Minerva Aguirre, of Kenedy, Texas was born on December 17, 1931 in Karnes County, Texas to Santos Rivas and Adela Resendez Rivas went to be with the Lord on January 26, 2022 at the age of 90. Mrs. Aguirre was a member of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, Pawnee, TX. She was preceded in death by her parents, Santos and Adela Rivas; her husband Ernesto Aguirre in 1959 and her sons: Santos Prieto and Ernest Aguirre Jr; daughter: Minerva Cavazos; sister: Eva Prieto; brothers: Amado Rivas, Santos Rivas Jr, Raymond Rivas and Israel Rivas. She is survived by her daughters: Rosalinda Garza of Stafford, TX, Emma Ramirez of Pawnee, TX, Tomasita Guerrero of Dallas, TX, Audelia Mejia of Dallas, TX and Amelia Salas of Nell, TX; sons: Juan Manuel Aguirre of Dallas, TX, Reynaldo Aguirre of Beeville, TX, Joaquin Prieto of Beeville, TX, Pasqual Prieto Jr. of Dallas, TX and David Prieto of Bedford, TX; 31 grandchildren; numerous great and one great great grandchild. Visitation will be held on Thursday, February 3, 2022 from 4:00p.m. to 9:00p.m. at Eckols Chapel. A Rosary to be recited on Thursday evening at 7:00p.m. Feb. 3rd at Eckols Chapel. Funeral Services will be held on Friday, February 4, 2022 at 11:00a.m. at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, Pawnee, TX with Rev. Ryszard Zielilski officiating. Interment to follow in the Our Lady of Guadalupe Cemetery in Pawnee, Texas. Pallbearers: Matthew Aguirre, Phil Garza, Cesar Guerrero, Ramon Mejia, Delmiro Rene Prieto, Philipe Phabian Prieto, Frank Lee Rodriguez and Vidal Salas.

Carlos Gonzales of San Antonio, Texas was born on May 16, 1951 in Karnes County  to the late Mr. Pablo C. Gonzales and Maria Medina Gonzales went to be with the Lord on January 21, 2022 at the age of 70. Carlos loved the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Cowboys. He is survived by his sisters: Lidia G. Guajardo of San Antonio, TX, Janie Maldonado of Beeville, TX; his brothers: Frank Gonzales of Kenedy, TX and Reymundo Gonzales of Chandler AZ; and many other nieces and nephews. Visitation will be held on Friday, January 28, 2022 at 9:00a.m. at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Kenedy, Texas.  A Rosary will be recited at 9:30a.m. Friday, January 28th at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church with Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00a.m. Friday, January 28th, at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church with Rev. Norbert Hermann officiating. Interment in the Sacred Heart Cemetery near his parents. Pallbearers: John Gonzales, Paul Maldonado, Adam Gonzales, Alonso Gonzales, Edward Cooremans and Eddie Cooremans.Floral or potted plants welcome. Carlos will be dearly missed.

Santos Hernandez Asebedo, Sr., Age 88 of Pawnee, TX passed away January 20, 2022 in Kenedy, TX.  Santos was born on November 26, 1933 to the late Encarnacion and Guadalupe Hernandez Asebedo.  He married Nicolasa Perez in Colorado City in 1960, retired from Paloma Oilfield Lease Service, was a loving husband, father, grandfather and of the Pentecostal Faith.

He is preceded in death by his parents Encarnacion and Guadalupe Hernandez Asebedo.

He is survived by his loving wife, Nicolasa Perez Asebedo of Pawnee, TX; daughter, Sulema Ibarra and husband Ramiro of Beeville, TX; Sons, Santos Asebedo, Jr., Sammy Asebedo both of Pawnee, TX; grandchildren Michelle Christine Munoz, Jeremiah Jacob Munoz, Jaslyn Asebedo, Adrian Asebedo, Esra Asebedo, Isaiah Asebedo; and Great-Grandchild Jaxson.

A Prayer Service will be held Tuesday, January 25, 2022 at 7:00 P.M. in the Eckols Funeral Home Chapel. Funeral Services will be Wednesday, January 26, 2022 at 10:00 A.M. in the Eckols Funeral Home Chapel with Pastor Synthia Ivy officiating.  Interment will follow in the Our Lady of Guadalupe Cemetery in Pawnee, TX.

Florentina Delgado Serna, Age 63 of Kenedy, Tx went to be with her Lord and Savior on Thursday, January 20, 2022.  Florentina was born on October 27, 1958 in Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, Mexico to Aurelio and Maria Santos Vivia Delgado.  She was the owner of Taqueria Vallarta in Kenedy; a loving wife, mother, grandmother and a member of Casa De Oracion Church in Kenedy.

Florentina is survived by her parents, Auerlio and Maria Santos Delgado of Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, Mexico; husband, Luis Serna of Kenedy, TX; daughter, Sandra Serna of Kenedy, TX; sons, Luis David Serna and wife Josefina of Cuero, TX,  Pedro Serna and wife April of Kenedy, TX,  Oswaldo Serna and wife Rafaela of Kenedy, TX , Josue Serna and wife Juana Guadalupe of Beeville, TX , Samuel Serna and wife Keyla of Beeville, TX; sisters, Guadalupe Serna of Kenedy, Paula Delgado of Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, Mexico, Maria Mercedes of Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, Mexico, Maria Socorro Ramirez of Jerrall, TX; brothers, Gerardo Delgado of Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, Mexico, Mauro Delgado of Kenedy, TX, Andres Delgado of Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, Mexico, Javier Delgado of Cuero, TX and 18 grandchildren.

A Prayer Service will be held Sunday, January 23, 2022 at 6:00 P.M. at Casa De Oracion Church.  Funeral Services will be Monday, January 24, 2022 at 9:00 A.M. at Casa De Oracion Church with the Pastor Alejandro Serna officiating.  Interment will follow in the Kenedy Cemetery in Kenedy, TX.

Patricia Ann “Patsy” Sistrunk Schendel, longtime resident of Runge, Texas passed away on January 16, 2022 at the age of 90. Patsy was born on November 6, 1931 in Yoakum, Texas to the late Ellis and Jewel Dromgoole Sistrunk.  She married Emil “Parky” Schendel Jr in Runge, Texas on August 20, 1950.

Patsy was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and a devout member of First United Methodist Church in Runge. Patsy from early on enjoyed building houses or remodeling them, painting, wallpapering, staining, you name it, she could do it.  She loved antiques and did her share of refinishing many pieces.  She was a card player and never turned down an opportunity to play  when someone called or wanted to go to Vegas. She loved to crochet, knit, needlepoint, cross stitch, etc. To travel was so much fun for Patsy.  She planned and went on numerous trips, too many to count from the time she was a little girl up until her last trip to Alaska with her entire family.  She always had her suitcase ready if an opportunity arose. Patsy was a social, classy lady and loved visiting and sharing stories with anyone she met.  She was an expert at growing plants and flowers and in case you didn’t know, she loved the color blue. Patsy worked at Runge Butane many years.  She loved collecting pigs so much she opened her own gift shop in Runge called Patricia’s Piglet.  Patsy loved the Lord and always made it a priority to do whatever she could or needed to be done for her church and to help the pastors. Although Patsy hadn’t been able to travel the past several years, I know without a doubt she just went on the best trip of her life.  We all loved her and will miss her dearly.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Ellis and Jewel Dromgoole, husband Emil “Parky” Schendel Jr. and sister Polly Marie Porter.

She is survived by her sons Tommy Schendel of Kingwood, Texas, Parker Schendel of Runge, Texas, Todd and Bonnie Schendel of Beeville, Texas and Tracey Schendel and Darlene Janssen of Runge , Texas. Grandchildren, Deidre Schendel and Vernon Janssen III and her children  Hailey and Cameron Lakey of Runge, Tiffany and Garrett Tindol and their children Madelyn and Grayson Tindol, Natalie and Mancil Crotwell, and Kelsey Schendel all of Beeville, Texas and Cheyenne Janssen of Runge, Texas.

Visitation will be held Wednesday, January 19, 2022 from 10:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. with services starting at 11:00 A.M. at the First United Methodist Church in Runge, Texas with the Reverend James Schendel officiating. Interment will follow in the Runge, Cemetery, Runge, Texas.

Serving as Pallbearers will be Garrett Tindol, Chase Janssen, Mancil Crotwell, Cameron Lakey, Russell Osburn and Trevor Schuenemann.

Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society.

A special thank you to her loving caregiver, Janie Garza and family for all their wonderful care.

Brenda Peeples Ford of Kenedy, Texas was born on April 3, 1942 in Kenedy, Texas to Rufus Peeples and Lois Grubbs. She passed away on January 9, 2022, in San Antonio, Texas at the age of 79.

Brenda worked for Karnes Electric in the billing department for many years and as Head Cashier. She made many friends there. She had a group of co-workers who stayed in touch after she retired. They named themselves the “Golden Girls”. They would get together to celebrate each other’s birthday.

Brenda is preceded in death by her beloved husband, James Bartlett Ford Jr. and her parents, Rufus and Lois Peeples. She is survived by her nieces and nephew: DeeDee (David) Orsak of Louisiana, Rob Underbrink of Kenedy, TX, Brenda Lea Underbrink of Kenedy, TX, Joy (Patrick) Tam of Kenedy of Kenedy, TX; sisters-in-law: Mary Louise Underbrink and JoAnn Slane both of Kenedy, TX; and numerous great nieces, nephews, cousins, and other relatives.

Brenda and James were happily married for 49 years. She loved the color purple and putting together puzzles and watching movies. She loved Elvis Presley’s music.

Every summer she looked forward to heading to Port Aransas. Her favorite things to do there were sitting on the balcony and watching the ships go in and out of the ship channel. She also loved riding the beach buggy on the shore of the beach as the sun set.

Her other favorite place to visit was Fredericksburg. She loved staying at a beautiful airbnb in the country there. She enjoyed watching the deer go by and doing some shopping.

Brenda was a devout member of the Church of Christ in Kenedy, Texas.

Brenda will be greatly missed by her family and friends. We have many precious memories of our times together that we will always cherish.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at 10:00a.m. to 11:00a.m. with Funeral services beginning promptly at 11:00a.m. at Eckols Chapel with Russell Briley officiating. Interment in Kenedy Cemetery.

Pallbearers: Pat Tam, Patrick Tam, Kevin Tam,Carlos Arenas, Jr. and Kye Maddox.

Memorials may be made to the Kenedy Church of Christ, 729 W. Main St. Kenedy, TX 78119.

My sister, Jennifer, went to be with Jesus Tuesday, January 4, 2022. She was survived by her loving husband, Javier, and amazing daughter, Lauren. Our family is devastated by this unexpected loss, but are focused on helping Lauren, who is a high school senior in the top of her class, navigate this tough path of life without her beloved mom. Her dad, Javier, provides her unending love and emotional support, but we also want to help ease the financial burden they are facing by setting up an education and support fund for Lauren as she is approaching graduation and the upcoming prospect of college this year. We greatly appreciate any assistance you can provide this bright and beautiful girl. THIS FUND IS BEING SET UP IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, PLANTS, OR GIFTS FOR THE FUNERAL ON TUESDAY, JAN 11, 2022.   https://gofund.me/6d713d1a

John Henry Fransen, Age 85 of Kenedy, Texas, passed away in his home on Wednesday, January 5, 2022.  He was born in Kenedy, Texas to Henry and Lillie Fransen on May 9, 1936 and attended school in Kenedy while helping on the family farm.  John married Joyce Elaine Haner on June 20, 1959 at St. Matthews Lutheran church in Kenedy and they were married for 61 years before her passing in May 2021. John and Joyce spent time in Washington and California while he was in the Army.  After the service they returned to Texas to continue farming, ranching, and raising a family.  He said that he preferred driving a tractor to the cattle business.  He didn’t have hobbies but at one time read four daily newspapers and followed the stock market.  He channel surfed TV but stopped for Western movies, Gunsmoke reruns & the Discovery Channel documentaries.

John is preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Lillie Fransen, sisters, Ruth J. Jones, Freda Grisham, brother, Eric Fransen, Sr. two baby brothers, Paul and Robert, sister-in-law, Ann Fransen and Uncle Carl Fransen.

He is survived by his daughter, Sharon (Gary) Wegner of Kenedy, sons, Kevin Fransen of Kenedy, Keith (Lee Ann) Fransen of Karnes City, Grandson, Jonathan (Becky) Fransen of Kenedy and sister Linda Fransen of Sweden and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

The Family would like to thank all the medical staff that cared for our father: Texas Home Health Hospice Staff, Dr. Dan Dugi, Otto Kaiser Memorial Hospital & Kaiser Home Health and a heartfelt thank you to our father’s caregivers, Grace Hope, Mary & Sandy for their support and love.

Visitation will be Sunday, January 9, 2022 from 5:00pm to 7:00 pm at the Eckols Funeral Home Chapel in Kenedy.  Private Family Graveside Services will be Monday, January 10, 2022 at 11:00 am at the New Bremen Cemetery, Lenz, TX with Pastor Kelly Tankersley officiating.

Pallbearers: Kevin Fransen, Keith Fransen, Jonathan Fransen, Eric Fransen, Jr., Henry Jansen & Gary Wegner.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to organization of their choice.

Christopher Alaniz Benavides, Jr. (Mr. B)

A teacher to hundreds, a mentor to many, and a friend to all, Chris Benavides was called home on December 30, 2021 with his loving wife by his side.  He was 76 years old.

He was born August 27, 1945 in Corpus Christi, Texas to the late Christopher A. Benavides, Sr and Olivia Alaniz Benavides.  He was a long-time resident of Kenedy, Texas where he was an educator, coach, loved the outdoors and spending time with his family and his wife, Irma Benavides, who he married on August 19, 1967.  They were blessed with 54 years of marriage.  He is remembered for his sense of humor, fast cars, antique trucks and great story telling abilities.  Chris was a devoted Dallas Cowboys and University of Texas Longhorns fan.  He was a loyal Kenedy Lion, Spanish teacher and tennis coach.

Educated at W.B. Ray High school in Corpus Christi, Texas, he received his bachelor’s degree at Southwest Texas State University (Texas State University) and his master’s degree from Texas A & I University in Kingsville (Texas A&M Kingsville).  Chris was an educator and tennis coach at Kenedy High School for 35 years.  He taught college courses at Bee County College (Coastal Bend College) and worked for the JTPA program.

Chris was a devout member of Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Kenedy, Texas where he served as a communion minister and lector.

His memory will be cherished and kept alive by his wife and family.  Daughters – Melissa Ann Benavides (D. Diaz) of Richmond, Texas, Karissa Lynn Benavides (Bobby Quintanilla) of Karnes City, Texas and Kristie Marie Benavides (Ray Reyna) of San Antonio, Texas.  Grandchildren – Gage Reyna and Leylah Reyna of San Antonio, Texas.

Public visitation will be held on Friday, January 7, 2022 at Our Lady Queen of Peace at 10am followed by the Holy Rosary and Holy Mass at 11am.  Masks will be required at the services.

Richard Alan Beicker of Falls City, Texas was born on April 27, 1934 in Falls City, Texas to Theo Beicker and Carrie Pope Beicker went to be with the Lord on December 27, 2021 at the age of 87. Mr. Beicker retired from Conoco in May of 1985 as a Heavy Equipment Mechanic. He loved ranching and will be dearly missed. He is preceded in death by his parents, his wife: Nancy Blaise Beicker who he married on July 5, 1954 in Kenedy, Texas and passed on May 31,2013 and was also preceded in death by his sister and brother-in -law: Lera Jean and Leland Culpepper; his brother-in-law: Louis Retzloff and sister-in-law: Ernestine Beicker. He is survived by his daughters: Barbara J. Beicker of Falls City, TX and Sharon A. (Bill) Lynn of Kerrville, TX; grandchildren: Candice (Clifford) Barnes of Manor, TX and Christopher (Amy) Poth of Fort Bragg, Clifford Barnes IV, and Nancy Jean Barnes; sisters: Doris Retzloff of Karnes City, TX; brothers: Fred Beicker of Refugio, TX and Ted Beicker of Penrose, CO; nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews and other relatives. Visitation will be held on Monday, January 3, 2022 from 3:00p.m. to 9:00p.m. at Eckols Chapel. Funeral services to be held on Tuesday, January 4, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. at Eckols Chapel with Rev. Jonathan Mollenkapf of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church of Nordheim officiating. Interment to follow in Kenedy Cemetery. Pallbearers: Christopher Poth, Clifford Barnes III, Michael Retzloff, Bruce Culpepper, Bruce Culpepper II, Daymian Culpepper.       Memorials may be made to St. Judes or the Karnes County Food Bank.