I have had no time over the past few months to update this blog, therefore I have several items of sad news to report. I hope I haven't missed anything, but if I have, I'll catch up in future posts.
I learned recently that Ellie Nichols passed away. Louise Gau and Charlie Nichols are her living children. Click here to see an obituary for Mrs. Nichols.
Mary Louise Johnston, mother of Marilyn Bates Moore, Terry Bates, and Debbie Johnston passed away in October. (I didn't hear about her death until a few weeks ago.) She was a long-time employee at Imperial Sugar Company. Her husband Reagan worked at Nalco for many years. Here is an obituary for Mrs. Johnston.
I also learned that Jane Broughton Schiller (MCHS '56) passed away in December. Diane Broughton Lundell, Joan Broughton Vaccaro, and Bill Broughton are her siblings. Here is an obituary for Jane. (If you view the full version, note the accompanying photo gallery.)
My classmate and friend, James 'Happy' Barker (DHS '68) died in December. Here is an obituary for him. (If you view the full version, note the accompanying photo gallery.)
Ronnie 'Rusty' Moffett (DHS '62) passed away late last year. (Note there will be a memorial services on February 3rd.) I don't have an online obituary, but Rusty's classmate, John Martin, sent me this information:
Ronnie "Rusty" Moffett lost his two year battle with brain cancer on December 4, 2017. He was a long time resident of Alvin and Sargent. He was born on September 20, 1943 in Jennings, Louisiana to Joe and D'eva Moffett. His family moved back to Texas when he was an infant.Rusty was married to Catherine Shinsky Moffett for 42 years. His blended family consisted of Sunday Moffett Doebbler and husband Tom, Craig Warley and wife Trish, Carol Warley Ray and husband John. Grandchildren Trey Doebbler, Summer Doebbler, Marissa Warley Cardin and husband Louis, and Nicholas Warley, Janie and Jackson Ray. Great-grandchildren Cadence and Kenneth Cardin.Rusty graduated from Dulles High School and attended Wharton Junior College. He worked for over thirty years at Tuboscope and retired in 2009. He then worked part time at Tractor Supply and O'Reillys in Alvin. He loved to fish, collect antiques, and working on his historic home.Join family and friends in a celebration of Rusty's life February 3, 2018 at Elks Lodge, W. Airport , Stafford, Texas, 77477 from 1-4 PM. Please bring your favorite dish for a pot luck meal.
Mary Morales Camacho, aged 95, passed away on Thanksgiving Day. She was a real old-time Sugar Lander. I haven't found an obituary for Mrs. Camacho, but click here to read an oral interview she did with the Fort Bend County Historical Commission.
Another long-time Sugar Land resident, Darrell Pamplin, died on November 29th. Mr. Pamplin was an old Sugar Land enthusiast and long-time resident of The Hill. Click here to view his obituary.
Louis Mutina (DHS '67) died very suddenly on January 20th. Click here to view an obituary for him.
Charles 'Pete' Coburn passed away just a few days ago.
Pete Coburn
I received this obituary from Pete's daughter:
Charles A. “Pete” Coburn, age 84, of Alvin, Texas passed away Wednesday, January 24, 2018. Pete was born on February 12, 1933 in Sugarland, Texas. He worked in the Fire Protection and Safety Industry for his entire career, also serving in the United States Army during the Korean War. Pete was a member of the National Fire Protection Association, the American Society of Engineers, and served as a training specialist for Texas A&M. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Alvin. Pete retired from both Monsanto Chemical and Sterling Chemical. He was an avid gardener and deer hunter. Pete was preceded in death by his parents Charles Arthur Sr. and Mary, as well as 3 older siblings.
Pete is survived by Marilynn, his wife of 63 years, his daughter, Vivi Skeen and husband Jack, son Chad Coburn and wife Janet sister, Weesie Lubojasky, 5 grandchildren, Brooke, Nick, Kelsey, Keeley, and Korey, and his great grand-daughter, Sadie Lynn, as well as numerous other relatives and friends.
Visitation will be from 6:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M. Monday, January 29, 2018 at Scott Funeral Home. Funeral services will be at 10:00 A.M. Tuesday, January 30, 2018 at Scott Funeral Home. Graveside services will be at 2:30 P.M. Tuesday, January 30, 2018 at Davis Greenlawn cemetery in Richmond, Texas.
Arrangements under the direction of the Scott Family, 1421 East Hwy 6, Alvin, Texas 77511. (281) 585-1000 www.scottfuneral home.net.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Alzheimer’s Association at 2242 W. Holcombe, Houston, T, 77030-2008 www.alz.org.
My sincerest condolences to all these families who have lost love ones.
I have some happy news to report, too. T. V. Abercrombie, Jr. (DHS '64) and Robbie Womack (DHS '67) celebrated 50 years of matrimony with a cruise to Alaska. They have 4 children and 5 grandchildren. They are enjoying life in Navasota. Congratulations -- they seem much too young to be married for 50 years.
A final item, which I really enjoyed. I got a note from Art Montemayor, who must have stumbled across this post while surfing the Internet, because he sent me this message:
Chuck:
Being a BOI raised in Galveston, I enjoyed reading your comments on Manuel’s Cafe because it brought back sweet memories. I worked for Manuel and his brother at the cafe on 61st and Seawall boulevard during summer month’s in the 1950s when I was in High School. Manuel trained and had me clean the large, hand-selected, fresh flounders he received almost daily and taught me how to make a surgical cut down the top of the fish and extract all the back bone and ribs in one quick and efficient procedure. The result would be passed on to Manuel’s assistant who would inspect the fish and pass it on to Manuel who would prepare it and stuff it with his secret, delicious stuffing. The finished, spicy, deliciously cooked product was out of this world. I have looked and tasted so-called stuffed flounder in almost every seafood restaurant in the Houston and Galveston area and have never again tasted a stuffed flounder that could come close to what Manuel produced.
After graduating from Texas A&M in 1960, I went overseas and worked in a lot of countries, coming back in mid-1970s to discover that Manuel had sold the restaurant. Whatever happened to his secret recipe is something I would dearly love to find out about. I remember Manuel’s menu well. I identify it as the one we worked with in the summer of 1954. Yes, a large stuffed flounder the size of a large frying pan cost $1.75! Incredible ... I dearly hope Manuel didn’t take his recipe with him to the big kitchen in the sky.
This near-random connection with the past made my day. Thanks for responding, Art.
