Wallace Eldon Embry
Our Dad was a good man.
“He’s a good man” is something one man says to another when he wants to let you know that this is a solid person you can trust. He’s good at his job. You can count on him. He’s a straight shooter.
This was our Dad.
Wallace Eldon Embrey was a devoted husband to Dorothy Embrey for 48 consecutive years. As he passed in
to the dimming tunnel of Alzheimer’s, some of the most poignant words we heard were, “Do you know Dorothy? She is the most wonderful person you could ever meet.” Sometimes he spoke these words to his wife Dorothy and sometimes to his children, Larry, Abbe and Curtis Embrey. We also heard stories of their courtship as it was happening. Stories we had never heard before. Stories of their first date, and dances and describing how pretty and amazing she is…. “You just have to meet her.”
He was a gamer.
A club champion golfer, fierce competitor who enjoyed gambling and playing the stock market. These passions finished second only to his family. He fished, played bridge, poker and many other card games at an expert level. He always played to win.
He was a gentleman and a good friend.
He remembered the courtesies even as Alzheimer’s took everything else away: “please,””thank you,” “if you wouldn’t mind…” His friends and colleagues valued his rock solid integrity. He would put his hand on your shoulder, give it a squeeze that almost hurt, look you in the eye and tell you what you needed to hear.
He was a dedicated and brilliant researcher.
Five patents are in his name. His Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering came from the University of Texas at Austin. Sometimes he would tell us how he developed some new way to process chlorine that made Dow Chemical tens of millions of dollars in his 23 years as their research chemical engineer.
He was a proud veteran.
He spent four years in the Air Force from 1949-1953 rising to the rank of Staff Sergeant. He graduated first in his radio operator class and spent his time in the service analyzing radio intercepts from the Soviet Union.
His Family
Wallace Eldon Embrey was born in Argo, Texas, on July 12, 1931, and died at the age of 80 on Feb. 25, 2012. He is survived by his wife Dorothy Embrey, his three children Larry, Abbe and Curtis Embrey and seven grandchildren: Dylan, Phoenix, Harper, Hayden, Colin, Amanda and Christina.
We miss him.
A Special Thanks
The Embrey family would like to extend a special thanks to Ben Rodriguez, our neighbor and friend, and to the CTMC Hospice Group for the care they gave our father and family during this difficult time. Family received friends at McCurdy Funeral Home on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012, with a service held at 10 a.m. Interment followed at Memory Lawn Memorial Park in Martindale. Arrangements under the care and guidance of McCurdy Funeral Home, 105 East Pecan St., Lockhart, Texas 78644 (512) 398-4791.
