Raymond Wegner, age 84, of Brenham, Texas, passed away Monday, Nov. 15. Memorial services will be held Dec. 11 at Abiding Word Lutheran Church, 464 Oak Tree Crossing Drive, Brenham, Texas. Raymond was born Feb. 19, 1937, in Zionsville (Brenham), Texas, to Fred and Alma Rust Wegner. He was baptized April 11, 1937, at Zionsville Lutheran Church and confirmed April 7, 1952, at St. John’s Lutheran, Prairie Hill, Texas, by Pastor Paul Gogolin.
He met the love of his life, Patsy Ruth Jackson-Coffer, at St John’s Lutheran one Sunday in June 1959. They only had two real dates but faithfully wrote letters to each other daily until they were married on March 27, 1960, at Zion Lutheran Church in Houston, by the Rev. George Reck.
He and Patsy moved with all they owned in a small Mercury car to Lawton, Okla., the day after they were married and found a place to live the following day at sundown. Raymond faithfully served in the Army at Ft. Sill, Okla., from 1959 to 1961. He then moved back to Brenham and was in the Army Reserves until he received an honorable discharge in 1965 as an E5 Staff Sgt.
Raymond was a carpenter for his remaining career, specializing in single-family homes. He worked for Walter Thielemann for many years until he and Patsy started Raymond Wegner Construction in 1974. Operating out of their business on Hwy. 105, they built many homes in Brenham and the surrounding area until they moved to Colorado in the summer of 1985. They opened Wegner Properties Inc. in Pagosa Springs and again built homes, some commercial facilities and performed property management and real estate sales. After 19 years in the beautiful mountains of Colorado, they moved back to Brenham in 2004.
Raymond was a faithful man to his Lord and served in a variety of Lutheran church positions including: treasurer in 1965 at St John’s of Prairie Hill; treasurer of the Men’s Brotherhood and chairman of the Congregation, also at Prairie Hill, from 1980-1982; and president of the congregation at Our Savior in Pagosa Springs from 1995-1996. He was also a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and attended Bible class every Sunday. In 2011, he and Patsy and around 50 people formed a new Lutheran Church in Brenham called Abiding Word Lutheran (LCMC and NALC) where he served on the 1st Council and the Call Committee who called the first pastor of that church, Pastor Martin Moore.
Raymond was fun-loving and enjoyed making people laugh by his jokes. When he lived at Prairie Hill, he and his wife raised cattle, always had gardens, sometimes a horse, dogs and cats. He had a German shepherd who inspected each newborn family member when they came home from the hospital, forever after forming a bond and protecting the child. Raymond enjoyed watching his children riding their motorcycles up and down in the gullies in the back of the home in Prairie Hill. He always took the family hunting deer in the Hill Country of Texas and in East Texas. He loved to fish and taught his children how to fish as well. He even helped coach a boys Little League team one year. He and Patsy played volleyball on the Prairie Hill Church team and belonged to the Prairie Hill Shooting Club. Raymond was a member of the Brenham Elks Lodge and the Brenham Country Club for a number of years.
Raymond was preceded in death by: parents Fred and Alma Rust Wegner; sister Edna McKelvey; brother Harold Wegner; brothers-in-law Richard McKelvey, Gus Draeger, and Carroll Webb; sister-in-law JoElla Wegner; father- in-law Ralph W. Jackson Jr.; and mothers-in-law Thelma L. Jackson and Annie B. Coffer. Also, many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.
Raymond is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Patsy; sisters Helen Draeger, of Burton, Texas; Esther Webb, of Dale, Texas; Weda Campbell and Jean Wegner, both of Brenham; brother Alfred (Alice) Wegner, of College Station, Texas; daughter Sheila Demery, of Brenham; sons and their wives, Damon (Frances) Wegner, of Brenham, Larry Wegner, of Fredericksburg, and Christopher (Karla) Wegner, of Pleasant View, Utah. He is also survived by granddaughters and their husbands, Lori (Dusty) Kasprowicz, Megan (Collin) Newsome, Stacy Rosenbaum, Christina (Joel Antonio) Gomez, all of Brenham; Heidi Wegner and Hope Wegner, of Nashville, Tenn.; Samantha Wegner, of Fredericksburg, and Reagan Wegner, of Pleasant View, Utah. His surviving grandsons are Augustus Wegner, of Fredericksburg, and Ryan Wegner, of Pleasant View, Utah. Great-grandchildren include Raelyn Rosenbaum, Paisley Kasprowicz, Antonio Joel Gomez and Brantley Newsome, all of Brenham; brothers-in-law, James R. Jackson, of Port Angeles, Wash., and Dr. Phillip Campbell, of Dallas, Texas. He is also survived by his “Visiting Angel” of nearly four years, Veronica Nickerson, of Brenham; and his wonderful nurses at Brenham Nursing and Rehab, Brandy Koehne, Samantha Gregory and Valerie. Also, many cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.
Memorial services for Raymond will be held at Abiding Word Lutheran Church, 464 Oak Creek Drive, Brenham on Saturday, Dec. 11, at 11 a.m. Lunch and fellowship following at church.
The family of Raymond would like to thank all those who have prayed for him and their outpouring of love.
Services are entrusted to Memorial Oaks Chapel, 1306 West Main St., Brenham, TX 77833.
