Olive Hazel Luckenbach Gallaway

When Olive was still a child, the family moved to San Antonio where she graduated from Brackenridge High school. She served on the staff of the Brackenridge High newspaper where she met her best friend, Amy Pacey.

It was with Amy that she visited St. John's Lutheran Church and met a young man named Allan Gallaway who happened to be working in an ice cream booth. Olive and Allan were married at St. John's in 1936 - the beginning of a 72 year marriage to Allan and life-long devotion to her congregation.

Subsequently, all four of their children and several of their grandchildren were also married at St. John's.

Olive was a devoted wife and mother who, as son Bob says, "loved us unconditionally" and tried to give equal love to all four of her children. She was the Mom who volunteered to be home room mother, Brownie and Girl Scout leader.

She was also a member of the Southside Lionesses, Women of the Church (Circle 10), a ladies Bunco group that met for 35 years and a service group calling itself "The Good Girls of Laura Steele."

Like her mother before her, Olive was an excellent seamstress. Her daughters remember her sewing dresses, often late into the night, before Easter Sundays, only to wake to a cold, rainy morning that demanded old winter coats over those beautiful new dresses.

Her fine needlework is also exhibited in an exquisite Baptismal banner used at every Baptism at St. John's for many years and designed by the late Ferrell Tyson. That banner was brought into service again in 2006 to celebrate the baptisms of Olive's great-grandchildren, Maia and Sean Wells.

In addition, Olive crafted two dresses for her daughter Marilyn who was a duchess in the Lutheran Charity Coronation.

In her last years, Olive was a resident of Esplanade Gardens Assisted Living where she organized and was active in an on-going domino group that played 4 times a week.

The family wishes to thank the staff of Esplanade Gardens, especially the nurses and aides, for their gentle and attentive care.

Olive was preceded in death by her husband Allan, her parents; her baby sisters, Hazel and Beatrice Luckenbach; her beloved brother, Everett Luckenbach; and son-in-law Jim Wells. She is survived by daughters Joanne Wells; Annette Sheppard and husband Charles; Marilyn Lange and husband, Jeffrey; and son, Robert Gallaway. Grandchildren: James Wells III, Jennifer Hinojosa and husband Carlos; Andrew Wells and wife Kim; David Sheppard and wife Hrana; Christopher Sheppard and wife Kari; and Katherine Sheppard. She is also survived by great-grandchildren: Duane Sherman, Jr.; James, John and Joshua Wells; Willie Hinojosa, Maia and Sean Wells; Elise Sheppard Falk and Kai and Nils Sheppard.

Viewing and visitation will be held on Friday, January 13th from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. at Porter Loring on McCullough.

FUNERAL SERVICE

SATURDAY

JANUARY 14, 2012

10:00 A.M.

ST. JOHN'S LUTHERAN CHURCH

502 E. NUEVA

The Rev. Skip Courter will officiate.

Memorials may be made to St. John's Lutheran Church.

Pallbearers: David Sheppard, Christopher Sheppard, Duane Sherman, Willie Hinojosa, Kai Sheppard and James Wells IV.

Interment in San Fernando Cemetery No. 3 will follow the service. Lunch will then be served at St. John's Lutheran Church.