Oscar F. Lenertz

Oscar Lenertz at the age of 98 passed away peacefully in his sleep on January 12, 2013, in River Hills Nursing Center, Kerrville, Texas. He was born April 15, 1914 in Remsen, Iowa, to Charles and Hilda Brill Lenertz.

Oscar graduated high school in Le Mars, Iowa in 1932 and moved with the rest of his family to Austin, Texas in 1934. He worked as manager of Slaughter Grocery and married Cecile Marie Camp in Austin in 1939. He studied accounting through the International Accounting Society (IAS) and finance with the American Institute of Banking (AIB) and later served on the board of these 2 organizations. From 1940 to 1951 he was an officer with City National Bank of Austin with time out from 1942 to 1946 to serve in Egypt as an officer in the US Army in World War II. In Austin Oscar and Cele had 2 children, a daughter Joan and a son Jim, and attended St. Mary's Cathedral where he was an usher and member of Knights of Columbus.

In 1951 Oscar moved his family to Port Lavaca, Texas where he and his 2 brothers built an industrial, auto and marine wholesale supply company. Oscar was President of the corporation for more than 20 years as it provided service to Alcoa and other major industrial businesses on the Texas coast.

In Port Lavaca Oscar was a member of Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church, served for many years as CCD teacher, usher, lector, and member of the Finance and Church Building Committees. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus since 1938, and served as Grand Knight, Fourth Degree Knight and honorary life member. For many years he was on the Calhoun County Veterans Land Board and served as Chairman of the United Way Committee, Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, PTA Board and regional Boy Scout committees.

Oscar's wife Cele passed away in 1967. He later married Mildred Seifert and they retired to Lakeway, Texas in 1980. Upon returning to the Austin area he volunteered as an income tax preparer for the deaf, was a Eucharistic Minister at Seton Hospital and began art lessons painting flowers and landscapes. At Lakeway he was also an active member and supporter of Emmaus Catholic Church. After Mildred's death in 1996 Oscar moved to an senior living center in Austin and in 1999 married Julia (Judy) Moynihan. Judy passed away in 2006 and in 2008 Oscar moved to Kerrville to be near family. Oscar has been a blessing to countless people through many years and will be missed and long remembered as a special man and father.

Oscar is preceded in death by his parents, 2 brothers Hilary and Donald, and his sister Naomi Fleming. He is survived by his daughter, Joan Novak and husband, Bill, of Kerrville, TX; son, James Lenertz and wife Maggie, of Tulsa, OK; grandsons, Jonathan Novak, Christopher Novak, Kevin Lenertz, Jeff Lenertz, Jeremy Lenertz, Caleb Lenertz and Adam Lenertz; great grandchildren, Elisabeth Lenertz, Elise Lenertz, Celia Lenertz, Devon Novak, Gavin Novak, and Lukas Lenertz.

Services for Oscar will be held in Austin, with visitation at 6:30pm followed by a rosary at 7:30pm on Thursday, January 24, at Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, 2620 South Congress. On Friday, January 25 there will visitation at 11:30am followed by the funeral at noon both at Assumption Cemetery Chapel and Mausoleum, 3650 South IH-35.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Knights of Columbus Assembly 1099, PO Box 42163, Austin, TX 78704 or Habitat for Humanity, PO Box 2140, Kerrville, TX 78028.