R. W. ''Pete'' Gerlich

GERLICH, R. W. PETE A father and friend to us, a friend and helping hand to others, is now a treasured memory. R. W. Pete Gerlich, age 83, of Waco, passed away at a local nursing home Saturday, July 27, 2002. Memorial services will be at 2:00PM Saturday, August 3 at Lake Shore United Methodist Church in Waco with Rev. Pamela Dykehouse officiating. Pete was born January 19, 1919 in West, Texas. After graduating from Texas A & M College with a degree in mechanical engineering and a commission in the Horse Cavalry, he served in the Third Armored Spearhead Division during the Northern European Campaign and left the Army in January 1946 with the rank of captain. After marrying Clara Ream of Hershey, Pennsylvania December 29, 1945, he worked for Humble Oil until 1951. He was in the oil well servicing business in west Texas until retiring in 1969, when he and his wife moved to Hershey. They moved back to Texas and settled in Waco in 1980. He was a registered professional petroleum engineer in Texas, a charter member of the Texas A & M Century Club, national president of the Association of Oil Well Servicing Contractors in 1963, and a former trustee of the San Angelo Independent School District. His favorite activities included golf, bowling, puzzles, woodworking, and refinishing old furniture. Preceded in death by his wife, Clara, he is survived by daughter, Susan and her friend, Bob Smoot, of Dallas; son, Peter of Lakewood, Colorado; and niece, Eleanor Breannan of Long Island, New York. Honorary pallbearers are Richard Purcell and Ray Malloy of Hershey, Pennsylvania; Agnew Duckworth and Edgar Hensel of Waco, Texas; David Moon of West, Texas; and Frank Pool of San Angelo, Texas. Memorials may be made to Lake Shore United Methodist Church, 3311 Park Lake, Waco, TX 76708 or Methodist Children’s Home, Attn: Development Office, 1111 Herring, Waco, TX 76708. Memorial guestbook at www.wilkirsonhatchbailey.com. WILKIRSON-HATCH-BAILEY