Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to our little village from the ladies of the Port O’Connor Community Service Club. It has been a busy year. We loved seeing everyone at the annual Senior Christmas Luncheon celebrating life in POC. Décor included fishing, oystering, crabbing, and beaching, and the photo booth was a big hit. The home cooking was delicious too. We were so proud to honor two of our own local good guys as citizens of the year. Mr. Kenny Finster and Mr. Teddy Hawes, Congratulations. They have done so much for our community and are always ready to lend a hand. Look for their stories elsewhere in this newspaper.

The Service Club was busy as ever this year. We raised scholarship funds with two huge garage sales, made numerous donations of money to community efforts including memorials to the Cemetery Association; gifts to the POC Elementary school students and teachers, the Volunteer Fire Department, the Benevolence Fund, the new Library, Toy Run, Angel Tree, outreach benefits for locals and other special projects and in and around POC. It was fun and successful to work cooperatively with the Chamber, Friends of the Library, PTO, VFD, local churches and others to make our town a better place every day. The club elected new officers and approved updated bylaws as well as revising our annual operations calendar. We added several new members and said goodbye to a few old ones. We continue to be invested in POC and to work to make a difference in our community.

2019 will be bigger and better. The POC Service Club will still be taking donations of quality used goods for our epic garage sale fund raisers so we can provide scholarships to local students. If you have donations, please contact Donna Vuichard at 361-237-0476 to arrange for drop off. We will also be involved in other community events and efforts and we can always use a helping hand. If you would like to join us, come to our next meeting. We meet the 1st and 3rd Thursdays at 10 AM at the POC Community Center. You would be welcome to join us.

So, until next time, be safe, live simply, love openly, forgive generously and remember this quote by Mr. William Arthur Ward, great Texas author and motivator who chaired a service club in Fort Worth, Texas, who said, “Lose yourself in generous service and every day can be a most unusual day, a triumphant day, an abundantly  rewarding day!” Come on and reap your abundant reward as you serve with us.

The POC “Hooked On Books” Book Club had their annual Christmas Party, & 29 lovely ladies enjoyed the food, fun, & festivities!! A great time was had by all!! If you’re interested in joining this group of fun loving women, please email alanehaardt @yahoo.com. All are welcome!! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!

A Fond Goodbye

As of Thursday, November 29, 2018, I am no longer the official Librarian of the Port O’Connor Library.  It has been a distinct and happy pleasure to have served this community in this capacity for one month less than 30 years.  During that time I have made many, many friends, both young and old, have watched our small Library become a part of the Port Lavaca County System, and have been the joyful caretaker of so many books.  My greatest bit of happiness, though, has been watching so many  members of the very young generation grow to be cognizant and caring adults.

The Friends of the Port O’Connor Library hosted a “goodbye” open house on Thursday, November 29, 2018, for me.  I so enjoyed the opportunity to visit with so many friends who attended, people who have made my tenure here so enjoyable.

Thank you to the caring residents of Port O’Connor who have made my almost 30 years such an enjoyable experience.  However, my home has been in Port O’Connor for many years; I am not leaving, and you may find me from time to time at the new Library.  After all, books are in my blood!

Shirley Gordon

Once Again the POC community has come through!

The Pool family would like to thank our community for all the support given to us. To everyone who baked, donated and worked, we are truly grateful for making the fund raiser a success.

A special thanks to Sally Ragusin whose hard work and encouragement made this happen. She is a real blessing . We love you Sally.

Tony, Marion and Juanita

Those Were the Days in POC

In the late 1950’s after I served in the US Air Force, our family started going to POC every Thanksgiving. After our meal we would head for the Beg Jetties and set up camp. We would flounder, walking all night, and by morning would have an ice chest full of flounder. We would take them back to the house and prepare them for the deep freezer. At this time and for years afterward, no regulations on fish. In fact, we often walked different areas in POC floundering at night. We did not see another person or boat.

Some people like regulations. Provide jobs for some people that write regulations, enforce them, and catch fish for a living. Regulations are seldom deleted. Usually they are enlarged.

Some can remember catching trout on reefs near POC and not having to go to San Antonio Bay for trout. I feel the fishing is not as good because of the boat traffic and too many tournaments. This is money making and will not change. Change is not always for the good.

Charles Dullye

Apologies from the Editor

I apologize to our readers for the huge blunder on the front page of last month’s issue. And I especially apologize to Mr. Tom Andrews, President of the Magnolia Beach Fire Department. I inadvertently changed his name from “Andrews” to “Anderson”. I promise to try to do better from now on.

Joyce Rhyne

Thank You from the Chamber

Someone once told me teamwork makes the dream work. In the past several years I have found myself saying this a lot.

The Chamber of Commerce is made up of 10 directors. We find ourselves spread very thin sometimes and reaching out for help for our many events we host. Most of us are business owners and sometimes it seems overwhelming trying to juggle our lives and volunteer in making these events the success they are. There is one organization in our community that we can never repay for all they have done to help us.

The POC Service Club has manned the food and drink ticket booth at the Crawfish Fest the last several years. This area takes about 12 – 16 folks to make it run smoothly.

This past Friday they hosted the Community Christmas Luncheon and graciously helped us out by leaving the Community Center decorated so we could host our annual Christmas Party. We can’t say THANK YOU enough to this group of ladies that give so much to our community.

Seeing organizations come together and help each other is so rewarding and our community benefits so much. Also Thanks to Brigid Berger and Brenda Berger for the photo booth – what a cute addition to the party!

Mary Jo Walker
Vice- President, POC Chamber of Commerce

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Ray Allen Pesek, “Uncle Ray”, of Port O’Connor, Texas passed away on Thursday, December 13, 2018 at the age of 76. He was born to Ann Jane (Gerlich) Pesek of Hallettsville and Charles James Pesek of Sweet Home on January 4, 1942 in Victoria, Texas.

Ray attended Nazareth Academy, St. Joseph Middle School, and graduated from St. Joseph High School in Victoria in 1959. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture from Southwest Texas State College and earned his master’s degree at Texas Tech.

He proudly served in the U.S. Army, and was stationed in Germany as a MP from 1963 to 1965.

Ray enjoyed fishing, custom street rods, singing, helping others and visiting with family and friends.

Ray had multiple job opportunities in his lifetime. After graduating from college he moved to Belton, Texas to manage a turkey farm and later moved to Indiana to manage a larger facility. While in Indiana he purchased a large steel hull cabin cruiser that he fully restored inside and out, and later used to travel down the Mississippi River with his father Charles Pesek and brother Dennis Pesek to Port O’Connor, Texas. Ray became the handy man of Port O’Connor. Ray installed a work platform on the back of his boat to gauge off shore work platforms. After the oil boom slowed down, Ray made major changes to the boat by converting it to a shrimp boat. Captain Ray enjoyed the shrimping industry.

He is preceded in death by his father, Charles J. Pesek; mother Ann J. Pesek; brother, Dennis Wayne Pesek; brother-in-law, Glen Bone; and beloved partner, Shara Nelson.

Survived by sisters, Jo Ann Bone of Victoria and Charlene (Ellis) Parker of Beeville; sister-in-law, Robin Pesek; son Andrew Neil Pesek of Austin and grandson Robert “Bobby” Smith and wife Audi Smith of San Diego, California, and granddaughter Cheryl Littleton (Brandyn) of Dallas.
Surrounded in love by nieces and nephews, Steven (Beverly) Bone; David (Amelia) Bone; Robert (Alisa) Bone; Joan Bone; Debra (Noe) Medina; Harold Sledge (Darla) Parker; Cathy (David) Lee; Tyler (Laura) Parker; Colter (Katy) Pesek; Chad (Victoria) Pesek; and Clayton Pesek; as well as his dear friends of seventy-one years, Jimmy and Angie Easley.

Pallbearers were Robert “Bobby” Smith, Jimmy Easley, Sledge Parker, Colter Pesek, Chad Pesek, David Bone, John Pitonyak, and Zach Durcholz.

Funeral service was held on Monday, December 17, 2018 at Our Lady of Victory Cathedral. Burial followed at Live Oak Cemetery in Fannin, TX.

Share words of comfort with the family at colonialfuneralhomevictoria.com.

Mildred M. Cady, 92, of Seadrift, went to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Nov. 8, 2018. She was born Oct. 12, 1926 in Lake City, Ark. to the late Richard and Flora Williams Copeland.

Mildred was an anchor for her family. She was a caregiver not only for her immediate family but also for aunts, uncles, many cousins, nephews and nieces whom she loved as her own. Many will remember her beans, chicken and dumplings, and cookies. Besides feeding everyone, her hobbies were reading her Bible, going to church and praying for everyone. She enjoyed working jigsaw puzzles, puzzle books and watching game shows. Mildred met the love of her life, Douglas Cady, in California while picking cotton. They were married Nov. 14, 1963 and moved to Texas.

She is survived by her daughter, Brenda Edwards (Herbert “Shorty”), of Seadrift; son, Douglas “Ricky” Cady (Michelle), of Sweeny; stepsons, Ronald Cady (Nancy), of Brazoria, and Roger Cady (Marilyn), of Seadrift; brother, Elvis Copeland; sisters, Lou “Tooter” Hyde and Willie Dean Lancaster, of California; 21 grandchildren, 44 great-grandchildren, 25 great-great-grandchildren and one on the way and numerous nieces and nephews.

In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by her husband, Douglas Cady, stepson, W. Hubert Cady; sisters, Ernestine Copeland, Lillie Copeland Hooker and Louise Stevens; and brothers, Earl Copeland and R.D. Copeland.

Funeral services were held Wednesday, Nov. 14, at First Baptist Church in Seadrift with Br. Derral Humble officiating. Burial followed at Seadrift Cemetery.Pallbearers were Herbert Edwards Jr., Nathan Edwards, Joseph Gonzalez, Alex Garza, Ricky Cady II, and George Cady.