Arthur W. Nagel
1920-2010
Arthur Nagel, 89, beloved father and grandfather, has gone to be with the Lord. He passed away peacefully the afternoon of Thursday, August 5.
He was born October 1, 1920 in San Antonio, to Arthur and Lillie Nagel.
Arthur was married
to Louise Bernice Jones on June 2, 1941, in a small rock church in Johnson City. In 1955, the couple and their two sons moved to Hill Country Village on the north side of San Antonio. In the 1960s and 1970s, Arthur served as mayor of Hill Country Village.
After serving in the United States Army, he worked as a civil employee for the G2 Intelligence Agency at Fort Sam Houston, retiring in June 1972 after serving in that position for 30 years.
In 1976, Arthur and Bernice moved to Boerne where Arthur became very active, serving on the Board of the Riverside and Landowners Protection Coalition, Inc. for Central Texas.
In 1996, the couple moved to Kerrville; however, for the last five years of his life, Arthur lived in San Antonio.
In 2006, while driving through the small town of Bandera, his heart was moved by the Lord to establish a free medical health clinic. In June 2008, with the assistance from many local supporters and Arthur himself, the Arthur Nagel Community Clinic opened in Bandera. The healthcare clinic provides medical care to eligible low-income county residents.
Arthur is survived by his sister, Lily Pape Skinner, of San Antonio; sons, Gary Nagel and his wife, Sandra, of San Antonio, and Bruce Nagel and his wife, Darlene, of East Quogue, New York; grandchildren, Ashley Nagel, Adam Nagel and Taylor Nagel; sister-in-law Mary Francis Jones Rudasill; and brothers-in-law Eldred “Chuck” Jones and Gerald “Jerry” Jones.
Arthur was a loving husband, father, uncle and grandfather, who will be missed by his family and others whose lives he touched. He will be with the Lord for all eternity.
Lester William Gutz
1929-2010
Lester William Gutz went to be with our Lord, Sunday, August 1, in San Antonio.
He was born March 18, 1929, to William and Anita Krueger Gutz in Dallas. His parents, brother Leroy and sister Arlene – who predeceased Lester – lived in San Antonio.
After graduating from Fox Tech High School, Lester served in the United States Navy during the Korean War. He married
his sweetheart, Mildred L. “Terry” Robertson Gutz, on December 29, 1950.
After being discharged from the Navy, Lester worked with City Public Service, retiring as manager of the North West Gas Department in 1986.
The couple then moved to Lakehills.
A member of the Lakehills United Methodist Church, Lester was a loving husband and father, who will be greatly missed.
He is survived by his wife, Mildred, of Lakehills; children, Susan Dustin, Mary Madison, Richard Gutz and John Gutz and his wife, Helen; and grandchildren, Rebecca Dustin, Amanda Gutz, Shannon Gutz and Lucas Gutz.
A memorial service will be held at 10:30 am, Saturday, August 7, at Lakehills United Methodist Church, officiated by Reverend Clifton Stringer.
Arrangements are entrusted to Grimes Funeral Chapels of Bandera.
Lewis Koehn
1939-2010
After a long and courageous battle with cancer, Lewis Koehn died on Monday, August 2.
He was born August 30, 1939. He lived in Big Valley off Park Road 37 in Lakehills.
Lewis served his country proudly as a member of the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. He was a member of American Legion Post 157 in Bandera.
Lewis was buried in Pipe Creek cemetery on Wednesday, August 4. His Catholic priest from San Antonio officiated at the Mass of Christian burial.
Lewis’ friends and fellow servicemen and women honored his memory of their comrade-in-arms with a memorial ceremony – complete with gun salute – at the Bandera American Legion Post.
Stephen “Doc” Stephenson
1941-2010
Stephen “Doc” Stephenson, MD, 69, of Bryan passed away on Monday, July 26.
Born in Jan. 28, 1941, in Chickasha, Oklahoma, to Fred and Ruth Stephenson, Doc grew up with his sister, Ann. He graduated from medical school at the University of Oklahoma and completed his residency while serving in the United States Navy.
He married
Ellen Kelley in Utah in 1974. After the birth of their son, Michael, in 1975, the couple moved to Dallas where their daughter, Kelley, was born in 1976. In 1979, the family moved to Bryan. Doc was one of the founding members of the Bryan Anesthesia Group and established the first free-standing surgical facility, the SurgiCenter, in the Brazos Valley.
Doc believed in living life to the fullest and seized every opportunity to do so. He enjoyed being outdoors and loved spending summer weekends at Lake Limestone with family and friends fishing, barbecuing, skiing, star gazing and even parasailing.
For several years, he jumped with the local skydiving group, Ags Over Texas. At home, he always kept a huge garden and loved cooking.
Although a quintessential do-it-yourselfer, avid reader and die-hard gadget geek, most of all, Doc loved his old cars. He was happiest when buried up to the elbows in grease or off hunting for his next project car at swap meets around the country – and making friends along the way.
After retiring from medicine in 1995, he fulfilled a lifelong dream and opened a small, gourmet restaurant called “Remedies” near Easterwood Airport in College Station. In 2006, he moved to Bandera to enjoy the rest of his retirement in the Hill Country. Always eager to have new friends and new experiences, Doc was quickly embraced by the Bandera community.
After being blinded by a stroke in 2007, Doc moved back to Bryan to be near friends and family. He moved into Waldenbrooke Estates and continued to enjoy all that life could offer. He was an avid supporter of the local arts and particularly enjoyed the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra and listening to KAMU.
A gathering of friends and family will be held from noon to 2 pm on Saturday, August 14, in the hospitality room of Hillier Funeral Home, 2301 E. 29th Street in Bryan. Telephone is 979-822-1571.
Not one to dwell on sorrow, Doc asked to forgo a traditional memorial, and instead preferred to be remembered the same way he lived his life with smiles, laughter and good friends.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his honor to KAMU or the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra.
Arrangements are entrusted to Hillier Funeral Home.
Helen Ritchie Swisher
1923-2009
Helen Ritchie Swisher, 86, a former resident of Bandera, passed away Thursday, Nov. 26, in a San Antonio hospital.
She was born on Jan. 29, 1923, in Arkansas to John Dee Ritchie and Ruby Smith Ritchie.
On May 15, 1945 she married
Willis Raymond Swisher in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He preceded her in death on November 17, 1999.
She was also preceded in death by her parents and two daughters, Sue Dee Brittain and Jo Helen Wilcox.
Mrs. Swisher was an active member of the Bandera United Methodist Church for 25 years while a resident of Bandera County. After moving from Bandera, she lived briefly in New Braunfels before relocating to Spring Branch where she resided with her devoted grandson, Dusty Brittain, his wife, Michelle and the couple’s children until August when failing health necessitated Mrs. Swisher’s transfer to a care facility.
She was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, as well as a loving friend and neighbor. A talented gardener and cook, who graciously shared her food and produce, Mrs. Swisher’s home became a haven for both family and friends.
Survivors include sisters, Mildred Sloan of Lafayette, Louisiana, and Betty Null of Sunset, Louisiana; brother John D. Ritchie and his wife, Ruth, of Las Cruces, New Mexico; four grandchildren, Dusty Brittain and his wife, Michelle, of Spring Branch; Kim Brittain-Barrier and her husband, Brad, of New Braunfels; Gary Yales and his wife, Erika, of Santa Fe, Texas; and Shane Yates and his wife, Kelli, of Fallon, Nevada; seven great-grandchildren, Cody Brittain and Kasey Brittain of Spring Branch; Jordan Hoffer and Taylor Barrier of New Braunfels; Lily Yales of Santa Fe, Texas; and Mason Yates and Ryan Yates of Fallon, Nevada.
Funeral services were held Sunday, Nov. 29, at Grimes Funeral Chapels of Bandera, officiated by Chaplain Paul Worley.
Interment followed in Bandera cemetery, with Gary Brittain, John Rogers, Rick McHugh, Kelly Rambin, Jimmy Rambin, and Jody Brittain serving as pallbearers.
Arrangements are entrusted to Grimes Funeral Chapels of Bandera.
