Eugene Emil “Gene” Bendele, DDS, of Devine, Texas passed away March 27, 2024 at the age of 74. He was born December 23, 1949 in Castroville, Texas to Eugene Herman Bendele and Anna Klasek Bendele.
Gene graduated from Devine High School in 1967. He received his Bachelor of Science in Zoology from Texas A&M in 1971. Gene graduated from Chicago College of Dental Surgery at Loyola University in 1975. After graduation, he began his dental practice in Castroville, caring for patients for forty years.
On January 8, 1971, he married Anne Leigh Jungman at St. Louis Catholic Church in Castroville. They were blessed with fifty-three years of marriage, three children, and ten grandchildren.
Gene served on the Medina Valley ISD school board for twelve years, with three years as president. He was also a cattle rancher and received the Outstanding Conservation Rancher award in 1989 and 2020 from Medina Valley Soil and Water Conservation District.
Survivors include his wife, Anne Bendele of Devine; children and their spouses, Matthew and Grecia Bendele of San Antonio, Rachel and Brad Galvan of Denver, Colorado, and Justin and Nicole Bendele of Boerne; grandchildren, Anna Bendele, Rowan Galvan, Julia Bendele, Alexander Bendele, Alyson Bendele, Maximilian Bendele, Olivia Galvan, Logan Bendele, Madelyn Bendele, and Matthew Bendele; brother, Robert A. Johnson, Sr.; as well as numerous in-laws, nieces, nephews, and other relatives.
Gene was preceded in death by his parents, and his brothers, William K. Johnson and Ray M. Johnson, Jr.
Visitation will be Thursday, April 4, 2024 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Tondre-Guinn Funeral Home with the Holy Rosary recited at 5:30 p.m. The Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, April 5, 2024 at St. Louis Catholic Church. Interment will follow at St. Louis Catholic Cemetery in Castroville, Texas. A bereavement meal will follow at the Braden Keller Community Center.
Memorials may be made in Gene’s memory to St. Vincent de Paul, St. Louis Catholic Church, or the St. Louis Catholic School Operational Fund.
Arrangements by Tondre-Guinn Funeral Home. Visit www.tondre-guinn.com