John W. Galure

John W. "Polka John Galurek" Galure 1928-2008 John W. Galure, 80, of Temple died Saturday, December 20, 2008 at his residence. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 P.M. Tuesday, December 23, 2008 at St. Lukes Catholic Church in Temple with Father Don Loftin and Father Louis Pavlicek officiating. Burial will follow at Wilson Valley Cemetery in Little River, Texas. A visitation will be held from 6:00-8:00 P.M. Monday, December 22, 2008 at Scanio-Harper Funeral Home in Temple. John Galure was born in Bell County, Texas to John William and Marion V. Danley Galure (Galhier). John's Great Grandfather, John Danley, was the patriarch of one of the foremost pioneer families in the county. The Honorable John Danley, first Chief Justice of Bell County in 1850, was an active participant in the group which decided to establish Bell County. John authored a book from his genealogical research, "Hon. John Danley, Chief Justice Bell County", which may be found in the Bell County Museum, Temple Public Library and the Belton Public Library. Mr. Galure attended Little River Elementary, and graduated from Academy High School, and Temple Junior College (TJC). He represented TJC at state and national competition, receiving many awards in management related contests. John worked 31 years at Southwestern Bell Telephone Company (SWBC) in Temple, Austin, and Waco, retiring in 1981. He also worked at radio station KYLE-FM in Temple as staff announcer. Later he fulfilled a dream as a Polka Disc Jockey playing "Happy Music for Happy People", affectionately earning him the name of "Polka John" from his listeners. Upon retirement from SWBC, Mr. Galure served as branch manager of University Savings, then in management at Arrow Trailways, finally becoming project manager for JMS, Inc., operating a fleet of city buses on Fort Hood and all their operations in Texas. As an entrepreneur, he owned and operated his own bus tour business, "Texas Tours". He and his wife, Ann, owned and operated a very successful professional wedding photography business in Temple for many years. Mr. Galure was very active in Temple Civic organizations, serving as Chairman of the Zoning Appeals Board, on the board of directors of the Greater Temple United Way, Temple Public Safety Advisory Board, and as an advisor on other projects. He helped form and worked as Deputy Coordinator for Bell County Emergency Management and was a member of the Temple Public Safety advisory board. John was responsible for Temple's first "Skywarn" project, in which emergency assistance personnel and the general public in Bell and the surrounding counties were trained in spotting severe storms. As a member of the Temple Police Association, he was honored as "Outstanding Citizen of Temple" in 1973. In 1998, Mr. Galure received the coveted "Bell County Sheriff's Department Award" for his service and support of the Bell County Sheriff's Department. Mr. Galure was President of the Communications of America for 12 years, a life member of the Telephone Pioneers of America, and a life member of the B.P.O. Elks where he served in every leadership position of the lodge. He was honored as "Elk of the Year" in 1972, and later as District "Elk of the Year." John served 4 years in Texas National Guard and 4 years in the U.S. Navy and Naval Reserves. He served aboard the "U.S.S. Keppler" in the European Theaters during the Korean conflict. For many years, Mr. Galure was active in local, state and national politics, and served once as Vice President of the Bell County Democrat Club. His memberships included St. Lukes Catholic Church in Temple, the Ushers Association, the Knights of Columbus, the Bell County REACT Team, the Temple Amateur Radio Club, SPJST Lodge #47, the Service Corps of Retired Executives, small business administration, Bell County V.O.A.D. and the Bell County Emergency Planning Committee. John is survived by his wife of 32 years, 4 stepchildren, Denise Corley of Waco, Greg Cameron of Holland, Donna Guthrie of Belton and Melanie Walton of Austin and 6 grandchildren. Scanio-Harper Funeral Home in Temple was in charge of funeral arrangements. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to: Texas Polka Music Museum c/o Glen Chervenka 7088 Creek Shadows Drive Bryan, TX 77808