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Kyle Douglas Bradley

September 20, 1942 – April 3, 2022

Kyle Douglas Bradley, age 79 of Lytle, Texas, passed away on Sunday, April 3, 2022, in San Antonio, Texas. He was born September 20, 1942, to parents, Ervin Kyle and Mary Jane (Dickey) Bradley in Jonesborough, Tennessee.

He is preceded in death by his parents; beloved wife, Carol Sue Bradley; son, Wesley Kyle Bradley; brother’s, Gary and David Bradley; and sister, Helen McKee.

He is survived by his daughters, Kimberly Faulk and husband, Eric Torans; Karen Dietrich and husband, Noel; and husband, Colby, Erica Tate and husband, Stacey, Ashley Larrabee and husband, Paul, Christian Shroeder, Jaeson Faulk; great-grandchildren, Avery Larrabee, and one on the way, Harper James Wheeler; brothers, Robert Bradley and James Bradley; sister’s, Gayle Utsman and Janice Sherfey; numerous nieces, nephews, and friends.

Friday, April 8, 2022, 2:00 PM. until 4:00 PM with a Funeral Service starting at 4:30 PM, at Hurley Funeral Home Chapel Lytle, Texas.

Graveside Service will be held Friday, April 22, 2022, 9:00 AM, at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas.

Anyone wishing to leave condolences, share memories, or sign the online guestbook may do so at www.hurleyfuneralhome.com

Arrangements are under the direction of Hurley Funeral Home 14822 Main Street, Lytle, Texas, 78052, (830) 709-0698.

Hector Mario Vasquez

Hector Mario Vasquez was born on July 26, 1974 in San Antonio Texas to Luis Martinez Vasquez and Juanita Garza Vasquez. He passed away on March 18, 2022 at the age of 47.

He is survived by his mother Juanita Garza Vasquez and his brother Marco Vasquez.

He is preceded in death by his father Luis Martinez Vasquez.

A Celebration of life for Hector Mario Vasquez will be on Monday, April 11, 2022 at 10am at the First Baptist Church in Devine.

There will be a funeral procession from Alta Vista Funeral Chapel starting at 9:00 am to the First Baptist Church in Devine. Arrangements are under the direction of Alta Vista Funeral Chapel, Phone number 830 665-3330.

Hector served at the Natalia Police Department as Patrolman, Sargent and eventually Police Chief. As Chief of Police he worked diligently and dedicated his time in serving the community and keeping Natalia residents safe in their household. He was always ready to lend a helping hand to families in crisis.

He is well loved and respected in the community and will surely be missed

Lytle OAP Advances to Regionals!!!

Off to Regionals is Lytle’s One-Act Cast and Crew. Pictured from top left to right are: Christian Alcorta, Anthony Guevara, Ms. Nelson, April Bodie, Shea Smoot, Jaeda Carrillo, Jacob Flores, Jada Vega, Chis Lopez, Garrett Stricker, Xotchil Ferriera, Amira Montalvo, Karizma Wrobleski. Bottom Row: Alex Cabrera, Micaela Heath, Gillian Haltom, and Celeste Perez.

Lytle’s One-Act play competed Friday, April 1st for Area. Their play, These Shining Lives, was selected along with 2 other school to advancing to Regionals!!

Jaeda Carrillo received Honor Crew, Garrett Stricker and Karizma Wroblewski both received Honorable Mention, and Celeste Perez received All-Star Cast.

Lytle will be competing the Regional One-Act Play contest Thursday, April 21st!

Eric Hernandez 5th in Class 4A State Powerlifting

Warhorse Eric Hernandez place 5th in the Div.2 165lb Weight class at the State Meet! “It was a battle today and so close between 3rd-6th places! Great competition! Great year Eric and next year we are going to aim for that state championship!” said Coach Paul Gomez..(550 squat, 320 bench, 560 deadlift (PR), 1430 total (PR)

Quite the season for Devine Warhorse powerlifter Eric Hernandez as he followed his Region V Championship with a fifth place finish at State competition in Abilene. Hernandez was a mere five pounds short of placing third overall.
Hernandez and Indiana Taylor of Andrews each totaled 1,430 pounds, however Taylor got the fourth place finish due to weighing 1.1 pounds less than Hernandez. Taylor weighed in at 161.9 while Hernandez was 163.
Squat was very good to Hernandez as hit 550lbs and came out of bench lift with 320lbs, giving him 870lbs going into deadlift. He lifted 560lbs in his final lift of his amazing 2022 state qualifying season.
165lb weight class
1st-Greyson Blanchad-Celina-160.4-650-405-560-1,615 2nd-Christian Laja-Perryton-163.3-635-340-575-1,550 3rd Josiah Lugo-Somerset-162.4-585-390-460-1,435 4th-Indiana Taylor-Andrews-161.9-510-340-580-1,430 5th-Eric Hernandez-Devine-163-550-320-560-1,430 6th-Joel Weekes-Shepherd-161-545-330-550-1,425 7th-Carson Stevens-Iowa Park-162.5-550-345-500-1,425 8th-Jacob Tull-Farmersville-160.8-520-285-490-1,395 9th-Mickey Ray-Bullard-161.3-550-255-450-1,255 10th-Izaac Zamora-Geronimo Navarro-156.6-475-275-4651,250 Bomb-Outs Dominque Wooten-Lampasas, Kadyn McDonald-Paris, John Para-Fredericksburg.

By Jerel Beaty, Staff Writer

Vasquez claims 2nd place at State Lift Meet for Natalia

Adrian Vasquez placed 2nd in the 165 lb. weight class at the State Powerlifting Meet.


Natalia Mustang Seniors Adrian Vasquez and Gaylen Garcia competed at the Texas High School Powerlifting Meet last Saturday at the Taylor County Expo Center in Abilene. Vasquez was able to claim a 2nd place finish in his 165 lb. weight class as Garcia was able to finish in 8th place in the 198 lb. weight class.
“Both of these young men did a great job of going out and competing against some tough competition,” Natalia Head Boys Coach Tyler Seiler said. “They both showed determination and mental toughness when facing these competitors as well as long wait time in between lifting attempts. We will greatly miss their leadership and experience moving forward.
Senior Adrian Vasquez- 2nd Place 165 lb. weight class
Vasquez was able to advance to the state lift meet for a 3rd straight year and he did not go down quietly.
“Adrian came out and had a great meet going 9-9 closing out his senior year with a 2nd place finish,” Seiler said.
Vasquez was able to account for a 1,460 lb. total which included a 600 lb. squat, a 300 lb. bench press and a 560 lb. deadlift.
“He started the day strong by getting a PR in the squat with a lift of 600 lbs,” Seiler said. “He followed that up with a 300 lb. bench press putting him in 4th place going into the deadlift. He also achieved a PR on deadlift on his final lift to lock in the 2nd place finish.”
Senior Gaylen Garcia- 8th Place 198 lb. weight class
Garcia qualified for the state meet for the first time and he had a good showing last Saturday.
“Gaylen had a good meet placing 8th in one of the toughest weight classes in the state,” Seiler said. “He started off the day going 3-3 on squat and he was able to PR in squat.”
Garcia finished the day with a 1,530 lb. total which included a 630 lb. squat, a 360 lb. bench press and a 540 lb. dead lift.

Gaylen Garcia placed 8th in the 198 lb. weight class at the State Powerlifting Meet.


“He followed up his PR in squat going 3-3 on bench press with another PR,” Seiler said. “He battled it out with some tough competition and went 2-3 in deadlift to finish in 8th.”
We would like to congratulate both Natalia Mustangs on a great season and a great finish at state!

by Eric Smith, Staff Writer

An amazing response

Shifting our lens now to wildfires and Medina County’s massive emergency response to “Das Goat” fire that has made for a very long and difficult weekend. We are very fortunate to have our local emergency responders working around the clock for us. There aren’t enough thank you’s for those that put their lives in jeopardy to help others and protect our homes and property. Seeing State emergency responders stepping in and a visit from Governor Abbott with a local disaster emergency proclamation on Sunday was amazing.
Shelters were opening in some churches and Medina Valley Loma Alta Middle School opened its doors as a Red Cross Shelter on Saturday. Few utilized the shelter at MV Loma Alta Middle School Saturday night but were very appreciative of having that place to go and thankful to the Medina Valley staff present.
Many residents brought in food, drinks, animal kennels, and dog and cat food and were ready to offer more or help out. The Red Cross Shelter moved to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church on Sunday afternoon so the school could be in session Monday. Lake Hills United Methodist Church had opened its doors over the weekend as well with plenty of room for those in need. As of Monday morning and my writing, Medina County Public Health is out and about getting status updates on shelters.With fire emergency response continuing this week, our community and surrounding counties will be working together to help those families affected and to stand by if and when needed.
Everyone, if you haven’t signed up for local emergency alerts, please do so now! In situations like this you would receive evacuation notices. I recommend getting them on your phone as a text and also as an email.
COVID Forecast
The 7-day COVID forecast is looking good with cases falling, low hospitalizations, and a low positivity rate.
Key Messages: (CDC DATA Tracker as of 3/28/2022 prior report date was 3/21/2022)
How many cases are there? Total cases over the last 7 days: 38 cases down from 63
Transmission? Positivity rate: 3.96%slightly up from 3.09%
How many total deaths are there? 197 up 1 death from last week
What can we do about it? Monitor hospitalization rates, continue to watch the next variant BA.2 for changes in the severity of disease, and monitor transmission rates. COVID-19 vaccines are available for ages 5 and up.
Visit the Medina County website under “Coronavirus” or “COVID-19 Vaccine” for more information.

By Trish Mechler, RN, BSN

40 school days left this year

Counselor’s Comments, by Roland Cadena-We have made it through most of the school year already. On March 30 there will only be 40 school days left this school year. As you have seen, our students are still competing and placing in state and regional competitions. Everyone at the high school has united and have met their challenges head-on. Now with so few days left we are going down the home stretch. Finally, spring is here and the baseball and softball teams have taken the field.
Last week some students took the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), while others took the Texas Success Initiative (TSI), TELPAS, and/or benchmark tests. During the first week in April, we will administer the STAAR English I and English II end of course exams. In the month of May, our students will be administered the Algebra I, Biology, and U. S. History STAAR tests.
At this time, the high school counselors have begun to contact eighth grade students and parents about the 2022-2023 freshmen class schedules and four year plans. Some parents have already come to the high school to discuss their son’s or daughter’s 2022-2023 freshman schedule. The administration is preparing accommodations for students that do not pass the STAAR exams. Current 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students will be working on completing their 2022-2023 choice slips.
The final day of the school year is May 26. Many of our students have earned distinguished recognition either as a member of a group or as an individual. We would like to congratulate senior Brian Schaefer for his acceptance into the United States Air Force Academy. We would also like to thank U.S. Congressman Tony Gonzales, who represents the Texas Congressional District 23 for nominating Brian.
The senior students April activities begin on April 11 with an ice cream social. The high school will administer the Scholastic Aptitude Test on April 13. Then on May 7 the senior class will hold its prom followed by the senior Round the World activity on May 21. Seniors will have their final class outing with the May 23 senior trip.
We would like to remind all parents and/or guardians to check on their children’s fifth six weeks progress report grades. Students should also check their grades during this fifth six weeks using the Devine Independent School District portal. Mostly importantly senior grades should be checked. Senior student’s parents should contact their senior student teachers. Now more than ever, all school assignments are important. As a reminder, all senior students are encouraged to complete their Free Application for Federal Student Assistance (FAFSA) and their Apply Test Application. The FAFSA is required unless the eighteen year old student or a student’s parent decides to sign an Opt-out form.

Being Older

We had a get together with some cousins this weekend, and their conversations are always interesting.

Listening to a group of competitive “big boys” talk, I had forgotten how big of a deal it is to be 4, or 5, or 8, for example.
Three of the boys were brothers, and so instead of calling them by each of their names, my little one said “Hey kids, look at this!”
One of them quickly responded, “I am not a kid! I am 5 years old!”
Their favorite activity of the day was to pick up the largest dirt clods they could find and see how big of a splash it would make when they threw it in the tank. With each dirt clod, the thrower announced, “See I’m strong. I’m 8 years old.”
To which the next one would say, “I’m strong and fast. I am 4 years old.”
The 4 and 5 year old competition was most fierce. Five year old Lane said to 4 year old Tucker: “You might be fast, but I am strong.”
These days, I don’t even remember exactly how old I am. Thirty-three, thirty-four, doesn’t much matter. But I also had two cousins who were extremely close in age, and when we were all 11-12 years old, quite a few serious conversations revolved around who was “older”. I think I was the youngest, or at least they convinced me of that. It seemed every argument boiled down to my cousin Daniel reminding us that, he is “the oldest”, followed by my eye rolls.
But I can also remember that in my basketball games with Jacob (my other cousin), that when he called a foul on me, his “older-ness” was supposedly the final word. Even though, he is literally just a couple days older than me.
So anyhow, the little boys conversations on who was bigger and stronger and who was older, brought back lots of memories. I don’t care if I was the youngest or not, I still think most of the time, I was right. Perhaps that’s why I named my column the way I did. Haha. I will say though, that my cousin Jacob grew up to become a head coach and athletic director, so maybe he did know the rules of refereeing basketball a little better than me after all.
I have a feeling when we get together in another 40 years or so, that I will be reminding Jacob and Daniel that “I am younger”…even if it is just by a couple days. Funny how life works like that.