Elmar Gunther Brock

Elmar G. Brock. Born October 23, 1928, to Dimitri and Christa Brock in Oakland, California. Elmar attended schools in Alameda, and graduated from Alameda High in 1946. He then attended college at the University of California Berkeley, majoring in Business and Forestry. While in school, during 3 summers, he worked for Associated Lumber and Box in their woods operation in the Sierra Nevada. There he worked with Swedish and Norwegian loggers cutting the last of the large old growth timber still left in the Sierra timber belt. He scaled fallen logs behind the fallers. He also worked with dynamite crews, was a choker setter behind timber fallers, and in his third year worked in the sawmill as a tallyman in the planer. As the Korean War broke out he was fortunate to escape being sent to Korea, when his Marine Corp reserve unit was called to duty on the 1st day of the Korean War. It was pure luck that his normal discharge from the Marine Reserves occurred just one day before the outbreak of War. All of his fellow Marines were immediately called to duty and sent to Korea. Unfortunately almost all died fighting in Korea.

Peggy and Elmar were married in 1950 and in 1951 he joined the Air Force. Elmar graduated from U.C. Berkeley in 1953 while still active in the Air Force, thanks to the military program called “Operation Bootstrap”, which allowed individuals to return to their home colleges to complete schooling. After basic training and weather school training at Chanute Air Force Base in Illinois, Elmar was ordered back to Bolling Field in Washington D.C. He waited 2 months there for an assignment. He finally took matters into his own hands by, hitch hiking 1,700 miles back to Illinois and then, on to Scott Air Force Base in St Louis, MO. It was there, he found his stalled orders and convinced staffers at Scott AFB that his orders be changed for transfer back to Illinois as a weather instructor.

Upon leaving the Air Force he joined American Forest Products Corporation as a salesman. He began in their San Francisco office and in 1958 transferred to the Newark, CA distribution operation. At the time, Elmar’s and Peggy’s family had grown to 4 children, two boys, Gary and Dennis, and two girls, Gail and Jennifer.

Elmar worked in the field sales on both sides of the Bay area and was promoted to assistant manager in 1962, of the 130 person Newark operation. He was further promoted to general manager in 1965, where-upon he immediately started hiring young salesman, seeking new avenues of sale for the Newark operation. Contractor sales were sought, and a big push was made to sell to the newly developing Bay Area Rapid Transportation (BART) taking place on both sides of the Bay area. This was successful, resulting in the sales of hundreds of truckloads of timber and lumber decking and “lagging” lumber to cover both Broadway Ave in Oakland and Market Street in San Francisco. Sales sky-rockets for the Newark operation jumping from $450,000 to over $2,000,000 per month. Newark became the second largest distribution operation in the company.

The increased activity resulted in the promotion of Elmar to the Southwest region as Southwest Regional Manager. Elmar was sent to open an office to oversee 5 distribution yards in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. He hired staff in credit and accounting and based the new operation in Dallas/ Ft Worth.

Once in Texas, Elmar and Peggy, also started buying rental house properties. At one point they owned/managed 13 homes in Arlington, and were one forth owners of a large apartment house in central Arlington. They also branched out into ranching, buying 120 acres in Hill County, 50 miles south of Ft Worth. With the help of a neighboring rancher, they were able to put 60 head of cattle on the property.

Both girls attended college, Gail at University of Texas in Arlington, where she graduated with a master’s degree, and Jennifer at Texas A&M with a business degree.

In 1985 Elmar and Peggy started motor home travel, using a 36’ Winnebago, and later upgraded to a 36’ Foretravel Diesel motorhome. Towing a car, they travelled all over the United States, Canada and Mexico. When not traveling in motorhomes, they travelled to Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific and across Europe.

In 1993 they spent 30 days in France living with farmers located in villages in different parts of France. In 1995 they boarded a rusty French freighter in Papeete, Tahiti for the 18-day trip to a very remote part of French Polynesia. With no docks, all stops were over the side into whaleboats and thru the surfing most of the cargo was just dumped overboard to float to shore. These islands have very little contact with the outside world. In 1993 they spent 2 weeks in both North and South New Zealand in a camper van, followed by a week in Australia. Photography was always a part of Elmar’s life. He was fortunate to have numerous images that won awards.

In 2010 Peggy unexpectedly passed away and Elmar sold his home in Arlington and moved to the Tradition Retirement Home in Dallas. It was there that he met Frances Barton, who also loved to travel. They became close and in the following 10 years, the two of them travelled extensively across the U.S. from Hawaii, to Charleston S.C. There were trips to San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Napa Valley, Carmel, Yosemite, Las Vegas and Santa Fe N.M. among others.

A visitation from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM.; A graveside service for Elmar will be held Thursday, October 19, 2023, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Moore Funeral Home, 1219 North Davis Drive, Arlington, TX 76012

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.moore-funeralhome.com for the Brock family.