Dustin Zane Esmond

Dustin Zane Esmond went to be with the Lord on March 7, 2023, while living in Athens, Texas. He is survived by his father, Dwight Esmond of Dayton, Texas, his mother, Debra Robinson and husband, Erwin Gibson of Spring, his sister, Adrienne Wray and husband, Worth, and nephew, Wyatt of Aledo, and his grandparents, Jerry & Lela Esmond of Texas City. In addition, he is survived by aunts. uncles, cousins and many friends. 

Dustin was born on July 19, 1996, in Baytown, Texas and lived most of his life in Dayton, Texas. He was a member of First Baptist Church of Dayton and was an active member of the church’s youth activities.  While attending DISD he excelled in academia, which included placing first in many local, area and state competitions. In 2009 he was chosen by Duke University as the Seventh Grade Talent Search representative from DISD, a program recognizing Academically Talented Students from schools all across America. While attending DHS he was a member of the National Honor Society and graduated in 2014 with honors. After graduation, he enrolled at The University of Texas at Tyler and became a member of the President’s Dean List during his freshman year. Majoring in Biology, with a double minor in Biochemistry and Chemistry, he became very interested in studying medicine and set a goal to become a physician. He did well at the university and became good friends with some of his professors who encouraged him to pursue his interest in medicine. Dustin was very honored to be asked at times to teach at the university. After receiving his Bachelor of Science Degree, he immediately began studying for his Master of Science Biology degree. He received his master's degree from UT Tyler in 2021. Beginning shortly thereafter he began to study for the MCAT exam, in order to enroll in medical school. He was employed with Argon Medical Devices Inc. in Athens, Texas at the time of his death. 

In addition to his love of medicine, he also loved to lift weights, hunt and fish, recently taking up the sport of bass fishing. Dustin landed several “trophy” bass including his personal best that weighed 8.5 pounds. At the time of his death, he was planning to fish a bass tournament with his father the following weekend. He also loved fishing for salmon and halibut in Alaska. On one fishing expedition in Seward, at age 10 he landed a 70 lb. halibut. 

Another love of Dustin's was scuba diving. He dove in Bermuda and several locations in the Caribbean. He was also a devoted fan of the Philadelphia Eagles and attended many of the Eagles games with his father and friends. 

Dustin’s life was brief, but he touched many lives during his few short years.