Mary G. Rizo gained her angel wings Thursday, April 6, 2023, 14 days short of her 92nd birthday, in San Antonio, Texas. She was born April 20, 1931 in Buda, Texas, to Ernesto Chavera and Elvira Mendez. She was preceded in death by her parents, and her husband, Pete M. Rizo, Brothers Lucio Chavera, Vale Chavera, Delfino Chavera, Benito Chavera, Ferman Chavera, Jesse Chavera, and Ray Chavera. Sisters Adela Villareal, Eloisa Castillo and Ramona Guajardo and Granddaughter Elisa G. Pina. She is survived by two brothers, Juan and Mary Chavera of Lakeview, Michigan, and Ralph Chavera of Belvidere, Illinois; Sons Frank and Robin Garza of Devine, Texas, and Abel and Cynthia Garza of Moore, Texas; Daughters Elida and Refugio Maza of East Jordan, Michigan, Florinda and Steve Mares of Woodstock, Illinois, Paula Ayala of Crystal Lake, Illinois, and Gloria Garza of Moore, Texas. Twenty-one grandkids, Four Step Grandkids, Forty-six Great Grandkids, Twenty-three Great great grandkids, and many nephews and nieces. Visitation will be held on Sunday, April 16, 2023, between 5:00 P.M. and 9:00 P.M. with a Rosary recited at 7:00 P.M. at Primrose Funeral Services Devine, Texas. Mass will be celebrated on Monday, April 17, 2023, at 10:00 A.M. at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, with interment to follow at St. Joseph’s Catholic cemetery. Anyone wishing to leave condolences, share memories, or sign the online guestbook may do so at www.primrosefuneralservices.com Arrangements are under the direction of Primrose Funeral Services, 303 W. College Ave., Devine, Texas 78016, (830) 663-4445.
Kathleen Ann Lamon Kohlleppel of La Coste, passed away at her home on April 3, 2023 at the age of 85. She was born May 25, 1937 on the family farm near La Coste, Texas to Joseph Hubert Lamon and Lorene Josephine Jungman Lamon. In 1955, Kathleen graduated from La Coste High School. After graduation, she worked for Southwestern Bell Telephone for twelve years. On November 4, 1967, Kathleen married Henry Charles Kohlleppel at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in La Coste. They were blessed with fifty-five years of marriage and two daughters. Kathleen sang in the Our Lady of Grace adult choir for over twenty years. Survivors include her husband, Henry Kohlleppel; daughters and sons-in-law, Monica and Tim Rihn, Stephanie and Christopher Haan; grandchildren, Jacob and Tiffany Rihn, William Rihn, Ben and Hayla Rihn, Nicholas Haan, Meghan Haan, Julia Rihn, and Joseph Haan; great-grandchildren, Carter Bateman and baby Rihn on the way; in-laws, Margaret Lamon, Ted and Ann Kohlleppel, Ralph and Karen Kohlleppel, James and Veronica Kohlleppel, and Iris Kohlleppel. Kathleen was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, Patrick Lamon; in-laws, Paul Kohlleppel, Rose and Weldon Tondre. Visitation will be Monday, April 10, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. at Tondre-Guinn Funeral Home, with the Holy Rosary recited at 6:30 p.m. The Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 11, 2023 at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church. Interment will follow at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Cemetery in La Coste, Texas. Memorials may be made in Kathleen’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association, Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church Building Fund, or the charity of your choice. Kathleen’s family would like to thank Bristol Hospice for the loving care they gave to her. Arrangements by Tondre-Guinn Funeral Home. Visit www.tondre-guinn.com
George Joseph Horvath, 79, Natalia, TX, entered eternal rest on Monday, April 3, 2023. He is preceded in death by his father Carl Horvath & Mother Maria Magdalena Molivar Horvath. George is survived by his wife Alma Ornelas Horvath; sister Andrea Horvath Schmidt (Eberhardt) (Germany); aunts and cousin and extended family Gilbert R Ornelas; Mary Ornelas Montelongo (Carlos); Inez R Ornelas (Debbie); Ancelmo Ornelas (Sonia) and many nieces, nephews and Cousins. George was born in Komaron, Hungary on March 19, 1944. In 1956, George’s family left Hungary during the Russian invasion. Ultimately, George’s family settled in Caracas, Valenzuela. At the age of 14, George arrived in the United States. He made it his goal to better his life. George obtained his bachelor’s degree at New York State College. He earned his Master’s and Doctorate degree at Florida State University in Marine Oceanography (1973). George began his working career with the State of Florida. He later accepted a job in Washington DC with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) working in the Water Department. In 1979, he relocated to Region 6, EPA, in Dallas, Texas. In 2012, George retired from the Federal Government after 33 years. Simultaneously, George volunteered for the Dallas Police Department Reserve Unit for 23 years earning the rank of Reserve Lieutenant. In addition, George was well traveled. He was awarded the Congressional Antarctic Service Medal in 1974 for his participation in a United States sponsored exhibition to Antarctica. In 2012, after his retirement George moved to Natalia. He volunteered at the Devine Area Thrift Store and also served as Secretary to the Devine Lions Club George loved his home and his fur babies (Puli & Polo). He will be missed by many. A private Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to your charity of choice. Anyone wishing to leave condolences, share memories, or sign the online guestbook may do so at www.primrosefuneralservices.com
Lately I had the chance to spend some time with an exceptional Lady that I have known OF her whole life, but did not really get to know until recently. Being a decade and a half older than her means that in our “earlier” days we could recognize each other on sight but not really interact in a meaningful way. Like many of us the Pathway of Events in Life caused her to deviate from some of the preferred direction of her passions and callings. Now due to other changes, she can again seek out those things with more time and energy. But also like so many getting those “Compass Points” reestablished is proving harder than she imagined. My efforts at support focused on encouraging her to look at the revisions from the long-term view and to be patient with the readjustments to this new life. We spoke of coping tools and the value to showing the same type of kindness upon herself that she has bestowed on so many others. I left the visit with a prayer that my words were of use and she will be able, with God’s help, to correctly rechart the direction Life will take her from this stage on. For Karen
We got some decent rain last week…bout 0.9 inches out Black Creek way. Got my yard fertilizer out at just the right time. Got 3.5 inches so far this year. Hallylouya!! Now pray for a turd floatin gully washer that will fill Medina Lake. Hope everyone had a Blessed Resurrection Sunday. We had a house full but, still a lot missing. I am sure that everyone is looking forward to April 15th. The day that we get to send money to the Government so that the illegal aliens can have a means of income and we can continue the flood of money used to fund countries that hate us. I had to send them an extra $1,408 on top of the $12,367 what was already taken from my paycheck. Thought that our Supreme Leader said that people who made under $400,000 would not see an increase (and I made way, way under that amount)….what a relayer of falsehoods. With all the legal (?) actions surrounding potential favorites not of the current ruling party, looks like we are a couple steps away from a Banana Republic system of government where the opposition disappears. Seems like we are living in a country headed for the likes of the one our Founding Fathers fought to escape. See where the City Council decided to remove the Drainage Bond issue from the ballot. Drainage has been an issue since Colonial Oaks was developed. Seems the developers forgot to provide drainage to a couple low areas that would be used by a farmer or rancher nowadays as a stock tank. Underground culverts or more streets like Upson seem to be needed to properly drain the problem areas. Looked at the Commissioners Court Agenda but, other than the usual business, nothing notable transpired. Considering the weather, the 4 wheel drive nuts and the theft of signage, looks like the Pct 4 Commissioner and crew finished paving CR 777 and it turned out excellent. Vehicles can now pass each other without knocking off mirrors and there are no potholes to dodge. Lewis Stroud sent me a bunch of Kamela Harris quotes the other day…tried to read them but, all I got was a headache from trying to make sense out of them. Thanks a lot Stroud. I checked on my guns the other day. They had not decided to run amok or take off and shoot someone. In fact, the lazy things just laid there. Didn’t do nothing but attain room temperature. They been trained. It’s the lunatics and those not raised proper that make them functional in the wrong way resulting in the tragedies we see on the news.
Here is your weekly report from Lytle P.D., straight from the desk of Chief Richey Priest (for whatever that is worth). Your officers responded to 51 calls for service last week and conducted 79 traffic stops. Of those 79 stops, 70 resulted in a citation and 9 were either verbal or written warnings. Property Crimes: Only 1 reported, a complainant reported her Apple iPhone and watch were taken by a friend. It involved a dispute over an unpaid debt. The property was recovered. Arrests: Officers made 3 arrests last week. #1 – While Ofc. L. Diaz was investigating a hit-run accident, he determined a female witness had a felony warrant. She was wanted out of Atascosa Co. on an Evading Arrest w/MV. #2 – Ofc. J. Cortez conducted a traffic stop for a reckless driver and arrested the male driver for D.W.I. #3 – Ofc. J. Cortez, assisted by Ofc. L. Diaz was dispatched to the Sonic Drive-In for a male asleep behind the wheel in the drive-thru. He was arrested for D.W.I. Last Monday, Sgt. David Lopez and I headed out to Forth Worth for the Annual Texas Police Chief’s Association Conf. We had an event filled 2 and ½ days. There were some great speakers and topics covered. So, what is big on the minds of Texas Police Chiefs? Well, recruiting and retention of police officers is a big topic, not only in Texas but in the rest of the country as well. We also spent time with vendors and catching up on the latest and greatest advancements in law enforcement. Some local area chiefs we ran into up there included Chief Kohler from Castroville, Chief Soza from Hondo, Chief Delgado from Dilley (who was also a presenter), and Chief Ronald Sanchez and his crew from Pleasanton. The breakfast buffet at the Omni was $28 a person, so Sgt. Lopez and I hit a Waffle House. It was his first time at a Waffle House, and that alone would make the trip memorable. Oh my, the look in David’s eyes when I ordered double hashbrowns (still only .50 extra) with my order. I even got my dad to meet us and buy lunch one day, he drove over from Paris. I tried to borrow some money from him, but he said “Friend, I’m broke” as he drove off in his new pickup. I have been hearing that for as long as I can remember. Here is a little family trivia, I do not have a lot, so I must dig deep but here we go: My dad played on the locally “famous” 1964 Canton Eagle Football team (he was #72). They went undefeated and were not scored on in all 10 regular season games. Sadly, I learned that retired Atascosa Co. Sheriff Tommy Williams passed away over the weekend. He was a legend and he helped me tremendously when I first became the chief back in late 1999. I have been told about 200 kids attended the Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday. It was another success; the weather was great. The next big city event will be the fireworks show on July 4th! I will have more details in the future. I enjoyed the addition of the food trucks at the event last year. While I don’t seek out food trucks, I find them irresistible when they are right in front of me.
We had Easter a little early this year so we could spend more time together rather than rushing off to other gatherings on the big day. I think it’s safe to say, our kids have no shortage of candy. I did remember to order some of the eggs filled with toy dinosaurs so there isn’t so much candy, but of course, there’s still too much. Funny thing is the kids and adults probably love the colorful hardboiled eggs just as much. Grandma stuffed a few golden eggs with $10’s and even a $20, so that ensured the teenage grandchild enjoyed the hunt as much as the toddlers. We were at my mom’s house which has a big glass window and as I was helping the Easter Bunny hide eggs (sneakily I thought), I turned around to see our two toddlers standing at the window staring right at me laughing. So Aunt Brittany assured them I was just helping the Easter Bunny that day. Because you know “his legs are not that long and he gets so tired of hopping everywhere in one day.” Mom, aunt, sister, fairy God mother, Rapunzel, I have a lot of titles….and you can add Easter Bunny Assistant to that list, officially.
Beautiful weekend and Easter were not totally synonymous this year. My daughter came in Wednesday evening as my first guest of the weekend, and while she didn’t drive in much rain, that night and Thursday morning, provided us with flashing lightening and rumbling crashing thunder beginning around 3:00 and 4:00 a.m., and it continued until after 9:00 a.m., Thursday morning. It quit raining long enough for us to go to town for a few errands. We had intended to go to Victoria for a little shopping and we reached the point where we had to decide yah or nay! We decided on “yah” and took off for Victoria. It didn’t rain again until we were on our way home. We went shopping to a couple of stores, and she, luckily, found some clothes that fit! By now, it was time for lunch, and we went to one of our favorite sea food restaurants. It has been in Victoria for quite a while, and while small, it has wonderful food. My fried shrimp plate and her fried catfish plate were extremely delicious. The waitress was talking with us and my daughter told her that we were celebrating my birthday, and we were given a choice of a couple desserts, we selected the Key Lime Pie, and she brought us a nice size slice and two spoons. It was a great choice, and we enjoyed every morsel. After a really fun day, we came home in a light shower and in time to begin working on some things I would need when I went back to Devine to have Easter with my other daughter and her family. We did our weekly bible study, and then managed to completely put together an “Easter Bunny Cake”, that turned out really well. This past week has been a wonderful birthday week for me, and I have enjoyed every moment of it, including attending the gig, where my grandson was playing guitar. It was a large crowd of us, as some of my son-in-law’s relatives were in from out of state. I think our crowd was over 25! The food was delicious and the music, as usual was great. My trip was uneventful, except for the 20 plus minutes that it poured down raining, luckily, I drove out of that, and the rest of the trip wasn’t too bad. Not much traffic and just occasional sprinkles of rain. On Saturday afternoon I came back home and prepared for the company that was coming to my home. However, due to illness, several weren’t able to be there. You were missed! The following Several years ago, while I was doing research at the paper office, I found the following article in a 1941 issue of The Devine News. It was interesting to me and since I haven’t published it within the last several years, I thought my readers might find it interesting also, during this Easter season. Easter began as the most joyous of Christian holidays to celebrate the rebirth of Christ. Easter comes at the same time as spring when new life begins with growth and rebirth in nature. Many ancient people honored the coming of spring. Ancient Egyptians and Persians celebrated the coming of spring by decorating and eating eggs. Eggs were a symbol of fertility and new life. The Christians adopted the egg as their symbol of new life as well. In the early days of the church, eggs were forbidden food during Lent—the six-week period before Easter. But when lent ended people were glad to eat eggs again and made it a tradition to eat them on Easter Sunday. They also gave eggs to their children. The hare or rabbit was also part of the celebration of spring long before Christianity. In ancient Egypt, the hare was thought to have some connection with the moon since this small animal comes out to eat only at night. Since the moon also symbolized the beginning of a new life, so did the hare and the rabbit. The wearing of new clothes on Easter Sunday is also the symbol of a new beginning. It is the casting off of old clothes and the wearing of new ones. In ancient Egypt and Persia people exchanged decorated eggs at the spring equinox, which was the beginning of the New Year. Eggs were seen as a symbol of fertility because the coming forth of a live creature from an egg was so surprising to people of ancient times. When Christians adopted this tradition, the Easter egg became a religious symbol. These early Christians believed it represented the tomb from which Jesus came forth. In medieval times eggs were traditionally given to all servants, and to children, along with other gifts. Here are a couple of slightly different recipes to try. The hummus recipe is from a friend, and the egg rolls, which are totally different, were served at a bunco party that I attended not long after I moved here to Yoakum. The local Pilot club ladies had a bunco party monthly as a fund raiser, and it was always fun to attend. Vegetable Hummus 2 large cloves garlic 2 cans (15 to 19 oz each) chickpeas/garbanzo beans 1 package Knorr® Recipe Classics Vegetable recipe mix ½ cup water ½ cup Bertolli® Olive Oil 2 tablespoons lemon juice ¼ teaspoon cumin 6 (8-inch) wheat or white pita breads cut into wedges In food processor, pulse garlic until finely chopped. Add remaining ingredients except pita bread. Process until smooth; chill at least 2 hours. Stir hummus before serving. If desired, add 1 to 2 tablespoons additional olive oil, or to taste. Serve with pita wedges. Mexican Egg Rolls Egg roll wrappers or wonton wrappers. 1 box Spanish rice mix 2 pounds hamburger meat 2 teaspoons salt Chili Powder, to taste 1 medium onion, chopped 1 cup chopped bell pepper Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste (careful, these are hot, don’t use too much) 1 large can petite diced tomatoes 1½ cups shredded cheese Cook Spanish rice according to directions on package. Brown hamburger meat along with salt, chopped onion and bell pepper. Drain well, and then add tomatoes, chili powder, crushed red pepper flakes, return to heat and simmer until one-half the liquid has evaporated, stir in rice and cheese. Spoon mixture onto egg roll wrappers, brush edges with water to seal as you roll them up. To roll egg rolls: Start with point of wrapper toward you, place filling about 1/3 of the way down on the wrapper, cover with point that is toward you, brush with water, bring left and right points over, brush with water and roll toward remaining point. Deep fry until golden brown. These were served at room temp at a bunco party.
Taylor Robin DuBose was accepted into the United States Naval Officer Candidate School in Rhode Island. She was sworn in April 7, 2023 in College Station and reports to her duty station in Rhode Island this Friday, April 14. Taylor is a fourth generation Navy Sailor on her father’s side, and has generations of Sailors on her mother’s side as well. She is the daughter of Patrick & Jan DuBose of Devine and Monica Taylor & David Solomon of Bandera. Her Paternal Grandparents are the late Charlie Pat & Kitty DuBose. Maternal grandparents are the late Vicki Goode and the late Berrimon Taylor. Taylor is the fourth generation on her father’s side to serve in the US Navy following in the footsteps of her father Charlie Patrick DuBose who served on the USS America aircraft carrier, grandfather Commander Charlie Pat DuBose served on the USS Wasp aircraft carrier after Officer’s Training School, and her great grandfather Charlie Paine DuBose served on the USS Connecticut battleship. Taylor also follows in the footsteps of her maternal great grandfather, Ross Baker, and her great great grandfather, Elmer Sewell, who both served in the Navy. Taylor is a Bio Science graduate of Texas A&M University and served in the Corp of Cadets Marching Band. She was raised in Devine alongside her brother Hunter and is a graduate of Devine High School. DuBose is seen in the phtograph accepting the oath to serve in the United States Navy with Recruiter LT Crystal Rubio in College Station. She will head to Officer Candidate School this week in Rhode Island.
By Anton Riecher Medina County ended the 2021-2022 fiscal year in September with equal to almost a full year of general fund expenditure held in reserve in its fund balance, the county’s official outside audit states. Travis Rogers, certified public accountant for Pattillo Brown & Hill in Waco reported that the county is “well set up to deal with any change of circumstances that arise in the next year or two.” The audit, presented to the Medina County Commissioners Court on April 6, shows that the county added about $1.6 million in fund balance to the general fund as the result of operations during FY 2021/2022, bringing the total fund balance to about $17.3 million, Rogers said. “If you compare that to total expenditures for the year, even if you take out capital outlay or about $864,000, that’s still roughly about $20 million in the general fund for the year, which means in the ending fund balance you have close to a year’s worth of general fund expenditure,” Rogers said. A general rule of thumb for local governmental entities such as counties, is to keep three to six months in reserve, he said. “If you have nine or 10 months you’re in excellent health financially and in no danger of running out of money any time soon,” Rogers said. As for the state of the county’s bookkeeping, Rogers said his company issued Medina County an “unmodified or clean opinion.” “It’s the highest level of assurance we can provide meaning no issues or material departures were noted as part of our audit,” he said. In other county financial news, the monthly treasurer’s report showed that the county ended February 2023 with a cash balance of $34.714 million, Total debt ending the same period totaled $25.025 million. On a motion by Precinct 3 Commissioner David Lynch, seconded by Precinct 2 Commissioner Larry Sittre, the commissioners approved $2.071 million in accounts payable. The court also approved disbursement of funds since the last commissioners meeting totaling $10,780. Commissioners approved a payroll for the period from March 18 to March 31 totaling $663,894 for its 326 employees. The county auditor’s report showed a March beginning balance of $34.328 million and an April beginning balance of $34.880 million. A line-item transfer of $1,959 was approved to allow Precinct 2 Constable Jim Przybylski to move funds from office supplies to auto maintenance to cover the removal of old graphics and installation of new replacement graphics on his vehicle. The commissioners also approved the transfer of $150,000 among various funds used for emergency dispatching. ESD No. 2 An annual financial report for the Medina County Emergency Services District No. 2 submitted to the county indicates that the district ended the 2021-2022 fiscal year with a budget deficit of $177,795. “In the General Fund actual revenues received were less than anticipated by $15,665, expenditures more than anticipated by $162,130, resulting in a budget deficit of $177,795,” the outside audit states. Total revenues budgeted were $432,200. However, the audit shows the actual revenues received totaled $416,535. “In the Interest and Sinking Fund, actual revenues received were less than anticipated by $9,481, expenditures were less than anticipated by $227, resulting in a budget deficit of $9,205 for the year ending Sept. 30, 2022,” the audit states. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT The court granted emergency management coordinator Mark Chapwick permission to train a volunteer intern. “It’s an unpaid internship with no cost out-of-pocket for us,” Chapwick said. “The investment for us, of course, is an investment of time. What it does is take people and build them up in the skills to be able to do this kind of work.” Chapwick, who joined the county staff last year, said he has conducted an internship program for the past 12 years with good results. One of his previous interns just took charge of emergency management for the community of Ruidoso, N.M. “You can also use this as a platform for training some local volunteers to work specifically in emergency management,” Chapwick said. “It would be an augmentation for us.” SUBDIVISIONS Under subdivision development, the commissioners gave final approval to vacate and replace a lot in the Mi Tierra Subdivision on County Road 340 in Precinct 1. The action followed a brief public hearing on the topic that drew no comment. Precinct 1 Commissioners Timothy Neuman made the motion, seconded by Sittre. In Precinct 3, the San Antonio Trust Subdivision located on FM 463 north of Natalia and Lytle received preliminary approval to vacate and replat one lot. Commissioner Lynch recommended the court withhold final approval until further discussion with the Texas Department of Transportation about subdivision entrances. On a motion by Sittre, the commissioners approved Unit 16B and Unit 16A in the Hunters Ranch subdivision. On a motion by Neuman, seconded by Sittre, the commissioners voted to accept a construction bond for Valley Oaks subdivision, phase 2, located in Precinct 1. OTHER Commissioners accepted a community-wide fair housing analysis regarding disability, race and ethnicity required by the Texas Department of Agriculture before the county can apply for grant funds. The court also approved a resolution authorizing application for the 2024 Indigent Defense Improvement Grant Program for the Hill Country Regional Public Defender’s Office. Chief Juvenile Probation Officer Linette Dury petitioned the commissioners to approve a contract with the Cameron County Juvenile Justice Department for residential services. Likewise, a similar interlocal agreement with the El Paso County Juvenile Board was approved. On a motion by Neuman, seconded by Sittre, the court authorized application to the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Police Service to participate in the COPS hiring program. Since 1994, COPS has provided $14 billion I assistance to state and local law enforcement agencies to help hire community policing officers. Commissioners voted to extend the annual eDispatch system contract for the county. EDispatch automatically detects audio dispatches and delivers notifications directly member devices. The county also approved extending an annual $3,000 lease by Keller Grain of county property in Precinct 2. For complete video coverage of the commissioners court session visit the Devine News YouTube channel at youtu.be/Ps3a7rg52Yc.
