Charles Machemehl

Charles Walter Machemehl, 82, of Brenham passed away May 12, 2005, at the family home. Mr. Machemehl was born July 29, 1922, in Bellville, Texas, to Louis and Adelheid Machemehl. He was baptized and confirmed in St. John s Lutheran Church in Bellville and graduated from Bellville High School. On September 11, 1943, he and Doris Quebe of Brenham were married in Temple, Texas. Mr. Machemehl was a member of the Texas A&M class of 1944 that was transferred to Army Officer Candidate School in 1943. He served in the European theater with several airborne units as a forward observer and participated in the Battle of the Bulge, the Ruhr Pocket, and the Battle of Hurtgen Forest. His unit linked up with the Russian army at the Elbe River precipitating the end of the war. He received several medals for gallantry in combat including two bronze stars and a silver star. At the end of the war he had attained the rank of captain and was a member of the staff of General Matthew B. Ridgeway, 1st Allied Airborne Army. Following the war, he returned to A&M and graduated with a degree in animal husbandry and business administration. His early employment included superintendent of packing and canning operations for the Texas Prison System and ranch management in Texas and New Mexico. He settled in Washington County in the early sixties and was active as a real estate broker, rancher, real estate developer, and most recently, an independent oil and gas operator. He served as president of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, the Washington County Fair, the Soil Conservation Service and the Burton Lions Club. He was a director of the Washington-on-the-Brazos Historical Association and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative. He was a member of the district board of the Soil Conservation Service, the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association. Mr. Machemehl was a long time member of St. John s Lutheran Church of Prairie Hill and served in several capacities, including the church council and as a Sunday school teacher. Survivors include his wife Doris, son Chuck Machemehl and wife Susie; daughter Sally and husband James Reese Jones; grandchildren Joe Machemehl, Kate Mefford and husband Bobby, Jared Jones, Jill Moore and husband Charles; great-granddaughter Meredith Julie Moore; sister Adelheid Kloss and brother Milton Machemehl. He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, and one granddaughter. The funeral will be held on Saturday, May 14, 2005, at 2:00 p.m. at St. John s Lutheran Church of Prairie Hill with Reverend Sue Beall officiating. Burial will follow at Prairie Lea Cemetery, Brenham. Pallbearers are Joe Machemehl, Jared Jones, John Quebe, Paul Machemehl, Herbert Schumann, David Machemehl, Charles Moore and Bobby Mefford. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Julie Ann Jones Memorial Theological Scholarship Trust, Post Office Box 382, Brenham, Texas 77834. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Memorial Oaks Chapel, 1306 Main Street in Brenham, Texas.