John Behne, Sr.

John Louis Behne, Sr., 84, widower of Chloe Marie Pierce Behne, died Thursday, April 30, 2009 at Trinity Medical Center. John was born at home on June 24, 1924 to Leo Theodore and Mary Elizabeth Lange Behne in Fairbanks, Tx. He attended Fairbanks Elementary School, and graduated in 1943 from Cypress-Fairbanks High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1943, attaining the rank of S2C, Seaman Second Class, serving his country during World War II. He received the Victory Medal after serving in the Asiatic-Pacific Theatre. On July 6, 1946, he married Chloe Marie Pierce in the Fairbanks Methodist Church in Fairbanks. He was an electrician retired. John came to Brenham in 1960 with his wife Chloe and their three children. He will be missed by family and friends as well as by the Brenham locals who knew him only as a voice on the Country Store with very large Ponderosa lemons for sale along with Black Walnuts. John could be seen on Fridays and Saturdays making the rounds of Garage Sales, sharing his humor and tales of the old days as well as giving advice on a number of topics. Others knew him best from his working days wiring nursing homes for Waldo Mueller, wearing his signature uniform of khaki shirt, khaki pants, and a khaki jacket. He completed his look with a red hard hat or cap and his favorite pipe. Survivors include a son, John Louis Behne, Jr. of Brenham; daughters Susan Marie Drews of Kyle, Tx., and Connie and Gary Truxillo, Sr., of Brenham; grandchildren Angela Patterson and husband Roger Guy of Austin; Laurie Truxillo, Linda Truxillo, and Gary Truxillo, Jr. of Brenham; Jennifer and Andy Blanchard of Louisiana; great-grandchildren Keltric Patterson, Courtney Daigle, Thomas Truxillo, Hailey Blanchard, Samantha Blanchard, and Julia Truxillo, and a brother and sister-in-law Hiram and Arden Pierce of Palo Alto, CA. He was preceded in death by his wife, daughter, Margaret Behne, son David Wayne Behne, his parents, Leo and Mary Lange Behne; father-in-law and mother-in-law Hiram and Mary Pierce; sister-in-law Geraldine Jerry Ann Pierce Weaver and a brother-in-law, Kenneth Weaver. Funeral services for John Louis Behne, Sr. will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, May 2, 2009 at Memorial Oaks Chapel. Interment will be in Fairbanks Methodist Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 6:00 until 8:00 p.m. Friday evening at Memorial Oaks Chapel. Memorials May be directed to Salem Volunteer Fire Dept., P. O. Box 1974, Brenham, Tx. 77834. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Memorial Oaks Chapel, 1306 W. Main, Brenham. To view the obituary online or to post a tribute to the family, visit www.memorialoakschapel.com.