Louis Eugene Engelbrecht

Lt. Colonel Louis E. Engelbrecht, USAF (Retired), of McGregor passed away at the VA Hospital in Dallas Thursday night, August 31, 2023, at the age of 93. Visitation will be 6:00pm to 8:00pm Thursday, September 7, 2023, at Grace Gardens Funeral Home, 8220 Woodway Drive, Waco, TX. Funeral services will be held 10:00am Friday, September 8, 2023 at Zion Lutheran Church.  Interment will follow at St. Paul Memorial Park in Crawford.

Lou was born on June 5, 1930 in Crawford, Texas to Louis and Adelia (Jacobs) Engelbrecht. He was baptized August 28, 1941 at Canaan Baptist Church by Pastor C.C. Gossen. He grew up in Crawford on the family farm, graduating from Crawford High School in 1947. He attended Tarleton before transferring to Texas A&M University, where he received his commission upon completion of the Air Force Officers Training Corp program. He graduated in 1951 with a degree in Civil Engineering and returned to A&M for his Master of Engineering degree in 1961. He met the love of his life in McGregor and on June 23, 1951 he married Mildred Ann Quebe in Fort Worth, while stationed at Carswell Air Force Base. His 20 year career in the Air Force took him both stateside and overseas to Maine, London, Nebraska, Dallas, Vietnam and Ohio. He held various positions including the Department Head of Orientation and Deputy Director of the Civil Engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He was active in the American Society of Civil and Military Engineers, and the American and Texas Society of Professional Engineers. He was the 1979 recipient of the Engineer of the Year Award for the Central Texas Chapter of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers. Following his military career, he returned to McGregor and began working at Texas State Technical Institute (College) as the Physical Plant Director of the Waco Campus. He was responsible for maintaining, modifying and repairing the roadways, parking, facilities and housing at the campus and retired in 1995. Lou was very active in his church and community, serving as a Sunday School teacher and on the Church Council of Zion Lutheran Church, Central Bosque Water Board, Eastside Rotary Club Board of Directors and Hub-O-Texas Angus Association. Lou enjoyed traveling with Millie to Texas A&M events and working outdoors on his farm.  He had a strong work ethic, never avoiding the hard jobs from milking cows pre-dawn before school, working in the fields after dark, and working long hours during his military and post-military career.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Mildred, on December 27, 2018. Also preceding him in death was his sister, Angeleen Polley. He is survived by his son, Darrell (Scherry) Engelbrecht, daughter, Debra (Chick) Cowan, brother, Clarence (Marlene) Engelbrecht and sister, Frances Bieber; five grandchildren, Brett Shank, Bradley (Cara) Engelbrecht, Adam Engelbrecht, Stephen (Ashley) Brim, and Sean Brim; and eight great-grandchildren.

Pallbearers will be: Garry Engelbrecht, Gary Polley, Kevin Lillard, Bradley Engelbrecht, Phillip Praesel, Michael Wiethorn, Stephen Brim and Sean Brim.

For those desiring, the family has suggested memorials may be given to Zion Lutheran Church, P.O. Box 156, McGregor, TX 76657.

Registry for Louis Eugene Engelbrecht