Eugene J. (Gene) Tschoepe, age 95, died on December 6, 2025. He is survived by Joanne, his wonderful loving wife of 50 years; one son, Dr. Michael Tschoepe, and wife Kristi of New Braunfels; one daughter, Cynthia Kemp, of New Orleans, Louisiana; one stepson, Treg Russell, and wife Cara of Fort Worth; one stepdaughter, Kristy Tuttle, and husband Ron of Cedar Park; and one sister, Helen Ann Wehman, and husband Ben of New Braunfels. His son Gregory Tschoepe predeceased Gene in 1989. Gene was previously married to Joyce Mueller, who predeceased him in 2005.
Other survivors include granddaughter Dr. Brekel Kemp of New Orleans, Louisiana; grandson Jeffrey Russell of Fort Worth; granddaughter Jennifer Harris-Malkov, her husband Filip, and great-granddaughter Katherine, of San Antonio; granddaughter Staci Kendall, her husband Sean, and great-grandchildren Parker, Summer, and Wynton of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania; granddaughter Megan Steele, her husband Matt, and great-grandchildren Kenneth and Lily of Shippensburg, Pennsylvania; granddaughter Lisa Heywood, her husband Walter, and great-grandchildren Sarah and Cole, of New Braunfels; granddaughter Joy Miller, her husband Brian, and great-grandchildren Evan and Brendan of New Braunfels; and granddaughter Lauren Woodchick, her husband Matthew, and great-granddaughters Taylor, Ella, and Addie.
Gene was born in Eagle Pass, Texas, on September 3, 1930, to Eugene B. and Eleanor Tschoepe. He grew up on a farm near Cibolo, Texas, and learned how to work at an early age picking cotton, shucking corn, pitching hay, and then working Saturdays in the Schlather grocery store in Cibolo candling eggs, loading feed sacks and other such duties. Later, he worked part-time in Weyel’s IGA Foodliner in New Braunfels. He attended Schertz-Cibolo School and graduated from New Braunfels High School in 1947. He attended Texas Lutheran College in Seguin, and the University of Texas at Austin, where he was a member of Beta Alpha Psi and Beta Gamma Sigma. He graduated with honors and received a BBA in Accounting in August, 1950. He became a CPA in January, 1953, and worked in public accounting his entire life, starting with George, Thrift & Cockrell in San Antonio in September, 1950, which later became Ernst & Ernst (now Ernst & Young). He was a partner with the firm in San Antonio and Austin, Texas, and then Atlanta, Georgia. While in Atlanta, he served as Regional Director of Tax for the Southeast Region of the U.S. and was on the National Tax Committee until his retirement in September 1988. He was a past president and member of the Texas Society of CPAs, San Antonio Chapter, and a member of the American Institute of CPAs. He served in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1951 until his Honorable Discharge as a Captain in 1965.
Upon his retirement from Ernst & Young, Gene and Joanne returned to New Braunfels. He participated in the AARP Tax Assistance program as an instructor and return preparer. He was a faithful member of Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in New Braunfels and participated in the Acts and Cenacle of Divine Mercy programs and served as a Lector and Eucharistic Minister, as well as serving with the Sick & Homebound Ministry. He served on the Finance Council of the Archdiocese of San Antonio for six years, the last two as Chairman of the Council.
After his retirement, Gene and Joanne traveled extensively to Europe, Africa, South America, the Near East, and Alaska. Each August they spent time in Ruidoso, New Mexico, to avoid the summer heat in Texas. Gene was an avid hunter (but Joanne usually outdid him in hunts for trophies) and loved all sports including bowling, baseball, football, and basketball. He enjoyed spending time with family and friends, especially with his children and grandchildren. In his later years, he enjoyed playing fantasy football and was a formidable opponent, often having three separate teams in three different leagues. He also enjoyed playing dominos and cards, especially Bridge and “Hand & Foot”. He was a fierce competitor in all of his activities. On their honeymoon, he taught Joanne to play gin rummy (and she consistently beat him after that). In later years his eyesight began to fail, and by age 90 he was legally blind. This severely limited his activities, although he continued to be able to read thanks to greatly enlarged text available on his Kindle e-reader.
Visitation will begin at 1:00 pm on Monday, December 15, 2025, at the Zoeller Funeral Home in New Braunfels, followed by a vigil service at 2:00 pm. Entombment will be at Sts. Peter & Paul Mausoleum. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic School or Rachel’s Journey, 386 North Castell St., New Braunfels, Texas 78130; Mission of Divine Mercy, P.O. Box 1759, Canyon Lake, Texas 78133; or a charity of your choice.
