Jerome (Jerry) Max Ranzau was born to Adolph Fredrick and Ida Voelker Ranzau on February 14, 1927, in Boerne, Texas. He passed into his Lord’s loving hands on June 30, 2012, in Houston, Texas. He is preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Harold Ranzau; and his wife, Mary Jane Bowman Ranzau. He attended the Pleasant Valley School adjacent to the Ranzau ranch for his first school years and then graduated from Boerne High School. After graduation, he joined the Army and was sent to Japan to help in the clean up after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Jerome later attended Trinity University in San Antonio, and graduated from the University of Houston with an engineering degree.
Jerome met Mary Jane Bowman working at the picture. Instantly, it was love at first sight! The two married on April 8, 1950, at the Methodist Church in Boerne and were married for 59 years. They had three daughters; Janice Carol, Sandra Gale, and Tarrell Louise.
Jerome worked for several petroleum companies in Midland, Texas and in Oklahoma. In the early 60s, Jerry went to work for the IRS and was working against these same major oil companies. After retirement from the IRS in Houston, Mary Jane and he were keen on returning to their beautiful hill country.
You could find Jerry, both morning and evening, feeding the deer and other wild critters that came up to his front yard. Every day, he enjoyed going to Kronkosky Place (the senior center in Boerne) to visit with friends. On Tuesday evenings, he could be found at the Boerne Turn Verein cheering on the bowlers, especially his nephew Mike Koenig.
This past year, The Genealogical Society of Kendall County presented him with a certificate for being a direct descendent of Louis Ranzau, one of the founding fathers of Kendall Country.
Jerome’s passion was traveling and just talking to people. He never met a stranger. He enjoyed giving back to the now, younger community by telling the stories from the "old days" of Kendall County. He loved traveling with the Boerne Village Band from country to country, city to city, and finally in his later years just traveling to Main Plaza to hear the German band perform. Jerome attended Messiah Lutheran Church.
He is survived by his three daughters Janice Kerr and husband Mike of Houston, Sandra Taber of Houston, and Terri Moultak and husband John of Grand Isle, Vermont; grandchildren Cody, Kinsley, Jennifer and husband, Will, Sean and wife Kim, John, and Christina; great-grandchildren, Charlise and Isaiah; two sisters-in-law, Betty Bowman and Bonita Ranzau; and numerous nephews, nieces, and loving friends.
Visitation will be Monday, July 2, 2012, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Messiah Lutheran Church. The funeral will be at Messiah Lutheran Church at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 3, 2012. Interment will follow at the Boerne Cemetery. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations in Jerry’s honor be made to one of the following: Messiah Lutheran Church, 9401 Dietz Elkhorn, Boerne, TX 78006 or to Kronkosky Place, PO Box 1039, Boerne, TX 78006. To leave condolences for the family, please visit www.ebensberger-fisher.com and select the Obituaries tab.
Arrangements with Ebenberger-Fisher Funeral Home of Boerne.