Lifestyle

James and Margaret Mercer of Lolita announce the engagement and forthcoming marriage of their son Blake William Mercer of Louise to Nicole Renae Roades, daughter of John and Shelly Roades of Louise. The bride-elect is a graduate of Louise High School and is attending The Victoria College. The prospective groom is a graduate of Industrial High School and is employed by Bilfinger Tepsco. The couple will exchange vows at 3 p.m. on April 12, 2014 in Hillje.

Ray and Janice Brundrett of LaWard will celebrate their 55th wedding anniversary on Thursday, Dec. 12. The couple married on Dec. 12, 1958 at the First Baptist Church in Port Lavaca. The couple have six children and six grandchildren. Ray is an offshore oilfield consultant and Janice is retired from the medical field.

Jose and Blanche Galvan of Edna announce the engagement and forthcoming marriage of their daughter Rachel Diane Galvan to Jacob Lee Latimer of Edna, son of Robert Jr. and Leah Latimer of Edna. The bride-elect is currently attending Texas Lutheran University in Seguin, majoring in kinesiology. The prospective groom is currently attending Texas A&M University in Kingsville majoring in criminology and a is a Dec. 2013 candidate for graduation. The couple will exchange vows on Dec. 28, 2013 at First United Methodist Church in Edna.

Brad Burttschell of Ganado and Tracy Jakubec of Needville announce their engagement and forthcoming marriage. The bride-elect is the daughter of Vicki Jakubec of Guy and the late Johnie Jakubec and Linda Jakubec of Needville. She is a 1999 graduate of Needville High School and a 2001 graduate of Wharton County Junior College. She is the administrative manager at Citizens State Bank in Ganado. The prospective groom is the son of Brent and Kay Burttschell of Louise. He is a 1999 graduate of Ganado High School and is employed as a jailer by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. The couple will exchange vows at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2 at Christ Lutheran Church in El Campo.

Steve and Linda Raab of LaWard announce the engagement and forthcoming marriage of their son Russell Raab of Port Lavaca to Jo Beth Bond of Corpus Christi. The bride-elect is the daughter of Cindy Bond of Corpus Christi and the late Sonny Bond. She is a 2007 graduate of Tuloso-Midway High School and a 2010 graduate of AHCP with valedictorian honors. She is an ultrasound technician. The prospective groom is a 2003 graduate of Industrial High School and a 2009 graduate of Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi with a degree in animal biology. He is employed as a chemical process operator at Formosa Plastics Corporation Olefins II unit in Point Comfort. The couple will exchange vows at 5 p.m. on Nov. 16, 2013 at Hilton Garden Inn in Victoria.

    Haley Kaitlin King and Zebula Clarence Cihal, both of Victoria, exchanged double ring vows on July 13, 2013 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Victoria with the Rev. Michael Lyons officiating.
    The bride is the daughter of Jerry and Beth King of Montgomery and the granddaughter of Al and Judy Hogan of Austin, Jerry and Karla King Sr. of Uvalde and Judy Pauley Bryant of Inez.
    The groom is the son of Chris and Diane Cihal of Ganado and the grandson of Maxine Cihal of Victoria.
    Kristine Pali of The Woodlands was the maid of honor. Bridesmaids were Jocelyn Caliel, Casey McCord, Katie Cooper, sister of the groom, and Alyssa Cooper, cousin of the bride.
    Flower girl was Aubrey Hale, niece of the groom.
    Brandon Mercer of Ganado served as best man. Groomsmen were Michael Brzozowski, Cade Cihal, brother of the groom, Andrew Cooper, brother-in-law of the groom, and Joshua King, brother of the bride.

Kevin and Mary Williams of Edna announce the engagement and forthcoming marriage of their daughter Brandi Sherrie Williams to Andrew Blake Gayle, son of John and Sandra Gayle of Victoria. The bride-elect is a graduate of Kodiak High School in Kodiak, Alaska. She graduated from the LVN program and is pursuing a degree in registered nursing at The Victoria College. The prospective groom is a graduate of St. Joseph High School in Victoria and is currently pursuing a degree in instrumentation and electronics from The Victoria College. The couple will exchange vows at 4 p.m. on Oct. 5, 2013 at Edna Presbyterian Church in Edna.

Family and friends convened to celebrate the 91st birthday of Lura Edwards Bowman, front, on Sept. 7 at the Church of Christ fellowship hall on Peabody Street. Four generations are standing behind her from left to right, Bobbe Bra-Nae Rhodes, Lura Smith Rhodes, Bobbie Edwards McAfee and Serelder Hopes.

Catholic Family Fraternal of Texas, KJZT, held its general convention in Austin recently. Attending from local Society 94 in La Salle was Agnes Sembera. A silent auction was held at the convention to benefit the West Food Pantry. A gift list of $62,450 in donations to establishments including Diocesan Pro-Life Offices, National Alliance of Czech Catholics, Catholic schools around the state, and the Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center in La Grange. 

Catholic Family Fraternal of Texas, KJZT, held its general convention in Auston recently. Attending from local society 43 in Ganado, were members Frances Vesely, left, and Cecilia French. A silent auction was held at the convention to benefit the West Food Pantry. A gift list of $62,450 in donations to establishments including Diocesan Pro-Life Offices, National Alliance of Czech Catholics, Catholic schools around the state, and the Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center in La Grange. Joe Annotti, president of the American Fraternal Alliance was the guest speaker.