John Herndon

John Thomas Herndon, 63, husband of Mary Ann Alsobrook Herndon, of Brenham passed away on April 26, 2015 at Scott & White Hospital in College Station after a fall at home. Funeral services are scheduled for 2 p.m., Wednesday, April 29, 2015 at St. Peter''s Episcopal Church with The Rev. David Ottsen, officiating. A visitation will be held at Memorial Oaks Chapel in Brenham from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.Tuesday evening. Interment will be at a later date. John is survived by his wife, sister-in-law Mackie Meyer, brother-in-law Weldon Alsobrook, sister-in-law Lou Seideman and her husband, David Seideman. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was born July 23, 1951, in Carthage, Texas to Robert Thomas Herndon and Doris Wirick Herndon, who preceded him in death. He was also preceded in death by his parents-in-law, Weldon and Earline Alsobrook. John moved around with his parents in his younger years. In the 1960''s, he and his father built and flew model airplanes. John won the 35th National Model Airplane Championship in the Junior Carrier Profile in July 1966 and was a guest of The Secretary of the Navy. In 1967, his family moved to Brenham and he soon became the first chair drummer in the Brenham High School Band. During this time, he met his future wife, Mary Ann. He received several medals in Solo and Ensemble at the state level and in 1969, he was a member of the All-Senior Honor Band. With his father as the manager, he played drums in a rock and roll band, The Chaparels, and later, The Chosen Few. He graduated from Brenham High School in 1969 and attended Hill Jr. College and Texas A&M University. He acted and starred in numerous high school and summer recreation plays and as an adult, he performed with the Brenham Community Theater. He was a founding board member of Unity Theatre. He married Mary Ann Alsobrook on August 26, 1971. They were married for 43 years. As a member of St. Peter''s Episcopal Church, John was a lay reader and also a delegate to Diocese of Texas Annual Council for several years. Recently John served his church as a greeter before services. He was a member of Graham Masonic Lodge and was a past Worshipful Master. John enjoyed singing with the Brenham Choral Society now Brenham Chorale and served as president for several years. During high school John was an announcer for radio station KWHI. He also worked at WTAW, KULF and the student government radio at Texas A&M. He owned Thru the Lens, a camera and photography lab for many years. As a hobby, John was a self-taught software developer and wrote programs for several businesses. He was a bookkeeper and programmer at Propane Gas Service Company, which was managed by his good friend. In December, 2014 John retired after fourteen years with Blue Bell Creameries, where he was a programmer in the IT department. One of the things John enjoyed was playing poker with a group of friends. In the past few years, he and Mary Ann took dance lessons, where they made many friends who shared a love of dancing and fellowship. John and Mary Ann enjoyed vacations, especially their trip to Great Britain. John suffered from numerous illnesses in his adult years, but his determination and spirit was an inspiration to all. John loved animals, especially cats. Memorials may be given to the Brenham Humane Services building fund, P.O. Box 1059, Brenham, TX 77834 or to St. Peter''s Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 937, Brenham, TX 77834. Funeral arrangements for John Herndon are entrusted to Memorial Oaks Chapel, 1306 W. Main, Brenham. To post a tribute to the family, visit www.memorialoakschapel.com.