Atlan Max Citzler (Sr.) died October 31, 2015, at home in La Grange. Born January 31, 1920, to Max and Elsie (Fiedler) Citzler, and baptized at Black Jack near his birthplace in Fayette County, he grew up on the family farm north of Rutersville. He attended Seiben Boesen (Harms) school, where he skipped a year under the rigorous tutelage of Emil Kern. Atlan was confirmed in the Lutheran faith at St. Paul Lutheran Church. He studied violin with Mr. Streithoff in La Grange, and graduated from La Grange High School in 1937. Thanks to the encouragement of County Agent J. C. Yeary, Atlan attended Texas A & M University, where he completed his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, while living in one of the cooperative project houses rather than on the main campus, because it was cheaper. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army upon graduation in 1941. Serving initially at Fort Polk, LA, and then (after Pearl Harbor) at Camp Edwards near Buzzard’s Bay, MA, he shipped out to Europe in August, 1942. Initially he helped with the testing of landing craft in preparation for D-Day, but was then diverted to work as a supply officer in support of troops that were sent to North Africa. Subsequent to his months in Algeria and Tunisia and Egypt, he was posted in Sardinia, Italy, and then on the European continent in Italy, France, and Germany. Because he had been overseas so long at the end of the war in Europe, he was given priority for air transport home, flying from Spain to Brazil via the Azores and then into Miami, FL, before finally landing in San Antonio, Texas, in late summer of 1945. From 1947 until the mid-1970’s he served in the U. S. Army Reserve, retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
On September 7, 1947, Atlan married Verlene Tiemann, and they enjoyed 68 years of marriage, living always in La Grange. Some of the greatest memories of their children were from summer “vacation” trips, when Verlene and “the kiddoes” accompanied Atlan to his “summer camp” duty stations all over the USA, including Colorado Springs; Sandia, New Mexico; Belvoir, Virginia; Leavenworth, Kansas; and Little Rock, Arkansas.
After World War II, Atlan went to work for the La Grange Utilities, later becoming City Manager of La Grange. He left the City of La Grange in 1976 to serve as Business Manager for La Grange Independent School District, the position from which he retired in 1985. A near life-long member of St. Paul Lutheran Church, he served as a church council member and Sunday School teacher, and helped to organize the Monday morning offering counters. His civic activism included membership in the VFW and American Legion, as well as the La Grange Area Chamber of Commerce, and service as president of the La Grange Volunteer Fire Department, La Grange Rotary Club, and Fayette County Retired Teachers Association. He served as board member for Fayette Water Supply Corporation, president and director for the Buckner’s Creek Wildlife Management Association, and (in recent years) donated well over 200 bluebird houses (built by Leroy Bennetsen), many for charity auctions all over Fayette County. He loved fishing, hunting, attending music concerts at Festival Hill, visits from his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, watching the Aggie sports teams compete on television, and writing and calling elected officials to discuss projects dear to his heart, including funding for maintenance and restoration of rural cemeteries and a unit road system for Fayette County.
Atlan Citzler is survived by his wife, Verlene, daughter, Annette, of Seguin; two sons, Atlan Jr. (Jeanette) and Stephen “Chip” (Sheron), of La Grange; a sister, Genelda Stahmer, of La Grange; five grandchildren: Amy McCord (Justin) of Corpus Christi, Edward Citzler (Robin) of Granbury, Byron Citzler (Sarah) of Pflugerville, Kyle Citzler (Lacey) of El Campo, and Kelsie Hrbacek (Stetson) of La Grange; 9 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Arthur and Marvin; two brothers-in-law, Walter Stahmer and Arland Tiemann; and sister-in-law, Edna (Frerichs) Citzler.
Visitation is scheduled at St. Paul Lutheran Church in La Grange. Family will receive friends and a prayer service will follow at 6:00 p.m.
Funeral Services are scheduled at St. Paul Lutheran Church in La Grange, with interment to follow in the La Grange City Cemetery.
Memorials are requested to the Citzler Endowment at Lutherhill Ministries (P.O. Box 99, La Grange), to St. Paul Lutheran Church (P.O. Box 567, La Grange), to the La Grange Volunteer Fire Department (244 N. Franklin St., La Grange), to the James Dick Foundation for the Performing Arts (Festival Hill: P.O. Box 89, Round Top, TX 78954), or to the charity of one’s choice.
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Koenig & Strickland Funeral Home, 208 W. Pearl, La Grange, Texas. Family and friends can view and sign the guestbook online at www.lagrangefunerals.com.
(Koenig & Strickland Funeral Home)
On September 7, 1947, Atlan married Verlene Tiemann, and they enjoyed 68 years of marriage, living always in La Grange. Some of the greatest memories of their children were from summer “vacation” trips, when Verlene and “the kiddoes” accompanied Atlan to his “summer camp” duty stations all over the USA, including Colorado Springs; Sandia, New Mexico; Belvoir, Virginia; Leavenworth, Kansas; and Little Rock, Arkansas.
After World War II, Atlan went to work for the La Grange Utilities, later becoming City Manager of La Grange. He left the City of La Grange in 1976 to serve as Business Manager for La Grange Independent School District, the position from which he retired in 1985. A near life-long member of St. Paul Lutheran Church, he served as a church council member and Sunday School teacher, and helped to organize the Monday morning offering counters. His civic activism included membership in the VFW and American Legion, as well as the La Grange Area Chamber of Commerce, and service as president of the La Grange Volunteer Fire Department, La Grange Rotary Club, and Fayette County Retired Teachers Association. He served as board member for Fayette Water Supply Corporation, president and director for the Buckner’s Creek Wildlife Management Association, and (in recent years) donated well over 200 bluebird houses (built by Leroy Bennetsen), many for charity auctions all over Fayette County. He loved fishing, hunting, attending music concerts at Festival Hill, visits from his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, watching the Aggie sports teams compete on television, and writing and calling elected officials to discuss projects dear to his heart, including funding for maintenance and restoration of rural cemeteries and a unit road system for Fayette County.
Atlan Citzler is survived by his wife, Verlene, daughter, Annette, of Seguin; two sons, Atlan Jr. (Jeanette) and Stephen “Chip” (Sheron), of La Grange; a sister, Genelda Stahmer, of La Grange; five grandchildren: Amy McCord (Justin) of Corpus Christi, Edward Citzler (Robin) of Granbury, Byron Citzler (Sarah) of Pflugerville, Kyle Citzler (Lacey) of El Campo, and Kelsie Hrbacek (Stetson) of La Grange; 9 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Arthur and Marvin; two brothers-in-law, Walter Stahmer and Arland Tiemann; and sister-in-law, Edna (Frerichs) Citzler.
Visitation is scheduled at St. Paul Lutheran Church in La Grange. Family will receive friends and a prayer service will follow at 6:00 p.m.
Funeral Services are scheduled at St. Paul Lutheran Church in La Grange, with interment to follow in the La Grange City Cemetery.
Memorials are requested to the Citzler Endowment at Lutherhill Ministries (P.O. Box 99, La Grange), to St. Paul Lutheran Church (P.O. Box 567, La Grange), to the La Grange Volunteer Fire Department (244 N. Franklin St., La Grange), to the James Dick Foundation for the Performing Arts (Festival Hill: P.O. Box 89, Round Top, TX 78954), or to the charity of one’s choice.
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Koenig & Strickland Funeral Home, 208 W. Pearl, La Grange, Texas. Family and friends can view and sign the guestbook online at www.lagrangefunerals.com.
(Koenig & Strickland Funeral Home)
Atlan Max Citzler (Sr.) died October 31, 2015, at home in La Grange. Born January 31, 1920, to Max and Elsie (Fiedler) Citzler, and baptized at Black Jack near his birthplace in Fayette County, he grew up on the family farm north of Rutersville. He attended Seiben Boesen (Harms) school, where he skipped a year under the rigorous tutelage of Emil Kern. Atlan was confirmed in the Lutheran faith at St. Paul Lutheran Church. He studied violin with Mr. Streithoff in La Grange, and graduated from La Grange High School in 1937. Thanks to the encouragement of County Agent J. C. Yeary, Atlan attended Texas A & M University, where he completed his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, while living in one of the cooperative project houses rather than on the main campus, because it was cheaper. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army upon graduation in 1941. Serving initially at Fort Polk, LA, and then (after Pearl Harbor) at Camp Edwards near Buzzard’s Bay, MA, he shipped out to Europe in August, 1942. Initially he helped with the testing of landing craft in preparation for D-Day, but was then diverted to work as a supply officer in support of troops that were sent to North Africa. Subsequent to his months in Algeria and Tunisia and Egypt, he was posted in Sardinia, Italy, and then on the European continent in Italy, France, and Germany. Because he had been overseas so long at the end of the war in Europe, he was given priority for air transport home, flying from Spain to Brazil via the Azores and then into Miami, FL, before finally landing in San Antonio, Texas, in late summer of 1945. From 1947 until the mid-1970’s he served in the U. S. Army Reserve, retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
On September 7, 1947, Atlan married Verlene Tiemann, and they enjoyed 68 years of marriage, living always in La Grange. Some of the greatest memories of their children were from summer “vacation” trips, when Verlene and “the kiddoes” accompanied Atlan to his “summer camp” duty stations all over the USA, including Colorado Springs; Sandia, New Mexico; Belvoir, Virginia; Leavenworth, Kansas; and Little Rock, Arkansas.
After World War II, Atlan went to work for the La Grange Utilities, later becoming City Manager of La Grange. He left the City of La Grange in 1976 to serve as Business Manager for La Grange Independent School District, the position from which he retired in 1985. A near life-long member of St. Paul Lutheran Church, he served as a church council member and Sunday School teacher, and helped to organize the Monday morning offering counters. His civic activism included membership in the VFW and American Legion, as well as the La Grange Area Chamber of Commerce, and service as president of the La Grange Volunteer Fire Department, La Grange Rotary Club, and Fayette County Retired Teachers Association. He served as board member for Fayette Water Supply Corporation, president and director for the Buckner’s Creek Wildlife Management Association, and (in recent years) donated well over 200 bluebird houses (built by Leroy Bennetsen), many for charity auctions all over Fayette County. He loved fishing, hunting, attending music concerts at Festival Hill, visits from his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, watching the Aggie sports teams compete on television, and writing and calling elected officials to discuss projects dear to his heart, including funding for maintenance and restoration of rural cemeteries and a unit road system for Fayette County.
Atlan Citzler is survived by his wife, Verlene, daughter, Annette, of Seguin; two sons, Atlan Jr. (Jeanette) and Stephen “Chip” (Sheron), of La Grange; a sister, Genelda Stahmer, of La Grange; five grandchildren: Amy McCord (Justin) of Corpus Christi, Edward Citzler (Robin) of Granbury, Byron Citzler (Sarah) of Pflugerville, Kyle Citzler (Lacey) of El Campo, and Kelsie Hrbacek (Stetson) of La Grange; 9 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Arthur and Marvin; two brothers-in-law, Walter Stahmer and Arland Tiemann; and sister-in-law, Edna (Frerichs) Citzler.
Visitation is scheduled at St. Paul Lutheran Church in La Grange. Family will receive friends and a prayer service will follow at 6:00 p.m.
Funeral Services are scheduled at St. Paul Lutheran Church in La Grange, with interment to follow in the La Grange City Cemetery.
Memorials are requested to the Citzler Endowment at Lutherhill Ministries (P.O. Box 99, La Grange), to St. Paul Lutheran Church (P.O. Box 567, La Grange), to the La Grange Volunteer Fire Department (244 N. Franklin St., La Grange), to the James Dick Foundation for the Performing Arts (Festival Hill: P.O. Box 89, Round Top, TX 78954), or to the charity of one’s choice.
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Koenig & Strickland Funeral Home, 208 W. Pearl, La Grange, Texas. Family and friends can view and sign the guestbook online at www.lagrangefunerals.com.
(Koenig & Strickland Funeral Home)
On September 7, 1947, Atlan married Verlene Tiemann, and they enjoyed 68 years of marriage, living always in La Grange. Some of the greatest memories of their children were from summer “vacation” trips, when Verlene and “the kiddoes” accompanied Atlan to his “summer camp” duty stations all over the USA, including Colorado Springs; Sandia, New Mexico; Belvoir, Virginia; Leavenworth, Kansas; and Little Rock, Arkansas.
After World War II, Atlan went to work for the La Grange Utilities, later becoming City Manager of La Grange. He left the City of La Grange in 1976 to serve as Business Manager for La Grange Independent School District, the position from which he retired in 1985. A near life-long member of St. Paul Lutheran Church, he served as a church council member and Sunday School teacher, and helped to organize the Monday morning offering counters. His civic activism included membership in the VFW and American Legion, as well as the La Grange Area Chamber of Commerce, and service as president of the La Grange Volunteer Fire Department, La Grange Rotary Club, and Fayette County Retired Teachers Association. He served as board member for Fayette Water Supply Corporation, president and director for the Buckner’s Creek Wildlife Management Association, and (in recent years) donated well over 200 bluebird houses (built by Leroy Bennetsen), many for charity auctions all over Fayette County. He loved fishing, hunting, attending music concerts at Festival Hill, visits from his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, watching the Aggie sports teams compete on television, and writing and calling elected officials to discuss projects dear to his heart, including funding for maintenance and restoration of rural cemeteries and a unit road system for Fayette County.
Atlan Citzler is survived by his wife, Verlene, daughter, Annette, of Seguin; two sons, Atlan Jr. (Jeanette) and Stephen “Chip” (Sheron), of La Grange; a sister, Genelda Stahmer, of La Grange; five grandchildren: Amy McCord (Justin) of Corpus Christi, Edward Citzler (Robin) of Granbury, Byron Citzler (Sarah) of Pflugerville, Kyle Citzler (Lacey) of El Campo, and Kelsie Hrbacek (Stetson) of La Grange; 9 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Arthur and Marvin; two brothers-in-law, Walter Stahmer and Arland Tiemann; and sister-in-law, Edna (Frerichs) Citzler.
Visitation is scheduled at St. Paul Lutheran Church in La Grange. Family will receive friends and a prayer service will follow at 6:00 p.m.
Funeral Services are scheduled at St. Paul Lutheran Church in La Grange, with interment to follow in the La Grange City Cemetery.
Memorials are requested to the Citzler Endowment at Lutherhill Ministries (P.O. Box 99, La Grange), to St. Paul Lutheran Church (P.O. Box 567, La Grange), to the La Grange Volunteer Fire Department (244 N. Franklin St., La Grange), to the James Dick Foundation for the Performing Arts (Festival Hill: P.O. Box 89, Round Top, TX 78954), or to the charity of one’s choice.
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Koenig & Strickland Funeral Home, 208 W. Pearl, La Grange, Texas. Family and friends can view and sign the guestbook online at www.lagrangefunerals.com.
(Koenig & Strickland Funeral Home)
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