Eldon E. Gooden, 80, of Seadrift, passed away on January 22, 2012. He was born July 3, 1931 in El Campo to the late Rayshall and Jewell Sellers Gooden. He was retired from Union Carbide and served in the US Navy.

Mr. Gooden was a devoted Husband, Dad, Paw, Grandpa, Paw-Paw, PaPa Eldon, Brother, Neighbor and Friend. He loved river fishing, was a master gardener and a carpenter extraordinaire. He was the epitome of a true Southern Gentleman, Soldier and Friend. He was always more concerned about the needs of others over himself and will be truly missed.

He is survived by his daughters, Janet Williams and husband, Daniel, Vicki Haley and husband, Steve; sons, Ronnie Gooden and wife, Beckey, Timmy Gooden and wife, Felicia; sisters, Venia Brown, Estelle Church, Joyce Boothe, Dorothy Dupnik and Pat Cornett; grandchildren, Bubba, Samantha, Jennifer, Mailorie and Chantelle and great-grandchildren, Tia, Xayvier and Bralyn.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 54 years, Bessie Gooden; parents and brothers, Stanley, Cleo and Lloyd Gooden.

Graveside services were held Thursday, January 26 at Seadrift Cemetery with Chaplain Carolyn Cowan and Nathan Boothe officiating.

Pallbearers were Ben Plummer, Steve Haley, Francis “Bubba” Williams, Scott Jaynes, Neil Lorfing and Mark Stoddard.

Honorary Pallbearers were Bobby Boyd, “Ax” Dierlam, Allen Braun, Otis Linam, Mitch Cornett, and Daniel Williams.

Memorial donations may be made to Hospice of South Texas, 605 E. Locus, Victoria, TX 77901 or the American Cancer Society, 4401 Lilac, Victoria, TX 77901.

Words of comfort may be shared with the family at www.richardsoncolonial.com .

Spring in January? Photo by Sue Kubecka

BUNCO , BUNCO! The next Bunco party will be Tuesday evening, February 7th beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the back meeting room of the Community Center. Our hostesses for the evening will be Sally Jones and Biddie Hileman and knowing that those two ladies have an unusual imagination and much baking talent, we are in for a fun evening with some delicious foods. We welcome all interested women on that evening; if you are new to our area, this is a good way to meet others. And if playing Bunco is something you’ve never had time for, well, come check us out. You might really enjoy it and go home a winner too! Call Shirley Gordon at the Library for further information, 983-4365.

The Service Club and its POC History Book Committee are still searching for a picture of the ranch house on the LaSalle Ranch preferably back in the 40’s. If anyone has a photo in their possession or know of someone who does, and will lend it to be copied, please contact either Chairman, Sue Kubecka, 798-0560 or our President, Janet Johnson, 983-4737. Additionally, we are currently concentrating on the decade of the 40’s and the changes that evolved in this community as brought by the Second World War. Please give either Sue Kubecka or Janet Johnson a call if you were here during that period and could share your experiences with us. We look forward to speaking with you.

Has anyone seen that “bicycle built for two” around our area? And does anyone remember the song, “Daisy, Daisy” concerning that mode of transport?

There will be shown again a children’s movie on Saturday, February 11th as provided by the Main Library in Port Lavaca. Show time is 10:00 a.m. and I understand popcorn is available too!

Unfortunately, ladies, we are now approaching Spring, which means the time for cleaning closets, and cupboards, and dresser drawers and eliminating the dress that is out of style or does not fit. Do remember, the Service Club is holding their Spring Garage Sale on Saturday, April 14th at the Community Center. You may call either Lydia Strakos, Chairman of the Sale at 983-2341; her assistant, Debbie Busby 512 914-9521 or Susie Onishi 983-0202 to arrange for storage of any donated items. And thank you.

If you were fortunate enough to be near the docks at the Fishing Center on a Sunday afternoon, you would have been treated to a very unusual sight. Our POC cowboys were bringing cattle over from the Island by boat to transport them to a better feeding ground. This roundup generally happens every year, and the cattle and nautical cowboys are always welcomed by a good sized audience!

Very often when a small dog becomes part of your family, you suddenly find that you are the slave and he is the master. And so it has become in our family. Bud decides WHEN he goes for a walk, gets his treats to eat, or goes outside to sit by the truck. As it has become my job to take care of that early morning walk, I have found a joy that, unfortunately, few people realize unless they are also “early birds”. And that is that before dawn when the water is encapsulated in a far reaching fog and is smooth as glass, one discovers that there is no sound. Occasionally it will be broken by the warning and raucous shrieking of a blue heron guarding his portion of the pier, but usually the only sound is that of your shoe scraping against the gravel. This is to me the “sound of silence”, but it is neither eerie nor frightening. It is a warm and friendly “sound” and one that is welcome.

Remember the song entitled the “Sounds of Silence” as sung by Simon & Garfunkel a few years back?

kubeckasue@yahoo.com

361 798-0560

If the reader wishes to add any news at any time to this column, please contact me at the above address or telephone number. And thanks in advance for reading.

The Heritage Center, 2104 W. Austin, Port Lavaca, TX. and Sterling Griffith will present the The Country Opry Tuesday, February 7, 2012.
Show starts 7:00 p.m.  Admission  $4.00 donation.  Chopped Steak Dinner served from 6:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. for $6.00 donation.  Proceeds benefit the Calhoun County Senior Citizens.
For information call (361) 552-3350.

Teddy

His name is Teddy but it should have been “SO CUTE!” This is one little fella you just want to squeeze until he squeaks. About 2 years old and only 4.9 pounds, Teddy is a Yorkie/Chihuahua mix with a silver, black and brown coat. Best of all, he’s as happy and friendly as he is adorably cute, no photo does him justice.

Yoda

“Star Wars” has a branch location in Port Lavaca! Meet our Yoda, a slate gray Chihuahua mix with a titch of white, about 8 months old and weighing in at only 6 pounds. Phenomenal ears and cute as can be, he loves people and being pampered.

Come see him and all the other animals at the Port Lavaca Animal Shelter, 201 Stringham Drive (across from the rodeo arena), Monday through Saturday, 10 to 2, or call the Calhoun County Humane Society, 553-8916.

You can also view Yoda, Teddy, and other animals ready for adoption on line at www.calhouncountyhumanesociety.org

Thanks and we’ll be waiting for you!

-Photo by Jim Reed

The Texas Department of Public Safety has a new tool to fight drug dealers and human smugglers – a fleet of “shallow water interceptors”.

Officers launching one of the boats at Froggie’s Bait Dock into the Intracoastal Waterway on December 27 were excited about the potential of this new fleet in winning the battle along the Rio Grande and international lakes.

The fleet consists of six 34-foot long boats featuring armored glass and armored hulls, along with 900-horsepower engines. The vessels sport four machine gun turrets and state-of-the-art night vision cameras.

DPS officials consider this fleet to be fully capable of taking on whatever threats they may encounter, being able to interdict the moving of drugs and humans across the river and other waterways.

Each vessel costs approximately $580,000, fully equipped. The funding comes from the Texas Legislature and federal grants. Each boat is named after a fallen DPS officer.