Louis Frederick Aulbach

Louis Frederick Aulbach was born on July 12, 1948 to Charles Edward Aulbach and Hildegard Lauretta Cox in Houston, Texas and passed away on December 28, 2022 in Houston. He was a true native son of Texas and of Houston. Louis attended All Saints Catholic School in the Houston Heights, graduated from St. Thomas High School in the class of 1966 and from Rice University in 1970. He continued his education, receiving Master of Arts and Master of Business Administration degrees from the University of Chicago after which he “got back to Texas as quick as he could”. His long professional career in information and records management included tenures with several companies in Houston, culminating in his 18 years as records manager for the City of Houston. He also served proudly in the Texas Army and Air Force National Guards.

Following his retirement from the City of Houston in 2008, he pursued his real passions – writing, digging up the history of Texas with the Houston and Texas Archeological Societies, paddling the rivers of Texas with the Houston Canoe Club, hiking in the Big Bend area of Texas with his children and his “posse” and protecting the historical and archeological resources of Texas as a member of the Texas Archeological Stewards Network. Louis joined the TASN in 2014, and during his 8 years of service to the Texas Historical Commission, he was awarded the Norman Flaigg Certificate of Outstanding Performance in 2015 and 2017, and the Norman Flaigg Honorable Mention in 2016, 2018, 2021 and 2022.

Louis also served on the board of directors of the Houston Archeological Society for several years and was most recently the editor and publisher of the society’s Journals and Reports. For his dedication to the society and its goals, he was honored as a distinguished Lifetime Member of the Society. He also took an active role in the society’s archeological excavations including those at San Felipe de Austin, Frost Town in Houston, the San Jacinto Battlefield, the Kellum-Noble House, and several other sites around Houston. His efforts resulted in important and lasting contributions to the preservation of historical and archeological sites in Houston. He also attended several weeklong archeological field schools across the state with the Texas Archeological Society. He was an active member of the Houston Canoe Club and served in the past as the club’s purser (treasurer) and led many trips for the Canoe Club down the Rio Grande River, the Pecos, the Devils and on Buffalo Bayou. Louis was past president of the Harris County Historical Society and a former member of the Harris County Historical Commission. During his tenure on the Commission he wrote several of the markers designating historical sites in the City of Houston.

Louis was the author of sixteen books including five on paddling the Rivers of West Texas including the Rio Grande, the Pecos and the Devils rivers, a hiking guide to Big Bend Ranch State Park, several on the history of Houston including Buffalo Bayou: An Echo of Houston’s Wilderness Past, two on the history of Camp Logan, a WWI training facility built to house 45,000 soldiers in the area of what is now Memorial Park in Houston, and his most recent guidebook highlighting 25 archeological and historical sites along what is now Buffalo Bayou entitled The Buffalo Bayou Greenway. He and his co-author Linda Gorski also wrote a series of 6 walking guides to ancient archeological sites in Rome and Ostia Antica entitled “Rome in Ruins”.

Along with his passion for history was his love for his three children, Rachel, Stephen and Matthew. Not long after they were taking their first steps, Louis brought them into the wilderness. The trio were present on many of his expeditions down the rivers of Texas. As a father, it was important to Louis to pass along is love of adventure. Louis took his family backpacking across the low Sonoran Desert and to the tops of the Rocky Mountains. The lessons of teamwork, creativity, respect, wonder, adaptability, and self-reliance were taught to each child; both in theory through meaningful conversation and practice in the world.

Hand in hand with countless family campouts were regular trips across the ocean. Maintaining strong connections with his German roots provided a jumping off point for many international trips with his children. Stamps from Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, and Austria were in his children’s’ passports before the advent of the euro. This love for travel has persisted in all three of his children. The love for travel is carried forward as each kid has engaged in their own international expeditions.

Louis is survived by his three children Rachel Aulbach Garcia (Laurence), Stephen Aulbach (Maggie) and Matthew Aulbach (Amanda) and seven beloved grandchildren, Luther, Sullivan (Sully), Laurel, Declan, Annie, Hudson and Travis. He is also survived by his brother, Charles, his sister Lauretta Wallace and numerous nieces and nephews.

Services for Louis Aulbach will be as follows:

Viewing at Heights Funeral Home. 1317 Heights Blvd, Houston, TX 77008 5-8 pm on Tuesday, Jan. 3

Service at St. Ambrose Catholic Church. 4213 Mangum Rd. Houston, Texas 77092 11 am - noon

Wednesday, Jan 4

Burial at Hollywood Cemetery 3506 N Main St, Houston, TX 77009 2:30 pm Wednesday, Jan. 4.

The family requests that donations be made to the Houston Archeological Society, P. O. Box 130631, Houston, Texas 77219-0631. Please put “Louis Aulbach” in the comment part of the check.

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