The Jauary meeting for Calhoun County Democratic Club will be held Tuesday, January 7, 2025 at the Calhoun County Library, in the community room, 200 W Mahan St., Port Lavaca.

Social/potluck is at 5:30 p.m. and the meeting starts at 6:00 p.m.

Got questions? Concerned about democracy? Come and join us
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You can RSVP for our monthly meetings here: mobilize.us/calhouncountydemocrats/event/457242/
The February Monthly meeting will be on February 4, 2025.
More info:
CalhounTXDemocrats.org

Florence Joyce (Law) Williams of Seadrift, Texas, passed away on November 11, 2024. She was born on October 31, 1945, in Austin, Texas, to the late W.F. “Preacher” Law and the late Aleene (van Oudekerke) Law.
She is survived by her devoted husband of 61 years, Donald Williams of Seadrift.

She was also survived by son Damon Williams of Seadrift (Tammy of Shiner) and daughter Dina Boothe (Steven) of Fordtran. Her loving grandchildren Darrah Thompson of Seadrift, Jill Harris (Zach) of Fort Worth, and Tanner Williams (Madeline) of Fort Worth also survived her.

She is also survived by three (very) loving great-grandchildren, Dominic, Nicolas, and Dalyssa Rendon.
Her brother Prennece “Pete” Law (Linda) and sister Clara Milligan (Donald) also survive her.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Valerie Law, and her son Dwight David Williams.
Florence was a homemaker until the children got older, then she started working in the banking industry. She worked several years for Seaport Bank in Seadrift, then moved to First State Bank in Port Lavaca, which became International Bank of Commerce (IBC). She retired from IBC and then really started enjoying her avid reading. She loved her books!

Graveside services were held at the Seadrift Cemetery on Saturday, November 23, 2024.

Memorials can be made to the Seadrift Public Library or Seadrift Cemetery Association.

Judge Richard Harold Meyer of Port Lavaca, TX, passed away peacefully at home on Nov. 18, 2024, at the age of 74.

Richard was born in Port Lavaca, TX July 5, 1950, to the late Robert and Gladys Elder Meyer, the youngest of five children. His childhood was spent traversing and exploring the countryside and coastal waters of Six Mile and throughout Calhoun County. His love and passion for God’s earth created a blueprint for a life devoted to the prosperity of his beloved community.

Richard graduated from Calhoun High School in 1968. Shortly afterwards, he enlisted in the National Guard, and proudly served for six years. On August 23, 1975, Richard married Jackie Schwarting. Together, they laid a solid and loving foundation upon which they raised a son, Ty, and a daughter, Leslie. Richard worked as a farmer/rancher for many years, later in the liquid feed business, and continued to work cattle and the land for most of his life. His work ethic, sacrifice to his family, and continual involvement with his community were God’s way of preparing him for his greatest professional accomplishment. On January 1, 2019, Richard was sworn in as Calhoun County Judge. He immediately put in to motion numerous years of ground experience, relationships formed, and vast knowledge of his community to serve tirelessly and passionately until the end.

Richard was highly involved in his community. He strongly supported 4H/FFA events and the Calhoun County Youth Rodeo Association. He served as President of Calhoun County Cattleman’s Association for 22 years. He was named Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year in 2014. He volunteered with Hospice of South Texas for 15 years. He was an instrumental member of the Victoria Economic Development Cooperation. He was a member of Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church and actively shared his faith.

Richard was very proud of his role as County Judge, but that paled in comparison to his role as a husband, father and grandfather. He was a bastion of humility, loyalty, compassion, optimism, warmth, and unwavering devotion. These attributes were clearly palpable to those around him but now serve as a legacy to his family.

Richard was preceded in death by his parents, a brother Lloyd Meyer, and a nephew Keith Meyer. He is survived by his wife, Jackie; a brother, Bobby Meyer; sisters Mary (Calvin) Sachtleben and Lois Ann Ramey; his son Ty (Gabriela) and daughter Leslie (Aaron) New; grandchildren Lucas, Dania, Adan, Eva, Matias, and Antonio Meyer and Kamie, Morgen, and Whitten New; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Visitation was held on Thursday, November, 21st, at the Bauer Community Center in Port Lavaca. A memorial service and rosary followed at 5 pm. A funeral mass took place on Friday, November 22nd, at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church in Victoria. A private family burial will be held later.

Pallbearers were Vern Lyssy, Bobby Vickery, Jimmy Hayes, Joel Behrens, David Hall, Gary Reese, Kevin Staples, and Nathan Lapham. Honorary Pallbearers were Bud and Karen Rinasz, Red and Kay McPherson, Dwight and Bonnie Mutchler, The Morning Coffee Group, The Deer Camp, Calhoun County Courthouse and Sheriff’s Department, and the Hospice of South Texas Lassoing Loving Care Committee. Donations may be made to Hospice of South Texas or Nazareth Academy Catholic School.

One of my favorite Christmas movies is The Santa Clause starring Tim Allen. While the movie is comedic and endearing, it features some of the coolest animals around – the reindeer. As most people know, the story is that the eight reindeer (or nine if Rudolph joins!) pull Santa’s sleigh around the world as he delivers presents to all the boys and girls. In reality, reindeer, also called caribou, were domesticated by humans several times over our history, and have served a greater purpose.

Human populations living in some of the coldest parts of the world depend on caribou for food, clothing, shelter, and often transportation. People in sub-Arctic cultures often hunt caribou for the meat, hides, and antlers, and use tamed caribou for milk. People living in the Siberian wilderness may own hundreds or thousands of reindeer, breeding them for their fur and meat. In some Scandinavian countries, you can buy reindeer meatballs in a can, or reindeer sausage at the grocery store. In Asia, antlers are often powdered and sold as a medicinal supplement.

While the reindeer is the only successfully domesticated deer species on a large scale around the world, there are many wild populations remaining. However, there are only thought to be two genetically pure wild populations in Europe, with semi-domesticated reindeer in other parts of the world breeding with wild populations. In North America, in the wide-open spaces of Labrador, herds of caribou migrate the farthest of any terrestrial mammal, often traveling over 3,000 miles a year. Yet there are also sedentary populations, specifically those inhabiting the boreal woodlands.

I’d love to say that I can confirm that reindeer can fly; while I can’t, they can run at speeds of up to 50 mph and can travel up to 34 miles a day during migration. Newborn calves, quick on their feet soon after birth, can run faster than any Olympic sprinter by the day they are 24 hours old. During migration, small groups join together, forming large herds numbering 500,000 strong. Amazingly, reindeer are also excellent swimmers, often crossing large lakes or wide rivers during their seasonal movements.

Sadly, caribou numbers are declining across the world. The International Union for Conservation of Nature classified the species as vulnerable because global populations have declined over 40% in the last 25 years. There are three extinct subspecies of reindeer now, with at least one wild population replaced by domestic reindeer.
We also have to assume Santa’s reindeer are fully domesticated, in order for them to pull his sleigh. Over the years, it also appears that Santa started with one reindeer, but according to the 1823 “Twas the Night Before Christmas” poem, Santa current has eight well known reindeer traveling with him around the world.

For those of you who celebrate Christmas, take a moment to think about not only the reindeer we know and love from the many stories, but also the wild reindeer that are so important to so many around the world. Reindeer are an iconic species for many people, and have been appreciated by humans since prehistorical times. Be sure to keep an ear out for the prancing hooves on your roof this holiday season!

Photo credit: Alexandre Buisse (Nattfodd), CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons