Herbert Van Shellenbeck, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, passed away from complications of cancer on May 13, 2019. He was born on August 25, 1928 in Guatemala City, Guatemala, of first- and second-generation German immigrant parents.
Herbert loved his family, dogs, German cars, and trains of all sizes. He especially loved his wife of 63 years, LaVerne, who predeceased him by almost exactly six years. He was hard-working and always provided for his family. He was honest, loyal, strong-willed, generous, fun-loving, smart, and had a great sense of humor. He was loved by many.
Herbert and LaVerne raised four children, Glenn, Maria Gibson (husband Fred), Karl (wife Brenda), and James (wife Mary Kay). They also raised Scott Zeitner, the son of Herbert’s deceased sister. He was blessed with six grandsons, Travis Gibson (wife Marianne), Geoffrey Gibson (wife Samantha), William, Matthew, Michael, and Jonathan Van Shellenbeck; and five great-grandchildren, Adyson, Ty, Cole, Kaleb, and Charlotte LaVerne Gibson. He also is survived by his sister-in-law Elizabeth Ward. In addition to his wife and sister, he was preceded in death by his parents, Ana Maria and Kurt Van Shellenbeck, his parents-in-law, Ethon and Della Mae Colwell, his sister-in-law Carline Marshall and Carline’s husband William, and by his daughter-in-law Becky Van Shellenbeck, whose death at age 47 was particularly difficult for him.
LaVerne and Herbert briefly lived in Guatemala after they married, then moved to Houston, where they raised their children. In 1974, LaVerne and Herbert helped their son Glenn found Van's Auto Parts, and began visiting Austin with increasing frequency as Van's grew. By 1985, all of their children lived in Austin, and LaVerne moved there permanently. In 1988, Herbert retired and joined her in Austin, where they were always surrounded by family and friends.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests you consider making a charitable donation in Herbert’s memory to Austin Pets Alive, www.austinpetsalive.org.
Visitation will be from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 15, 2019, at Cook-Walden/Capital Parks Funeral Home, 14501 North Interstate35, Pflugerville, Texas. Funeral services will be at 1:00 p.m., Thursday, May 16, 2019, also in the Memorial Chapel of Cook-Walden/Capital Parks Funeral Home. Graveside services will be at 2:00 p.m., Friday, May 17, 2019, at Greenbrier Cemetery in Madisonville, Texas.
