Addie Lois Hasler, 82, passed away on November 11, 2022 in Lytle, TX. She was born on May 20, 1940 in Campbellton, Texas to parents Donnie and Lorena Brister. Addie graduated from Devine High School in 1959. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Herbert Hasler; brother-in-law, James “Bubba” Polly. Addie is survived by her son, Benjamin Eli Hasler (Mary), Cheryl Hasler (James), Kathy Hasler Ortiz (Rick), Connie Hasler Moore (Tommy), Rebecca Hasler Byrd (Jody); brother, Billy Brister (Cathy); sisters, Jerlene Polly, Chestine Furr (Chester), Betty Lou Walter (Jimmy), Viola Shaw (Harold); 11 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and an extended loving family. Public Viewing will be held at Hurley Funeral Home – Devine from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM on Thursday, November 17, 2022. A graveside service will be held at 2:00 PM on Friday, November 18, 2022, at Hermann Sons Cemetery in Macdona, Texas. Anyone wishing to leave condolences, share memories, or sign the guest book may do so at www.HurleyFuneralHome.com Arrangements are under the direction of Hurley Funeral Home – Devine, 303 College Ave., Devine, TX 78016.
Velda B. Alexander, Jr. went to eternal rest at the age of 87years old on November 8, 2022 after a long illness. He was born on April 19, 1935 in San Antonio. He is preceded in death by his parents Velda and Jesse Alexander, his sister, Marilyn Brownrigg, brothers, Charles, Johnnie and Edward. Velda is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Lillian, his two sons and daughters in law, Ronald (Cynthia) and Keith (Jodi). His beloved grandchildren, Matthew and Brooke Alexander and Kalei and Ryan Alexander. He is survived by brothers, Maurice, Robert, George and sister Nola Hanson. Velda was extremely proud of his sons and dearly loved his family. He attended South San schools at an early age before moving to Devine and graduating there. He served proudly in the US Army for 2 years. Velda married his sweetie, Lillian Ehlinger on April 30, 1960. He worked at USAA for 35 years as Executive Director before retiring. He was a long standing parishioner of Holy Name Catholic Church. He was a founding member of the Knights of Columbus #8789, Holy Name Mens Club and Data Processing Management Association. Velda never met a stranger! He was well known and beloved member of the community. His kindness and willingness to help others was an inspiration to all who knew and loved him. He enjoyed dancing to country music with his sweetie Lil and enjoyed hunting with his sons. He had a fondness for cars, crossword puzzles, sudoku and keeping up with the news. His greatest passion in life was spending time with his family. Our family would like to express our sincere gratitude for the last 2-1/2 years of love and care Velda received at Poets Walk. A visitation was held at 8:30am, Rosary at 9:15am and funeral mass 10:00am on Saturday, November 12, 2022, at Holy Name Catholic Church. Burial immediately followed at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Devine, Texas. Memorial contributions may be made in honor of Velda to Knights of Columbus #8789.
Here is what happened last week: Lytle PD officers responded to 60 calls for service last week and conducted 70 traffic stops. Those stops resulted in 61 citations and 9 warnings. Property Crimes (2 Reported): #1 – On Election Day a candidate’s sign was taken from the polling place on Priest Blvd. #2 – Three crooks made off with about $1,000 worth of merchandise from the Western Brands store on IH-35. Probably some organized retail theft group, in the past this stuff ended up at flea markets, now it can be easily sold on the internet as well. Arrests (7 Reported): #1 – A traffic stop resulted in the arrest of a male with a felony child endangerment warrant out of Medina Co. #2 – A male was cited and released for stealing a Beto O’Rourke sign from a polling place. #3 – A male subject evaded a traffic stop on a motorcycle, he was apprehended after a short pursuit and booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #4 & #5 – A traffic stop resulted in two males being cited and released for possession of drug paraphernalia. #6 & #7 – Sgt. Hanson attempted to stop a driver for going 71 in a 30. After a brief pursuit the driver was arrested for felony evading and his passenger had a warrant out of Bexar Co. I was out of the office most of last week. Myself, Lt Dear, Officer D. Lopez, and Officer S. Pena attended a 2 1/2 day Fire Marshal training conference in Pasadena (TX). This marks the 10th year that Lt. Dear and I have attended this conference. Lots of good material and we made lots of connections. When in the area, I suggest the Monument Inn Restaurant near the San Jacinto Battlefield and the Lynchburg Ferry. The “Pan Fried Shrimp” is wonderful. The election has come and gone. I’m going to comment on only one race I followed. It looks like congratulations are in order for Anson Williams, he was elected Mayor of Ojai, CA (unofficial results). He played Warren “Potsie” Weber on Happy Days from 1974-1984. I watched a lot of TV and Happy Days was a staple.
Ms. Holder’s story about her Mr. Tucker becoming a cowboy brought back to memory a tale from over a quarter of a century ago regarding another new rider. Our daughter, now in her late 20’s, was about two years old and being slowly walked around while sitting horseback by herself. She had already been riding in our arms or sitting in a halter slung over the saddle horn for a while. But this “By Myself Daddy” stage was just starting as it related to horses and LOTS of other things. We had finished up a ride, checking fences and cattle on a couple of pastures, unsaddled our horses, except for Old Sonny. He was a big sorrel gelding that spent virtually all his 27 years on our place. Gentle as could be and a bit on the lazy side, he was the Designated Baby Sitter for our God Children and Children for many years. The other horses had walked back towards the Horse Pasture, but we kept him up so Jessica could walk around bit while sitting alone on his broad. After a while, I pulled her off, unsaddled and brushed down Sonny, so he could go join his partners. Jessica headed off to “check on the horses” and proceeded to motor along in that unsteady little kid gait that occurs when they are walking on uneven ground in a new kind of footwear for her, called boots. The trail between the fence and some light brush was kind of narrow in a spot or two and Jessica got ahead of Sonny on that red dirt path. I watched him get right behind him and patiently let her navigate the journey. Of course, for every step he took she had to take six or eight, so he was mostly on hold waiting to get to his buddies. I noticed he was encouraging her with a very gentle nug to her little back with his nose every few steps. I quickly walked over and picked her up so he could get by, have a drink at the trough, and then roll like most tired horses like to do. Of course, she was unhappy not to be on the adventure by herself, but I reminded her a good cowhand takes care of the needs of the animals first. Some readers might think of this event as negligence on my part for allowing the little one to wander on her own and/or to allow the horse behind her so close. Could something bad have happened? Of course, but I knew it would take something VERY unusual for that old gelding to do any harm to her. And it was important to support her start at independence while she also was beginning to understand the need to take real good care of the animals she loved so much. These days she is having to teach that lesson to her own young ones. And I hope they figure it out as well as she did. As an aside, that “funny gait” she demonstrated in those new red boots sure looks a whole lot like how her old Dad walks these days with bad knees and missing toes!
Lots of the little cousins got together this weekend, and as expected it was lots of fun. The highlight of the evening was when I led the little boys on a mission to sneak up on the teenage girl cousins. I had Luke, Cody, Lane, and Tucker all on their hands and knees sneaking up to tap on the outdoor windows of the cabin where the girls were. Then started howling “like ghosts” which actually sounded more like coyotes, but made it all the more hilarious. There’s nothing quite like the good old-fashioned fun of boys sneaking up to scare the girls or vice versa. I have to admit, as their captain, I had just as much fun as they did army-crawling up the porch to tap on the windows and leading them in the ghostly howling. Apparently, we sounded like really scary coyotes, cause we scared the living daylights out of the girls. But I think the girls forgave me since I bought them an enormous bag of junk food for their sleepover. When my daughter was little I was focused on the make-overs and dress-up outfits and other girly fun at the sleepovers. But now that she’s a teenager, it’s my Tucky boy and his cousin comrades who have mama’s attention. So I guess I’ve officially transformed from mommy make-up artist, to mommy drill sergeant. I have to say sneaking up on the girls was even more fun than playing dress up. Can’t wait ‘til the next sleepover! Until then I’ll be planning our next mission.
Last week, I gave you a couple of pumpkin recipes to begin thinking about desserts for Thanksgiving. Pumpkin pie was not one of them, as there is a wonderful recipe for that on the can of pumpkin you buy to make your pie. My thought is, “if that recipe has been around for years and been being made, there’s no point in changing it”, so this week, I’ll give you another recipe or two for desserts, including a different pie, as well as a side dish for Thanksgiving, that I’ve used for years. There have been several different publications that I have seen recently that have recipes for sweet potatoes, and it gave me the idea for this article! In your area, as well as in mine, we use the terms ‘yam’ and ‘sweet potato’ interchangeably. Did you know that this is incorrect? After checking out two different encyclopedias, I found that both of them said the same thing. In the United States, certain varieties of sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are incorrectly called yams! (A true yam is a starchy root that grows in the Caribbean. It is rough and scaly and not even related to the sweet potato!). The yam belongs to the genus Dioscorea of the family Dioscoreaceas (called the yam family). There are over 600 known species of true yams. Four of these species are native to the United States. The sweet potato is among the most important of the tropical root crops. They are baked, boiled, or fried, some are used for soup and some are dried and ground into meal. They are high in Beta-Carotene and vitamins E and C. (Just 2/3 cup of sweet potatoes gives you 100% of the USRDA for Vitamin E). They are also a good source of fiber when eaten with the skin on. They also offer other essential nutrients such as: potassium, iron and Vitamin B6. The sweet potato is a perennial belonging to the morning-glory family and is chiefly cultivated for its edible roots. The flowers resemble those of the morning-glory and the tuberous roots are usually several inches long. The flesh of the sweet potato may be white, yellow or orange. (I was always told that the darker orange colored potatoes were yams and the lighter ones were sweet potatoes, ho hum, so much for that legend). In the United States, the leading producers of sweet potatoes are Louisiana, North Carolina, Texas and Virginia. Years ago, when Sam and I lived in Victoria, there was usually a farmer or two selling fresh sweet potatoes alongside the road between Victoria and Yoakum, yes, we usually stopped and got a few to bring to grandma, as she didn’t always have them. The sweet potato was introduced into Spain from the West Indies in 1526 and gradually made its way to other parts of Europe. it is generally believed to have first been grown in the United States around 1648. Actually, history tells us that the Native Americans were already growing them when Columbus arrived in 1492. The ship’s log indicated that he took some “Sweet Potatoes” back to Europe with him. Sweet potatoes require a long, warm growing season. In back issues of our paper, while doing research in old papers, most generally in the 1936-37 era, I have found many references to someone coming by the office and bringing ‘this Editor’ (KK’s grandfather), a sack of locally grown sweet potatoes. Since they grow well in sandy loam, there is really no reason for them not to grow in the Devine area; however, I have not heard of them being raised commercially in recent times. There are probably as many recipes for cooking sweet potatoes, as there are cooks to cook them. They lend themselves to many recipes. Some folks have never eaten them any way except candied with marshmallows on top at Thanksgiving and Christmas. My very favorite way to eat them is to bake them, split them open, put butter, salt and pepper on them and eat away! To bake: prick the skin with a fork and bake at 400ºF for 40 to 50 minutes, or until tender. (Be sure to prick thoroughly to keep the potato from exploding while baking, you will have a big mess if you don’t). A couple of weeks ago, my grandson and his family came for the weekend. My granddaughter-in-law brought me a sweet potato pie. This was a real treat, as even though I had heard of them for years, I had not (to my knowledge) eaten one, nor had I made one. After sharing it with my sister and her husband, she sort of felt that she liked it better than pumpkin pie, so of course, I had to find a recipe and try it. The pie turned out great, and having too much filling for the pie, I just baked that small amount of filling in a pie pan, and it was delicious. Sweet Potato Pie 1 ¾ cups, baked sweet potato (about 3 medium size), cooled and peeled ½ teaspoon salt 1 ½ cups whole milk 3 large eggs ¾ cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg ½ teaspoon ground ginger 1 tablespoon melted butter 1 unbaked 9-inch, deep dish pie crust Preheat oven to 425ºF. Mash cooled and peeled sweet potatoes (I just used a fork, but you can use your potato masher (bean masher), if you prefer Mix other ingredients in order listed, add potatoes, stir to blend well, and pour into a 9-inch, deep-dish unbaked pie crust. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, covering with foil if the edges begin to brown too quickly. Watch during the last 10 minutes of baking to check firmness of pie. (I sprayed a 12-inch square of foil with non-stick spray and covered mine the last 20 minutes or so of baking.) I also turned the oven to 400º at the same time. My oven is an old propane stove, and it holds the heat way more than some of the newer stoves do. Sweet Potatoes with Apples 2 to 3 pounds fresh sweet potatoes 4 or 5 large cooking apples 1/4 to 1/2 cup brown sugar, or to taste 1/4 cup melted butter or margarine Peel the sweet potatoes and slice into 3/4-inch-thick rounds. Peel the apples and cut into 1/2-inch crosswise slices and remove cores. (If you have an apple corer, the cores can be removed before slicing). Place a layer of sweet potato slices in large pot or baking dish, sprinkle with 1 to 2 tablespoons brown sugar and a small amount of the melted butter or margarine, top with a layer of apples. Repeat layers, finishing with a layer of apples. Add 1/4 cup or less water to the pan and place over medium heat. Bring water to a boil, cover and cook without stirring until apples and potatoes are tender. This dish may also be baked in a 350ºF oven until tender. (I have also used canned sweet potatoes, layering them with the apples and cooking until the apples were tender). Serve hot. (This dish is a must at my family’s’ Thanksgiving dinner). Quick Homemade Apple Crisp 5 cups peeled, sliced baking apples (Granny Smith, Rome Beauty or any tart apple) 3 tablespoons sugar TOPPING: ¾ quick cooking oatmeal (not instant) ½ cup brown sugar (packed) ¼ cup flour ¼ teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon nutmeg 6 tablespoons butter ¼ cup chopped pecans (optional) Preheat oven to 350ºF. Mix apples and sugar and place in a 2-quart baking dish. For topping: in a medium bowl, combine the oatmeal, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; add pecans if used and mix to combine; sprinkle over apples in baking dish and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden.
(Castroville, Texas – November 8, 2022) The City of Castroville will host the first Castroville Business Power Lunch Workshop on December 7, 2022, at 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., at Sammy’s Restaurant, in Castroville. The workshop theme is “Getting access to capital for your business.” The workshop will feature information about state and federal funding opportunities available to businesses or aspiring entrepreneurs. “As a Texas business owner, I know first-hand the challenges that business owners across the state face, especially when looking for working capital to grow a business. My goal is to share information about various funding sources and how to meet funding requirements and position your business to successfully obtain capital, says Janice M. Gonzalez, Owner of Founder, EMC Strategy Group, LLC. The City of Castroville will host monthly lunch workshops throughout the year aimed at supporting business development and job creation in support of economic development. This workshop luncheon is sponsored by EMC Strategy Group, LLC. Space is limited to the first 15 businesses that register. Register by email to Mitchell.gonzalez@emcstrategygroup.com.
Devine Education Foundation will host a Casino Night Friday, Dec. 2 at the Devine Community Center from 6-10 p.m. The event is being sponsored to raise money to help fund DISD programs and teaching grants. In only its second year, the foundation has awarded $15,000 to help fund the newly organized Fire/EMT Academy and to help lower tuition costs for students taking dual-credit courses at DHS. Several teaching grants will be awarded in the next few weeks. Casino Night will feature lots of fun, food, and a Silent Auction. “We are excited to bring this to our community. It will be a fun evening and help our students and staff in the process,” Mrs. Brenda Gardner, DEF executive director, said. Because of space, only 325 tickets will be sold. Only those 21 and over will be allowed to attend. Tickets may be purchased by contacting Gardner at brenda.gardner@devineisd.org or calling 830-851-0717.
The Natalia ISD Mustang Band and Agriculture Program are joining forces to raise funds. The funds raised will support program needs, enrich experiences, and provide scholarships for students. Join us on December 17th at 1:00 pm for golf, games, shopping, Santa, and more! Golf Tournament: 4-person scramble with cash prizes for the top three teams. Location: Devine Golf Course 1:00 pm shot gun start. You can sign up your team by calling Devine Golf Course (830) 665-9943. $100 per person, includes cart, meal, and drink. Shopping: Come shop local vendors and small businesses. Great time to find those special gifts for the holidays! Santa & Hot Chocolate: Santa will make a very special visit to take pictures with kids of all ages. Enjoy some hot chocolate and goodies with Santa. There will be music entertainment and games as well! Stop by on December 17th starting at 1:00 pm to support amazing programs at Natalia ISD!
By Ben T. Briscoe (Edited by Kathleene Runnels) For Veterans Day, I’d like to honor all those men and women who have served this nation in our armed forces. In my family, my grandfather on my dad’s side was a combat engineer in WWI; my dad served in the Air Force as a pilot in Korea and Vietnam; our oldest son was in the 75th Ranger Regiment and was deployed six times overseas in our Global War on Terror. I am very grateful and thankful for the willingness of those who serve and have served. My father, Henry Briscoe, passed away 17 years ago this month. As a tribute to all Veterans, here is a bit of his story. Dad served 23 years in the U.S. Air Force. He retired as a Colonel with his last duty assignment as a Base Commander at Mather AFB in California, retiring in 1976. Most of our growing up years, we saw Dad in his flight suit more than in any other clothes. Those were drab, greenish/gray, one-piece jump suits with lots of zippered pockets, made of smooth material that was very tightly woven and almost shiny. His name tag was over his right breast pocket, a U.S. Air Force patch and wings over his left breast pocket, and his rank on his collar. There were unit patches on one shoulder and an American flag on the other. His footwear was typically black combat boots, and he wore a bidder on his head with his rank on the crest. Dad flew a lot. I can’t recall his total hours of flying time, but the number 15,000 comes to mind. He flew transport planes and was good at it. Early in his career, he became a check pilot. His responsibility was to check out other pilots to insure they were following protocol and were good pilots. This included grounding some pilots that he felt were unsafe to fly; at times, that meant grounding some who held a higher rank than his. Dad flew a lot of missions where he’d be gone for weeks at a time. When he came home, it was always a big deal for my three sisters and me. “Daddy’s home” had real meaning. Dad was a patriot; he loved what he did, who he worked with, and what it represented. Not only did he love his job, but he loved that it was serving his country. He had intended to make his living farming and wanted nothing more than to come back to Medina County and do just that when he left for college in 1948. But, before he graduated in 1952, the Korean War changed that. After joining the Air Force, he thought he’d do his four years and then come back to Medina County, work the land, and raise his family. But, four years turned into eight, which grew to 12. Captain changed to Major, which changed to Colonel, and he was still doing what he loved. Dad’s career spanned the vintage era from prop-driven cargo planes that carried an 8,000 pound load, powered by twin 1200 HP engines, to his last plane, which had four jet engines capable of 43,000 pounds of thrust each and could carry 380,000 pounds of cargo. He told me that there was nothing like taxiing out on a runway, getting the green light to pour the coal to four jet engines, and be able to harness and control that much power. No doubt he didn’t just hear that roar but felt that power and energy of those planes with every fiber of his being. The power and freedom that flying gave Dad was symbolic of his country; he loved both. He flew all over the world. He was involved his whole career in hauling men and their gear and material around the world in support of war and peace, as well as of humanitarian relief. Dad served a year in Vietnam in the early 1970s, but he flew in and out of the country all during the war. He never fired a shot in war, but he was shot at a number of times. He told stories of flying into air bases that were under attack and how big a target cargo plane was, landing in the middle of a firefight. He mentioned how time dragged by when they were waiting to be loaded when the bullets were flying. He stated how fast he could take off when they were cleared for departure by flight control. I recall Dad telling me a number of times that during the war he had the privilege of flying our most precious cargo: flying out our war wounded, bringing them back to the states. Dad would often go back and visit with the injured during the long trip across the Pacific. He reported times when they would lose soldiers on the trip home. He had mentioned that experience to me numerous times, and I was too young to see it then, but I see now that it touched him deeply when a young soldier died before Dad was able to get him back home. On November 13, 2005, Mom, Dad, and my family were going to eat supper with my little sister and her family in San Antonio. My wife, kids, and I picked up Mom and Dad in Devine and drove to San Antonio. Dad and I rode in the front and talked the whole way up. Dad was reminiscing and told me story after story of flying, of missions and formations, of plane wrecks and near wrecks. He told me of one time he was landing on an air strip in a foreign country and as soon as the plane touched the runway, all the tires on the right side of the plane blew out on impact. Dad sat right there in the front seat, in my wife’s suburban, and recited the memorized protocol for what you do when all the tires on one side of a cargo plane blow at the same time. It was something like — trim this to so many degrees (he gave the specific number), cut air speed to X, flaps in this position, move a few switches to some critical point and step on something else really hard, all in a whole lot less time than it takes to state all of this. Then he recalled nursing a violently wobbling 350 ton aircraft, going 200 mph, to a stop, allowing him and all crew members to get off the plane safely. I remember looking at him and thinking, “My gosh, he’s sharp.” He told it like he had a just landed that beast yesterday. That was his last day on earth, as the very next day, November 14, 2005, Dad flew home. What’s it like to be the child of a military man? For me, I don’t think words go deep enough. Love. Honor. Integrity. Dignity. Duty. Patriotism. Strength. Wisdom. Knowledge. Faith. Compassion. Discipline. Ethics. These are the traits I saw in my father. My sisters and I were blessed by this and, in truth by both a loving mother and a strong father. If we could ask Dad today about his life and how he lived it, what it meant to him to serve, I’m sure he’d smile and say that it’s all wrapped up in being an American. God bless all you men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces.
