Funeral services for Garret Herbert Aigner, age 90, of Leona are set for 3 pm, Sunday, August 14, 2011 at the Walters Funeral Home Chapel in Centerville. Rev. Joe Dacus, pastor of the Leona Baptist Church, will officiate. Burial will be in the Leona Cemetery in Leona. Visitation for Mr. Aigner will be at the funeral home on Saturday evening from 5 pm to 8 pm.
Garret Aigner was born in Elmendorf, Texas on October 21, 1920 and was the youngest of eleven children born to Gustav and Maria (Riehs) Aigner. He was raised in South Texas and graduated high school in Taft, Texas. After graduating, he went to welding school and worked in the Houston ship yards. He was a World War II veteran and served three years in the Army Air Force. He met his future wife, Joyce Marilyn Kerr, in Kansas while stationed there and they married on May 5, 1944. He went to work for Boeing Aircraft and also went to electrical school. He and his wife moved to Houston in 1954 where he went to work for General Electric. He retired in 1982 after 35 years with the company. While in Houston, he was a deacon and longtime member of First Baptist Church of South Houston.
After he retired, he and Joyce moved to Leona in Leon County. They joined First Baptist Church in Centerville where Garret served as a deacon. Later they became charter members of the Leona Baptist Church where he was also a deacon. He enjoyed working with his hands and especially working with wood. He was a special man who seemed to be able to fix anything. Garret was very smart on a multitude of topics and was the "go to" guy for his family, church, friends and community when someone needed help to repair something or to figure out how it worked. He was also an excellent gardener.
One of his last jobs was as a worker at the Leon County Commissioner Precinct #1 Dump located north of Centerville. He entertained his family and friends with many amusing stories about his five years at the "dump". "You would not believe what people throw away", he would say. He told his wife that it was "the best job" that he ever had!
Garret was preceded in death by his parents and all of his brothers and sisters, Clara Herron, Agnes Krebs, Adolph "Otto" Aigner, Marie Hohberg, Gustav Aigner, Laura Hooge, Ludwig Aigner, Jim Aigner, Hulda Sanford and Ervin Aigner. Garret passed away in Dallas, Texas on August 10, 2011.
Surviving family includes his wife of 67 years, Joyce Aigner of Leona; two sons, Stephen Aigner and his wife, Brenda, of Grand Prairie and Dr. Thomas Aigner and his wife, Dr. Susan Wiess, of Bethesda, Maryland; three grandchildren, Jennifer Bryant and her husband, Matt, of Dallas, Erin Campbell and her husband, Adam, of Ft. Worth and Jonathan Aigner and his wife, Kelsey, of Pasadena; five great grandchildren, Emma Bryant, Grace Bryant, Clara Campbell, Becket Campbell and Ava Campbell; a special niece, Kathy Curley and her husband, Ron, of San Diego, California and their daughter, Dr. Allison Curley and numerous other nieces and nephews.
Serving as pallbearers are Mark Sanford, Jimmy Aigner, Matt Bryant, Adam Campbell, Jonathan Aigner and Ron Curley. Honorary pallbearers are Charles Crossnoe, Willert Menke, Sam Wayne Leathers, Tolbert Nash and the men of the "Joy" Sunday School Class of Leona Baptist Church.