Lias B. “Bubba” Steen, a resident of Westhoff, Texas, departed this world on October 16, 2024. At the ranch with his children at his side, he was called home. Heaven never admitted a better fellow and he leaves a legacy of family and friends to celebrate his wonderful life. He was not only a beloved father and grandfather, but also a treasured friend whose laughter and light touched everyone he met.
Born April 14, 1936, in Cuero, Texas, to Lias Fletcher Steen and Beatrice Brown Steen, he was a lifelong resident of DeWitt County.
While he resided in Austin for a number of years, Cuero and Westhoff were always home and where his heart resided.
In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his siblings, Charles Arlen Steen and Margie Steen Mayfield (Tommy), and the mother of his children and his lifelong friend, Sharon Dincans Steen (Gary Dunnam).
He is survived by his loving children, Lias Jeffery Steen (Barbara), Shannon Steen Mann (Jamie) of Houston and D. Jennings Steen (Yuni) of Austin. His grandchildren, Jake Steen, Fauye Bennett, Ian Mann, Emma Mann and Scarlett Steen of Austin, and Lias Fletcher Steen of Houston. Also close to his heart is his sweetheart and companion of the past twenty-six years, Ann Rice of San Antonio.
Bubba is also survived by his nieces and nephews, Barbara Steen Smith, Mark Charles Steen, Tricia Mayfield Crane, Russell Mayfield and his sisterin- law, Mildred Cage Steen.
Bubba was a proud graduate of Cuero High School, Fighting Gobbler Class of 1954. In his youth, Bubba was an accomplished rodeo cowboy, a roper of some success that could catch and tie a calf in record time. He was reported to also be a skilled dancer with the cowgirls during the rodeo slack. He and his wingman, Bucky Sager, cut a wide swath on the South Texas rodeo circuit and proudly claimed to have broken many hearts along the way.
In the summer of 1952, he traveled as an apprentice with a noted Cuero inventor on a cross-country barnstorming tour of the State Fair horse racing tracks touting the “photo finish” camera his boss had invented. He loved telling the tales of being at State Fair races and watching folks break into raucous brawls when the new high-tech camera showed their horse losing by a nose.
Bubba attended Texas A&I University and graduated from the University of Texas with a business degree. While burnt orange and white was important to him many years ago, he loyally bled maroon and white for the back half of his life after serving as the Director of General Services for the Texas A&M University System and in honor of his children, who are all Texas Aggies.
He was raised with an intense work ethic that he emphatically passed along to his children and grandchildren. He regularly preached the mantra of -- “work hard, play hard, but not until the work is done.” As a child of the Great Depression, he was tight-fisted with his dollars and never let a guy outtrade him on a deal. He would spend a week working on something to save two dollars and never, ever, threw anything away.
His frugality in life merged well into his hunting prowess. As an avid outdoorsman, Bubba was a crack shot and always bagged a trophy buck during each hunting season. Never one to waste a shot, he took pride in stretching his ammunition further than one could imagine. He was particularly proud that he only took one shot each season, only buying three boxes of ammunition over the past 50 years. He kept those old boxes of ammo intact with duct tape and rubber bands. He insisted that bullets were good for decades and his one shot, one deer result, seemed to prove that theory true.
Across his working years, he found success as a Red Arrow freight agent, a Gulf Oil distributor, mechanical contractor, oil and gas landman, real estate broker and always ran some cows in the country.
However, Bubba’s true calling was working for the State of Texas for over twenty years running a number of large state agencies, including the Texas Department of Labor and Standards, The Texas Employment Commission and the State Purchasing and General Services Commission. He served in an era when state politics was a civil endeavor, and he nimbly played both sides of the aisle with incredible deftness. He worked for and earned the trust of both Democrat and Republican Governors, Lieutenant Governors and House Speakers, and never missed a beat. In his final days, he was disappointed by the fact that politics and state government had become so divisive, and that civility and statesmanship had departed the Capitol. Bubba’s legacy in Austin leaves a different model for future generations to reflect upon.
As an interesting side note to Bubba’s government service, when he transferred to the University of Texas in 1955, he took a parttime job working as a mail boy for the Texas Railroad Commission in the basement of the Tribune Building across from the Capitol. One of his duties was to deliver the mail up to the top floor to General Ernest O.
Thompson, the Chairman of the RRC. Fast forward to the fall of 1979 when Governor William Clements appointed Bubba to be the Commissioner of the Texas Department of Labor and Standards and as fate would have it, his first office in Austin just happened to be on the top floor of the Tribune Building, which had been renamed the Ernest O. Thompson Building. Bubba was extremely proud of leaving Austin working in the basement only to return twenty five years later to office in the penthouse in the same building where it all started.
In the mid-1980’s, his love for Austin and the arts led him to champion a land swap between the State of Texas and the City of Austin to create the Umlauf Sculpture Garden, an outdoor museum dedicated to the works of Charles Umlauf near Barton Springs. This wonderful addition to the Austin art and park scene continues to draw thousands of visitors each year.
A comprehensive reflection of Bubba’s escapades in Austin would not be complete without sharing the memory of when he was tasked with overseeing the removal, repair and replacement of the “Goddess of Liberty” affixed to the top of the Texas State Capitol.
The heavy iron and zinc statue had reigned proudly over the Capitol since 1888 and had fallen into disrepair. Texas’ best engineers and experts were summoned to craft a plan and were perplexed about how to get her off the dome and how to reinstall her replacement in such tight quarters on the tiny pinnacle over 311 feet above the ground. In what was later described as a ridiculous idea that became genius, Bubba and his team commandeered a heavy-duty twin-rotor helicopter from the Texas National Guard, tied a rope around her waist and lifted her right off the dome. The following year the team was back at the top of the dome to guide the “New Goddess” into place to watch over Texas for the next 100 years.
Bubba loved recalling the thrill and terror of being cinched tight in a safety harness while bucking the rotor winds and guiding the new Goddess home. If you are ever in the Bullock State History Museum in Austin and see the original Goddess of Liberty on display, tip your hat to her in honor of Bubba, he would get a kick out of that!
Bubba was affectionately called “Father Fajita” and was known for his culinary skills. His signature marinated skirt steak, prepared in an igloo cooler with gallons of mango juice, was a favorite that crossed party lines and regularly brought opposing politicos to the table to “agree to disagree” in a civil fashion. In his final days he passed along an old family recipe for “Sancoche” to the local cafe at Mustang Mott and they named “Bubba’s Burger” in his honor.
He was honored to serve as the National President of the National Association of Governmental Labor Officials (NAGLO). Bubba traveled the country working to bring labor and management together for a better workplace. The Governors of Alabama, Arkansas and North Carolina honored him as an honorary Lieutenant Colonel in the Alabama State Militia, an Arkansas Traveler and an Official Tar Heel. Being named an Admiral in the Texas Navy by his first cousin Senator James E. “Buster“ Brown when Buster was Governor for a Day was perhaps his favorite “tongue in cheek” accolade. In his final days, he often lamented the fact that Sandies Creek on his home ranch was dry, and he was an “Admiral” up a dry creek without a damn paddle.
Bubba’s contributions to his community extended beyond his professional service to the State of Texas. He served on the Cuero City Council, the Cuero Industrial Foundation and the South Texas Chamber of Commerce. He was a founding member and early President of the Turkeyfest Association that ushered in the change of the quadrennial Turkey Trot to the annual Turkeyfest in 1972. In those years, he served as the Team Captain for the famous racing turkey “Ruby Begonia” and traveled with her to Minnesota on numerous occasions to participate in the Great Gobbler Gallop. He was immensely proud of inventing and crafting cane poles with rattlesnake rattles tied to the tip as a tool to scare Ruby into running faster!
A true reflection on Bubba’s life must celebrate his ability to make and keep friends. He treasured his friends and relationships, and he cared little about who they were or where they came from. If they were good folks, he wanted them as part of his life. Irrespective of whether you were the Governor or the custodian, Bubba treated you with respect, warmth and kindness. A world-class storyteller, he brought laughter and light to any gathering, making him the life of the party with his quick wit and magnetic personality.
Bubba’s legacy endures in the lives he touched, and the friends he made, and the wisdom he shared – a life truly well lived, and one we’ll strive to honor every day.
He leaves heartfelt thanks to his personal physician and wonderful friend, Dr. Tom Blackwell for exceptional guidance, love and care over the past thirty six years. The family wishes to acknowledge the loyal friendship of Paula Gerloff, T. Woodard, Dennis John, Jenni Henderson and Randall Katzmark, whose dedicated support and companionship meant the world to Bubba and brought him comfort and joy.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Chisholm Trail Heritage Museum, P.O. Box 1866, Cuero, Texas 77954 or to the charity of your choice.
A celebration of life will be held in Bubba’s honor in mid January. In keeping with his wishes, his ashes will be buried at the State Cemetery in Austin and spread across his beloved Windy Hill Ranch at Westhoff, Texas.
You may sign the online guestbook at www. freundfuneralhome. com.
GOD BLESS BUBBA STEEN!
