Robert Lee Gregory III, 26, of Port Lavaca passed away September 10, 2017. He was born June 9, 1991 in Port Lavaca to Robert Lee Gregory Jr. and Sherry Lynn Gregory. He received his Merchant Marine Credentials and was a Captain. He was a member of Parkway, Port Lavaca.

He is survived by his parents; sister, Rachel Leah Gregory of Victoria; brothers, Kenneth Gregory and Gabriel Whittaker of Port O’Connor, Keith Gregory of Seadrift and grandparents, Jim and Dolores Turk of Port O’Connor and Sylvia Gregory of Austin.

He was preceded in death by his grandfather, Robert L. Gregory.

Graveside services were held September 15, 2017 at Port O’Connor Cemetery with Pastor Kim Simmons officiating.

Honorary Pallbearers were Kenneth Gregory, Gabe Whittaker and Keith Gregory.

Memorial donations may be made to Parkway Church Victoria for the Building Fund in Port Lavaca.

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

Carmine Apostalo Gibson, 66, of Atmore, AL, formally of Port O’Connor, TX, met Our Heavenly Father on August 3, 2017. She was born to the late Paul Apostalo Sr. and Lucy Laborde Apostalo on February 23, 1951.

She is survived by her husand Larry Gibson Sr., daughters Christina Steele and Amy Steele de la Gardelle (Keith), stepmother Sara Apostalo, sister Celeste Apostalo, grandchildren Kaleb, Aidan and Lauren de la Gardelle, Roman Steele and stepson Larry Gibson, Jr. and step-children Rebecca and Elizabeth Garcia and Kayla Gibson. She is also survived by many loved nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her brother Paul Apostalo, Jr. and step-daughters Tina and Ida.

She enjoyed spending time with her family, playing Scrabble, singing and playing her guitar. Her other great passion was running her restaurant, Carmine’s Cajun Kitchen in Port O’Connor, TX. She spent her quite time with a cup of coffee and her loyal little Penny by her side. She will be missed by many.

Funeral services were held August 5, 2017 at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with Rev. Rick Tedder officiating.

With the first real cold front arriving this week, I am reminded that it’s time to get the bird feeders ready for winter. Feeding wild birds in the backyard is an experience enjoyed by many and it certainly helps the birds out too. Although many people feel they are helping birds survive by providing supplemental food for them it’s really not true. Except under exceptional conditions wild birds do just fine with the food provided by the natural environment. This year with all the hurricane impacts from flooding and wind damage to vegetation, it’s probably a good idea to help out the birds with some supplemental seed though. Birds, like most animals, are opportunists. Even if there is plenty of natural food, they will take advantage of getting an easy tidbit from a feeder rather than having to spend a lot of time foraging.

Make sure you clean your feeders well before putting them back out to avoid the spread of disease. The best way to clean them is to take them apart and scrub all the pieces. You can use ordinary soap and water if you can get to all the nooks and crannies but sometimes it’s good to soak them in a 10:1 water to bleach solution. Just make sure to rinse them thoroughly afterwards before putting seed in them again.

The coming frosts will bring an end to the flowering and fruiting season of many plants and end the adult lives of most insects, leaving the protected eggs, larvae, and pupae to ride out the winter tucked away in sheltered locations. Some birds will find them to feast on but as the winter progresses less and less natural food will be available and thus your feeder visitation will go up.

As always, it’s a good idea to leave a hummingbird feeder or two out in the winter. Along the Texas coast, we get many wintering hummingbirds from the western U.S. and keeping a feeder out is a great way to attract one to your yard. They will return to your yard winter after winter and it’s always fun to note when they return each year.

How many times can you become a 90 year old? I hope only one! I had a VERY BIG 90 YEAR OLD BIRTHDAY PARTY this past Saturday, October 14 at CATHY’S RESTAURANT. What a GALA AFFAIR! The House was packed with Friends and Relatives. I thank everyone for their attendance and Best Wishes!

Bernice, my wife, and I retired in Port O’Connor 29 years ago. Bernice passed away nine years ago, but her memory will be with me for ever. She is in Heaven and I will be with her when God calls me home.

Samaritan’s Purse “Operation Christmas Child” is underway across the Nation including First Baptist Church! You are invited to “PACK A SHOE BOX” to be delivered to to a CHILD somewhere in the World this Christmas. In the hands of local churches it is a powerful tool for evangelism and discipleship. You can be part of this worldwide effort to grow the Kingdom of God, even in places where the Gospel has never been heard! Shoe Boxes are available in the Church Foyer with instructions of how to pack for a Boy or Girl 2 to 14 years old. You have until November 13, to pack them.

All Ladies are invited to attend the “Ladies Book & Bible Study” in Fellowship Hall from 4:00 to 5:00 PM each Tuesday. Come for great knowledge, prayer, and fellowship.

The Men’s Bible Study meets every Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. All men are invited to bring their Bible and participate in the study over a cup of coffee and fellowship.

Our Church Building and Grounds Committee will have a “Work Day” Saturday, October 28 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

The next Quarterly “Birthday Bash” for those having Birthdays in October, November & December will be December 17 along with our Church Christmas Party at 6:00 p.m. The “Lord’s Supper” will be observed December 17, 11:00 a.m. Service.

See you in Church Sunday !

WOW! I am about ready for this clean-up and repair phase of Harvey to be completed! Some of you are still trying to find a clean, safe, dry place to lay your head at night and our prayers continue to be with you. At the parsonage, work is steady, but not nearly fast enough. We are indeed blessed to have a contractor friend who immediately sent a skilled worker to come and stay with us until the task is complete. We have had insurance adjustors come and go and are still awaiting their decision. But, God has shown Himself to be very faithful!

AND, we wish to invite all those who have helped with the Harvey relief to come for a fellowship meal on Sunday, October 22 at 6:00 p.m. We will be turning our Chapel into a dining hall and trust you will come. We especially want our first responders to come and those who have prepared community meals. We want to say “Thanks” for what you have done for our community! The meal is planned to be one to be remembered, so please set aside a couple of hours and come so we can say thanks together!

Remember, our annual Thanksgiving Community Service will be hosted by the Catholic Church this year. It will be on November 12 at 6:00 p.m. Again, we will receive a special offering to help cover the cost of our Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets. We believe there will be many more requests than in past years because I know we have more hurting people as a result of the hurricane. There will be a fellowship meal to follow.

Those in need of a Thanksgiving food basket should contact me by phone between November 5 and November 15. We will be distributing the baskets on November 21. My contact number is 361/218-6693. Please help us find the neediest among us and make sure we feed “need” and not “greed”.

Pastor Joane has been quite busy recently. She was the featured Evangelist at First Assembly in Cuero during the first days of October, and now she is in Haiti on a mission’s trip. She will be home in time for October 22 Appreciation Fellowship Meal. Come, for I am sure she will be sharing informally, if not formally, her experiences in Haiti.

The Chapel continues passing out cleaning supplies for those still in the process. We still have things for the babies needs and, as always, emergency food supplies. We are continuing to have donations arrive from all over the nation, and we sincerely appreciate everyone who has contributed and those who are continuing to help. Recently we received supplies from the kids at a Casa Grande, Arizona school. We are humbled by all the help we have received and will continue to receive all donations, because we still truly do not know what our community is going to need.

Special thanks to Hermano Jesse who has filled the pulpit many times for us recently. He continues leading our Spanish Services each Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome to come and enjoy this service which is totally in Spanish.

Pastor Jesse has also just begun to teach from the Book of Romans each Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. Come, enjoy a cup of coffee with us as we study God’s Word together.

Fisherman’s Chapel is an interdenominational congregation, which only means that everyone is welcomed. We offer Bible Study for all ages at 10:00 a.m. We celebrate in praise at 11:00 a.m. and the children have a special service designed just for them. And, we meet each Sunday at 6:00 p.m. and Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. to enjoy the fellowship of each other and glean knowledge about God from His Word. Everyone will find a warm welcome here and all are urged to, “Come, grow with us!”