel year has taken so much.
Take all the time in the world you need, we will be here caring for you.
40I’m so sorry.
May his memory be a blessing.
41I am so deeply sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing his beautiful obituary. I hope the love you and your family share will help to ease your pain.
42Deepest sympathies on the tragic loss of your life partner. All who know you through your journalism, activism, and community work know that you and Bubba were a team. You will miss him. Warm regards during this difficult time.
43Just. No. Words.
Holdin’ you and the family in my heart, for as long as it takes.
44What a terrible shock and grief you, Bryan, Mark, Elizabeth and Benjamin must be suffering now. Rob and I are so very sorry for your terrible loss. Judge Bankston was a great man who leaves behind an incredible legacy. Hugs, Sweet Lady.
45So sadden to learn of your husband’s passing.
46May you find strength and joy in your remembrances of your lives together.
Susan, my beloved Juanita Jean, in this time of your profound loss I grieve with you. He was a great man who gave his all in the name of true democracy. They don’t always walk among us, but he did. I’m grateful for that and his legacy. Love to you and your family.
47I don’t find my post for some reason. I did post right away. I am so sorry for your loss.
48This was such a shock to read so I can’t really imagine the shock to you. My goodness, fifty years together. What a journey together. I am so sorry for your loss. My deepest condolences to you and your family.
49I just now saw this, and to say I’m shocked would be an understatement. while I’ve never met you guys in person, I feel like we’re old friends, and everyone here is kinda like family, dysfunctional and all. I love the “Bubba” stories, and he was a stand-up guy. I am so sorry for your loss, and will keep y’all in my good thoughts.
50