Preston Lankford “Lanny” Kromer of Horseshoe Bay, Texas, passed away on Thursday, June 15, 2023, in Austin, Texas from complications associated with his long battle with Alzheimer’s. He was 82 years old.
Lanny was born in Pampa, Texas on February 17, 1941, to his parents Earl Preston and Artie Oree Brock Kromer. His parents soon moved the family to Borger, Texas where Lanny spent his childhood years along with his brother John who was born a year after Lanny. He is survived by his wife Mary Lou McCarty Kromer; his brother John Kromer of Lewisville, Texas; his son Kyle Kromer & wife Kristen of Krugerville, Texas; his daughter Michelle Kromer Cummings & husband Mike of McKinney, Texas; and grandchildren Kirin Kromer, Preston Kromer, and Daniel Cummings.
Lanny was active in sports including tennis, football, and golf. He also possessed a beautiful tenor voice, singing with his church and high school choirs. His Borger High School choir was designated the most outstanding high school choir in the nation and performed at the Hollywood Bowl and on the Ed Sullivan Show. Lanny spent summers in Borger working at the 6666 Dixon Creek Ranch Division and the local golf course.
Upon graduating from Borger High School in 1959, Lanny attended North Texas State University in Denton, Texas where he was a member of the Theta Chi Fraternity. While in college, Lanny further developed his love for golf by regularly playing with friends who were on the North Texas golf team. Lanny became the star salesman at The Varsity Shop and was known as the best dressed man on campus.
Upon graduating from North Texas, Lanny went to work for Neiman-Marcus in Dallas, first in the famous store’s management training program and later as an assistant buyer and then store manager. During his entire career, Lanny was involved in the apparel business. He left Neiman-Marcus to become a sales representative for a leading national ladies’ apparel company, eventually opening his own sales operations at the Dallas Apparel Mart. In 1995, he closed his showroom operations and became a key member of the team that launched the golf apparel company Fairway & Greene.
Lanny and Mary Lou were wed in August 1977 in Lubbock, Texas and moved to Aubrey, Texas. They lived there until moving to Florida in 1995, living first in Boca Raton at Woodfield Country Club and later in Palm Beach Gardens at Old Marsh Golf Club. They returned to Texas in 2009, settling in the Horseshoe Bay area at Escondido Golf & Lake Club.
Lanny was passionate about horses and golf, and the two hobbies provided much enjoyment for the Kromer family and the expansion of their circle of friends. Lanny participated in many competitions and achieved high rankings in the National Cutting Horse Association. Among his wins were both the Houston and Ft. Worth Stock Show cutting horse competitions riding his prized horse Sir Kane. He also served as a judge for the NCHA Futurity in Fort Worth several times. Lanny and his son Kyle loved to show horses, and his daughter Michelle and Mary Lou loved to watch them perform. One of Lanny’s cherished memories was watching his son Kyle participate in the National High School Rodeo Finals in South Dakota. Golf was also a family affair for Lanny and Mary Lou. They made many friends in each of the golf communities in which they lived and at Denton Country Club that was near their first home in Aubrey. They joined many of these friends on golf trips to various U.S. locations, Ireland, and other countries.
Lanny had an infectious smile and tremendous sense of humor. He was dubbed “The King of One-Liners” as he always had a quick and humorous comeback for almost every situation. Many of his one-liners were original, others borrowed from friends or lyrics from country and western songs.
A celebration of life will be held in the future. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Lanny’s honor can be made to Blue Sky Therapeutic Riding & Respite, Mailing Address: 120 Stanley Dr. #228
Aubrey, TX 76227-9997. https://blueskytherapeutic.kindful.com/
