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Mr. H. “Pete” Gildon: June 28, 1933 – June 12, 2020
Irene Gildon: May 10, 1939 – September 5, 2021
Mr. H. “Pete” Gildon and Irene Gildon of Allen, Texas, formerly of Rockport, TX, died on June 12, 2020 at the age of 86 and September 5, 2021 at the age of 82, respectively. Pete was born June 28, 1933 in CE and Doris Gildon in Miller County, Arkansas and Irene was born May 10, 1939 in Curtis A. and Luberta Preas in Runnels County, Texas.
After early years in Arkansas and Louisiana, Pete grew up the second son of a Mobil Oil rental operator and school cafeteria manager / housewife in Monahans, Texas and graduated from Monahans High School in 1950 at the age of 16 years old. He moved to Austin to attend. The University of Texas and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 1955. Irene grew up the fourth child of a farmer / Santa Fe Railroad employee and housewife, in Silver Valley, a small community outside from Coleman, Texas, and attended Novice ISD, a small B-class school. After graduating from high school in 1957, she attended Howard Payne University in Brownwood, TX for a year, but returned to she in Silver Valley after that year to help her family following her father’s diagnosis of leukemia.
After serving in the United States Army from 1955 to 1957 in Korea at the 38th Parallel, Pete returned to West Texas. He started his career in the municipal administration in the offices of the city of Odessa. Irene moved to Odessa to work and live with her extended family. Pete and Irene met on a blind date where he was not on her date, and 6 months later, on September 4, 1959, they were married in the front room of her. family home on Boatwright Street in Odessa. Married for 60 years, they lived a life in many homes across Texas as Pete received his master’s degree in public administration from Texas Tech University while he was director of personnel at Lubbock Methodist Hospital. They then began Pete’s career as a city manager in West Texas and South Texas by moving to Rockport in 1992.
Pete and Irene will be sadly missed by daughter, Kim Lehnhoff (Mark), of Lake Jackson, TX; son, Matt Gildon (Lisa) of Plano, Texas; their grandchildren: granddaughter, Anna Lehnhoff of Houston, TX grandson, Jacob Lehnhoff of Lake Jackson, TX, grandsons, Maxwell Gildon of Charlotte, NC and Michael Gildon of Plano, TX, granddaughter, McKenna Gildon de Plano. Pete was predeceased by his parents, brother, Kenneth Gildon, and sister-in-law, Joyce.
Irene was predeceased by her parents, sisters Maxine, Vivian, Linda and brothers, Duane, Don, Cecil, Larry and Terry, and her beloved husband MH (Pete) Gildon. Sister Brenda Wells (Ervin) of Novice, Texas survives him.
Pete retired in 1998, and Irene took care of it. She was an accomplished housewife, craftsman, gardener and, later, after her children were grown up, a well-known sales associate at various retail stores in Rockport including Sundial, Galley Gadgets and Connections, where she has spent many happy days working among friends and with clients.
Irene and Pete were members of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Rockport and served in the ministry of the Castaways. As dementia took a heavy toll on Irene, Pete and Irene moved to Plano / Allen, TX in 2016 to be cared for by their son, Matt, until their passing.
A joint memorial service and commitment for Irene and Pete will be held at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Rockport, Texas on October 21, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. with Reverend Jim Friedel as officiant.
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