George W. Wehmann

George was born on Easter Sunday, April 4, 1920 in Yoakum, Texas to Edmund and Normania (Poth) Wehmann. He was baptized June 20, 1920 at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Yoakum, and confirmed on April 14, 1935 at St. John Lutheran Church in Poth, Texas.

George grew up on a farm near Falls City, Texas and attended primary school at Three Oaks School in Wilson County. In personal memoirs, George wrote about some of the most memorable incidents from his childhood:

I remember riding an old horse to school at age 6 when in the first grade. The distance to the school was about 3 miles from our farm. The old horse was slow, and I would often get very frustrated with the horse because I could not speed it up!

As a young boy, our family once drove to Sutherland Springs in Wilson County for a picnic. There was a large swimming pool there, which was fed by the springs. Somehow I lost my footing on a crosswalk and fell in. I could not swim at the time, but was saved by nearby swimmers.

At a young age, I was expected to learn how to do various jobs on the farm and also learn to handle teams (no tractors then) to plow and cultivate. The first work I did was walk behind a small plow pulled by one mule down the corn row to clean out the weeds. Well, as a boy, this was almost more than I could operate. I remember accidentally plowing out some corn and having a hard time keeping the plow upright and controlling the mule at the same time. Jobs like this quickly made a boy into a man!

Following his primary school years, George began to develop an interest in electrical power, which came to his family’s farm as well as surrounding farms during his teen years. He graduated from Floresville High School in 1938, and in 1942 graduated from UT Austin with a degree in electrical engineering.

During WWII, George was recruited along with other young engineers from around the country to work at Sylvania Corporation in Emporium, Pennsylvania. He worked on the development and production of the proximity fuse, which was considered a secret project during the war, and said to have greatly aided in the Allied success in Europe. Following the war, George and fellow employees received commendations from the U.S. Navy for their special contributions through the field of engineering to the war effort.

George returned to Texas following WWII and earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Texas A&M University. During that time, his sister Dorothy Ann had introduced him to her friend, Joyce Elaine Meyer of Tynan. George and Joyce were later married at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Tynan on February 15, 1947.

George and Joyce moved to Fort Worth in 1948, where George began his 31-year career with the Department of Energy. In 1962, they moved to the nearby suburb of Dalworthington Gardens with their 3 children, Richard, Melissa, and Lavonne. Still a farm boy at heart, George cultivated a garden and orchard for many years during his spare time on the two acres of land they owned. (But this time, he was glad to have had a small tractor to help him with the work.)

George and Joyce retired to Shiner in 1979, and were active members of UDML Lutheran Church for many years. In personal memoirs to his family, George previously wrote,

The Church and my faith go together and have been central in my life. I grew up in a Christian home where daily prayers and Bible study and readings were the norm. The Bible assures us that God is in control at all times. As I think about my life, it is clear to me that our Lord Jesus Christ allowed many blessings to come into my life.

George was preceded in death by his parents, daughter Melissa Sewell, son-in-law John Schumacher, sister Dorothy Ann Gary, and wife of 65 years, Joyce Elaine. He is survived by his son Richard Wehman and wife, Evelyn, of Buda, daughter Lavonne Schumacher of Keller, son-in-law Granville Sewell of El Paso, eight grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren (with another due soon).

Visitation will start at 2:00 pm Wednesday, March 16, 2016 at Buffington Funeral Home-Shiner. Funeral services will be held Thursday, March 17, 2016 at 10:30 am at the Dr. Martin Luther Lutheran Church with Pastors Paul Muehlbrad and Pastor Elaine Gomulka officiating. Burial will follow in the Shiner City Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org) or Dr. Martin Luther Lutheran Church in Shiner, Texas

Words of comfort can be sent to the family at www.buffingtonfuneralhomeshiner.com

Buffington funeral Home-520 North Avenue C- Shiner, Texas 77984-Phone #-361-594-3352