Melvin Gromatzky

Melvin Edgar Gromatzky was born February 2, 1922, on the family farm in Pottsville, Hamilton County, Texas, to parents Theodore “Ted” G. Gromatzky and Esther Ruth Moerbe. He was baptized on May 5, 1922, and was confirmed on April 14, 1935 at Immanual Lutheran Church in Pottsville, Texas. He went to a parochial school for the first six years, where he remembers the first three years were taught in German. He completed his schooling in the Pottsville School District and graduated in 1939. A favorite memory occurred in his senior year when his rag-tag basketball team played the tournament favorite, Hasse, TX. In the last seconds of the game, he was able to sink a long one-handed shot that won the game by one point.

Upon graduating from high school, he attended a business college for a while and worked as a bookkeeper and route driver for a soft drink bottling company. At age of 19 he met a beautiful dark-haired girl, Dorotha Lee Cain. They eloped to Durant OK and at the time of her death they were married 51 1/2 years. They had two daughters, Carolyn, born in 1942 and Lynda, born in 1946.

In 1945 he was drafted into the Army and was assigned to the 27th Infantry Division in Sabita, Japan. Because he was able to type and had experience from his business school training, he was transferred to the Headquarters Unit of the First Calvary in Tokyo Japan.

After the war, he returned to the farm and began showing registered sheep in various county and even the State Fair of Texas where his sheep named Baby Doll won Grand Champion Ewe. He moved his family to Dallas in 1952 and worked for Chance Vought for several years then Texas Instruments where he retired after 30 years. He started as a tool and dye maker and retired as a methods engineer. He considered that to be a great accomplishment since he had only a high school education.

Several years after the death of his first wife, he married Jessie Conway at Trinity Lutheran. They loved to garden and shared their vegetables with countless others. They also loved to go to “the boats” in Bossier City and other casinos where they “won some and lost some”. They also collected beanie babies and had over 1,000 in their collection.

Melvin was the ultimate caregiver and faithfully cared for both wives during their illnesses, where he learned to cook, clean and do laundry which allowed him to be self-sufficient for many years. At the age of 99, he moved to Atria Copeland Assisted Living where he enjoyed watching his Texas Rangers and other sports. This past October he had the privilege of serving as the Grand Marshal of the Tyler Rose Parade.

He passed away peacefully in his sleep on November 5th, 2023. He was 101. He is preceded in death by his parents, Theodore and Esther, brother Paul and wife Beatrice, wives Dorotha Lee Cain and Jessie May Conway, daughter and son-in-law, Lynda and Bo Shira, sons-in-law Dean Morgan and Rusty Marten. He is survived by his daughter, Carolyn, stepson Lance Armstrong and wife Toyah, and stepdaughter Cheryl Marten; grandchildren Kelly Roberts and husband Dodd, Jeff Kaminski and wife Laurie, Paige Weis and husband Jay, Matt Cooper and wife Sarah; four nieces, four nephews, nine great grandchildren, two great-great granddaughters, six step grandchildren and nine step great grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly asks that you consider donations to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Services for Melvin are scheduled for 11:00 a.m. Saturday, November 11, at Trinity Lutheran Church with Pastor John Scheusner officiating, under direction of Lloyd James Funeral Home. A graveside service with Military Honors will be held at 11:00 a.m. Monday at Restland Cemetery in Dallas.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.lloydjamesfuneralhome.com for the Gromatzky family.