Clifton "Clif" William Gaubatz

With all COVID-19 protocols being adhered to, a Celebration of Life service for Clifton William Gaubatz of La Porte, Texas, will be held at 11:00AM on Wednesday, May 19 at Forest Park East Funeral Home & Forest Park East Cemetery, 21620 Gulf Frwy., Webster, TX with Dr. Ron Lyles officiating, Mr. Bobie Miller, soloist. A private graveside will follow.

Visitation: Preceding the service, the family will be receiving family and friends at 10:00AM at the same location for one hour.

Clifton (Clif) was born at home on April 5, 1930 in Rosenberg, TX, a rural farming community, to Michael Gaubatz and Bertha Ida Christ Gaubatz. On May 12, 2021, Clif was called home to be with his Lord and Savior.

Growing up, Clif lived in West Columbia, Texas for Grades 1-3 and then lived in Needville, Texas for Grades 4-12. In 5th Grade, he won the American Legion School Award for highest scholastic score.

Upon completing high school, Clif moved to Houston and began working at Hughes Tool Company and, at the same time, began evening classes at the University of Houston. In March, 1951, at age 21, he enlisted in the United States Army and became a supply records specialist. While proudly serving in the Korean War, Clif earned a service medal with two bronze service stars, a Korean War ribbon and pin, a United Nations service medal and a Presidential unit citation. He also received pins as a Quartermaster officer. Sergeant Clifton Gaubatz discharged from the Army in 1953.

After serving his country, Clif continued his loyal and meritorious employment with Hughes Tool Company, contributing much as a supervisor in product planning and inventory control. His proudest career accomplishment was working at the same company for 39 years and 6 months. Assuming he would not live much longer than his father, Clifton retired early in 1988 and lived much longer than he expected -- much to the delight of his family.

More importantly, at the time of his Army discharge, Clif began courting the love of his life, Joyce Gregg; they married on August 28, 1953 in West Columbia, Texas. Shortly after they married, Joyce became pregnant. One of Clif’s personal proudest moments was becoming a father. Upon the birth of his first daughter, Sondra, he said they came home from the hospital and he had a backache and expressed that child bearing was hard work. Upon starting their family, Clif and Joyce moved to Pasadena in 1955 with their six-month old baby girl and later were richly blessed with two more daughters, Sheri and Patty. Finally, in the evenings in 1958 while continuing to work full time at Hughes Tool, Clif completed a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Houston.

Clif was an active member of South Main Baptist Church of Pasadena, Texas since June of 1969, where he served on several committees including the building committee, offering committee, and budget committee. He was also active in his Rock of Ages Sunday School class. If someone was absent on Sunday, Clif added their name to the B.S. (BackSlider) list and called them to check on them. He was also well known for contributing to the care of the church’s grounds. On March 2, 2005, Pastor Dr. Lyles wrote and delivered a sermon, which he called “The Clif Gaubatz Parable,” (also known as “The Wheat and Weeds Parable”), based on Matthew 13:24-30. Another thing that Clif enjoyed was playing dominoes and he won several first place ribbons at South Main.

When his children were younger, the family attended Southmore Plaza Baptist Church in Pasadena, Texas where Clif served as treasurer. He also sang in the church choir and his daughter, Sondra, fondly remembers him singing the song, Heaven Came Down & Glory Filled My Soul.

Upon moving to LaPorte, Texas in 1981, Clif served his community as a neighborhood watcher. He was an avid walker in his early retirement years and was well known throughout the neighborhood for picking up aluminum cans for gas money. He also helped people change flat tires, got gas for people’s cars, and returned lost wallets that he found on his daily walks.

Clif loved many things here on earth – playing dominoes with friends, walking, gardening and sharing the produce, picking up and shelling pecans -- and his many trips to the VA, which meant bacon for breakfast. He was very much a “foodie,” and he truly loved all kinds of food, but he loved his family even more. When actively retired, he ran “PaPa’s taxi service” for all of his grandchildren, the delight of his life. Later, he welcomed and enjoyed visits from his family and friends. As much as he loved his girls (a total of 9 including his wife), Pa Pa was so excited when his first great-grandson was born that he went out and bought two football jerseys for him. When his second great-grandson arrived, he fondly referred to him as “little fella.”

Clifton was preceded in death by his parents, his sisters, Evelyn Freund and Dorothy Tompkins, and his brother, Wilmer Gaubatz. He leaves to cherish his memory his beloved wife of 68 years Joyce Gregg Gaubatz, his three precious daughters Sondra, Sheri, and Patty, his treasured granddaughters, Misty and Chelsey, his adored great-grandchildren Jordan, Micah, Lailah, Maisey, and Callan, his darling great-great-granddaughter Madalynn, his much loved brother Dennis Gaubatz, and many wonderful nieces and nephews. He will be truly missed by all!

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts honoring Clif be made to his much beloved South Main Baptist Church, 4300 E. Sam Houston Pkwy. S, Pasadena, Texas 77505.