Wilton A Voges

Wilton Arnold Voges went to his heavenly home on Saturday, August 19, 2017, at the age of 87 years old in Temple, TX. He was born March 14, 1930 to Arnold H. and Katie Pape Voges in San Antonio, TX. At an early age, the family moved to his grandparent’s ranch on what is now Camp Bullis, TX. He attended Blanco Road School in San Antonio until 1940, when the family moved to their ranch on Hunter Road in New Braunfels. He continued his education attending Thorne Hill School in what is now Gruene, TX, graduating from New Braunfels High School in 1948.

Wilton is survived by his wife of 47 years, Agnes Kroesche Voges; son, Wade Rae and wife, Deanna; sisters-in-law, Augusta Voges and Dorothy Kroesche; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Leslie and Janice Kroesche; nieces, Kathy Klare, Kathy Kroesche Klare, Lisa Kroesche; nephews, Justin Voges, Keith Faust, Curtis Kroesche, Douglas Kroesche, Kenneth Kroesche, Christopher Kroesche, and Michael Kroesche and their respective families, along with numerous cousins and friends.

He was preceded in death by his daughter, Sherry Lynn Voges; parents, Arnold and Katie Voges; sister and brother-in-law, Grace and Leroy Faust; brother, Vernon Voges; father and mother-in-law, Gilbert and Nora Oelkers Kroesche; and brother-in-law, Kermit Kroesche.

In 1952 Wilton and the former Beverlyn Altwein were married, making their home in New Braunfels. The couple had two children, Wade Rae and Sherry Lynn. It was during this time that Wilton entered the US Army. Their marriage later dissolved.

While in the Army, Wilton became a member of the Military Police and was stationed in Austria at the US Embassy. He enjoyed the Austrian way of life and often commented on the pristine countryside.

Later years found Wilton working at Airmaid Hosiery, Servtex Materials and finally fulfilling his lifelong dream of becoming a rancher and cattleman. After his marriage to Agnes, they lived on the Voges Ranch on Hunter Road in New Braunfels. Starting to build his commercial cattle herd, he purchased weanling calves from dairy farms in the area, which meant getting up at unbelievable hours in the mornings and preparing formula and bottle feeding 7-8 very hungry babies in the dark and cold. This developed into quite a herd. In 1972, the first round hay balers were coming into light and this concept intrigued Wilton greatly. After much discussion and research, he became the first person in Comal County to own this wonderous machinery, and eventually built a commercial baling business, hauling equipment far and wide.

In 1983, Wilton and Agnes moved to their current ranch in Rogers, where he continued to bale hay and switched to a stocker calf operation. Wilton often commented that if you wanted to gamble just go into agriculture, Las Vegas can’t compare.

Somehow he always found time to go to the local dances along with a large group of friends. How the man loved to dance. County fairs, rodeos, Wurstfest, and anything relative to tractors, cattle and horses were always on his bucket list.

1996 found us in a drought that precluded selling the cattle operation and concentrating on hay production. In 2004 his illness determined that he would no longer be able to safely operate that business. At that time, the light in his eyes started to diminish and vascular dementia started to set in, steadily increasing and robbing him of vibrancy.

Wilton will always be remembered for his infectious laugh, wicked sense of humor and his sneezes that could be heard in the next county. He did have an opinion on everything, had no problem voicing it and could argue the white off of rice. He loved music, especially old fashioned western and Hank Williams was his favorite. Rest in Peace Cowboy.

The visitation will be held on Friday, August 25, 2017 from 5-8 pm at Zoeller Funeral Home. The Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, August 26, 2017 at 1:00 pm at Zoeller Funeral Home. Interment will immediately follow at Guadalupe Valley Memorial Park. There will be a reception following the burial at Wesley Hall at First United Methodist Church of New Braunfels located on San Antonio Street. (Use Mill St. entrance)

Pallbearers will be Justin Voges, Keith Faust, Erwin Braune, Jackie Nolte, Darryl Voges, and Randy Schriewer.

For those choosing a memorial in lieu of flowers, please remember the American Heart Association or the Alzheimer’s foundation.