Colleen Edwards Geren

Colleen Edwards Geren, great-granddaughter of one of the area's pioneers, played a role in shaping many neighborhoods from land the family settled more than 160 years ago along the Trinity River. In 1954, Mrs. Geren and her brother, Cass O. Edwards II, who died in 2005, formed Cassco Land Co. to take some of the family's holdings, which until that point had housed busy cattle operations, and began selling off parcels to commercial users and developers. Mrs. Geren was born Aug. 12, 1928, to Winnie Smyth and Crawford Overton Edwards. She was the granddaughter of Casswell Overton Edwards and the great-granddaughter of Lemuel Edwards. Lemuel Edwards used a Texas land grant to acquire the land in 1848, and at one time the family owned about 4,000 acres, roughly from Vickery Boulevard to south of Interstate 20 and between Bryant Irvin Road and South Hulen Street. About 850 acres remain for development. Mrs. Geren's nephew, Crawford Edwards, now heads Cassco Land. State Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, said that 30 years ago, his mother survived two surgeries for a brain aneurysm, which limited her physically. Other survivors include her husband, Preston M. Geren Jr.; sons Beauford "Toby" Erwin and Pete Geren; daughters Eva Geren Motheral and Chandra Edwards Geren; 11 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.