Al Stegent

Albin "Al" John Stegent , 70, of Houston, passed away Sunday, February 24, 2013, at The Methodist Hospital after a long and courageous battle with leukemia. Al was born in San Antonio, Texas, August 3, 1942, and got to Houston as quickly as he could. He attended St. Theresa Catholic School through the eighth grade and graduated from St. Thomas High School in 1961. He served honorably in the United States Army.

Al worked in the petrochemical industry during his entire career. He enjoyed a wonderful working relationship with his various bosses, including Brad Hance, Don Watson, and Tommy Kainer. Following his retirement, he still attended regular meetings with his working buddies. He continued to enjoy time with old friends as well as new ones.

Al is survived by his loving wife of 30 years, Virginia "Ginny" Lynn; his daughter, Valerie Gottula Dorman; his son, Christopher Stegent; and her daughter, Kimberly Alvarez. He is also survived by his sister, Joann Rieger; and grandchildren Brittany Stegent, Maxwell Gottula, Emily Zettlemoyer, Rosemary Stegent, and Alexandrea Dorman. He is preceded in death by his parents, Steve and Janie Stegent; sister Irene Monroe Barr; and his first wife, Rosemary Pleasant Stegent.

He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, uncle, cousin, and friend. He had a charming personality and a great enthusiasm for life with a positive attitude. Some of the words his friends used to describe Al included kind, thoughtful, caring and courageous, a great friend, humorous, and warm. He had a great sense of humor, and he had a positive impact on all he knew. He had many, many good friends that he cherished. He and Ginny enjoyed many years of traveling; his favorite place was Rome.

Al had a witty personality and he never met a stranger. He always had a joke and a smile for everyone. He was an extremely proud Houstonian; he could tell you where anything was or used to be on every corner. He also loved his country home in Fayetteville, especially the outdoors with the cows, deer, bunnies, birds, armadillos, and his helper, Antonio ("Chief").

A devout Catholic, Al always attended mass. When in Houston, he worshiped at St. Theresa Catholic Church. He also attended St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fayetteville. When traveling, he attended masses in France, England, Ireland, The Netherlands and Italy, as well as throughout Europe, Canada and the United States.

Many thanks to all of Al's doctors, nurses, and caregivers for all they did for Al during the last year. This includes The Methodist Hospital physicians Dr. John McCarthy, Dr. George Carrum, Dr. S. P. Iyer, and Dr. Ashley Drews, as well as M.D. Anderson physician Dr. Elias Jabor and St. Luke's physician Dr. Robert Neff, as well as others. A special acknowledgment goes to his special nurse practitioner, Audrey Scholoff, who took such great care and encouraged Al to live his life. Many thanks to all of the nurses on 8 East and 8 West, as well as the cell and gene therapy nurses at Methodist, the SICU staff, Father Dominic, and the valet attendants who were so kind every day. It is also with great gratitude to note that Al's sister, Joann, graciously provided her stem cells to Al in order for him to stay with us a little longer. Also, many thanks to his classmates of St. Thomas High School Class of '61 who were a positive influence for him during his illness, along with the many friends who took the time to visit, carried him to appointments, and brought him food and many prayers.

A rosary will be held Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home, 13001 Katy Freeway, Houston, Texas.

Funeral mass is scheduled for Thursday, February 28, 2013, at 11:00 a.m., at St. Theresa's Catholic Church, 6622 Haskell Street, Houston, Texas, presided by Father Phillip P. Lloyd. Pallbearers will be Ed Sadoski, Vincent Mandola, Brad Hance, Maxwell Gottula, George Lopez, and Chuck Gillis.

Entombment will be at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home, 13001 Katy Freeway, Houston, Texas. Immediately following entombment, please join us for a reception be held at Carrabba's Restaurant, 11339 Katy Freeway, Houston, Texas.

Donations may be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (lls.org) or to St. Thomas High School in Houston, Texas.