Ray Wiederstein

As a child and teenager he had many adventures with his two close friends Roland Krueger and Henry Stapper. He could tell you countless stories of all the mischief they got into. Some of the things they did could have really gotten them in trouble in this day and time.

Ray met his wife Betty Giesick at a dance at Echo Hall in New Braunfels. I was told that his buddies dared him to ask her to dance. Not letting them get the best of him he asked her to dance and it turned into a steady dating relationship. It wasn't long and Ray asked Betty to marry him. She quickly said yes and they were married on September 30, 1951 at Emanuels Lutheran Church in Seguin. They spent their honeymoon in Pikes Peak, Colorado. Ray continued to farm and ranch with his father in the beginning of their marriage. Later on he would take on various jobs doing carpenter work which turned into a steady job. It wasn't long after they were married when Betty found out she was pregnant with their daughter Vickie. As the years went by David, Diane and Rebecca were born. Thru the years Ray and Betty worked hard, they raised their children, went to church on Sunday and always found time to take their family on vacation. In 1975 Ray took a construction job working in Rockport. Betty and Rebecca later joined him there where they lived for several years until Ray's father became terminally ill. Ray and Betty moved back to Cibolo to take care of him. Ray and Betty had many close friendships that have lasted a lifetime. They had many good times dancing, swimming and eating with their friends. They took many family vacations with Betty's sister and brother in law, Dorothy and Paten Burris. They always enjoyed the trips and had plenty of stories to tell when they returned. As the years went by their children got married and their family grew to three son in laws, one daughter in law, 9 grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren. There were many good times had by all when the whole family would gather at their house, especially when they celebrated the holidays. The house was always full of fun and laughter. Ray loved preparing the turkey at Thanksgiving. That was his job and he did it with lots of pride. He had it down to an art and it always turned out delicious. There was barely enough room in the house to fit all of us but somehow we always made it work and we always had a good time.

Ray had another love in his life which were his cattle and his two beloved dogs and steady companions, Tiny and Bitsy. Wherever Ray went Tiny and Bitsy would be right beside him. He loved raising cattle and working in the field on his tractor. He always said the field was where he could go and just relax. He also loved watching the Spurs games and the country music shows with their close friends Johnny and Jeanette Brodgon. This became a weekly ritual for the two couples.

As the years went on Ray became ill and was diagnosed with Alzheimers. The family tried to keep him at home as long as they could. He was eventually put in Sodalis Memory Care where he became a part of another wonderful family. Ray lived many adventures in his mind from having Alzheimers. The family loved listening to the stores he would tell of what he thought he had done that day. Ray always liked to help people. It always amazed us that in his stories he was always helping someone. He thought Sodalis was the home that he and Betty had always shared. He would tell us that the people there needed our help and that he was going to build another house to help all the people coming into their home. He would always ask us what we were going to prepare for dinner for his guest. Unfortunately Ray lost his battle with Alzheimers on June 27th. Before Ray became sick he told the family of his wishes for his funeral. One of the things he asked us to do was to give his beloved church a message from him. The message reads "This is your church, don't let the disagreements tear it apart. Fight for your church. Work hard together to find a solution where there is a disagreement. Without a solution the church has no future."

Ray was preceded in death by his parents Richard and Louise Wiederstein, father in law and mother in law Louis and Lydia Giesick, sister and brother in law Mae and Gene Schmoekel, brother in law Paten Burris, and son in law Jody Robertson.

He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Betty Wiederstein; children: Vickie McDaniel & husband James, David Wiederstein & wife Linda, Diane Hunter & husband Darrell, and Rebecca Robertson; grandchildren: Paul McDaniel & wife Suzanne, Jason McDaniel & wife Laniee, Jamie Rankin & husband Lonnie, Justin Wiederstein & wife Kristen, Tammy Allen & husband Kent, Darrell Hunter & wife Shauna, Andrew Hunter & wife Rachel, Cody Robertson, and Trevor Robertson; great grandchildren: Emmy and Nicholas McDaniel, Jaycee and Kaitlynn McDaniel, Madison and Macie Rankin, Daylin and Kayleigh Wiederstein, Maya and Hunter Allen, Kerstynn Grobe, Hayden, Payton and Brody Hunter, and Bryce, Wyatt and Luke Hunter; sister in law: Dorothy Burris; nephew: Mike Burris; and nieces: Kathleen Pearce, Barbara Pumphrey, Marilyn Lubbering, and Peggy Schmoekel.

They family would like to say a special thank you to Sodalis Memory Care in New Braunfels and Heart to Heart Hospice in San Marcos for the wonderful care and friendship they showed Ray and our family during his illness. We could not have gone thru this journey without all the love and support that these two facilities showed us.

A Visitation will be held from 5:00-9:00pm on Thursday, June 29, 2017 at Schertz Funeral Home. Funeral Services will be held at 2:00pm on Friday, June 30, 2017 at Redeemer United Church of Christ with interment following at the Redeemer Church Cemetery.

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