Obituary of John Lawrence Pelzel

John (Johnny) Lawrence Pelzel Jr., 84, passed away on Monday November 8, 2021, from congestive heart failure.Johnny was born on March 15, 1937, a snowy day on their Tioga, Texas farm, to parents John and Annie Pelzel and grew up in Pilot Point, Texas. He had the distinction of being the fastest cotton picker in the family. He used the money that he earned to buy a brand new 1955 Chevrolet car at the age of 18. He was a whiz with numbers.Johnny was a loving father, grandfather, son, brother and friend. He lived out his Catholic faith devotedly and had an amazing heart for God as he always put God first and others before himself. Even while battling his illness, he always made a point to thank those who were caring for him and visiting with him. He lived and taught by the Golden Rule: Do to others as you would want them to do to you.Johnny was devoted to his family and in being a good provider while Martha worked as a homemaker. He worked hard to putting all three of his children through college often times working extra jobs like mowing lawns. Family was very important to him and his joy was being with his family.Johnny met the love of his life, Martha, in grade school at Pilot Point and they married on June 22, 1957 and moved to Fort Worth where he started a career in aircraft manufacturing at Convair Aircraft. He later went to work at Bell Helicopter, where he spent 44 years as a Jigs and Fixture Builder Leadman in the Tooling Department until he retired in 2004. He also loved woodwork and built cabinets as a second job to help his growing family.This year Johnny and Martha celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary. Johnny always made a point to spend time with his children and grandchildren, watching them participate at their games, activities and events for school. He loved to hold his children and grandchildren as babies and hug their chubby cheeks.Johnny’s passion was gardening. He loved to work in his garden every year and grow delicious vegetables, typically tomatoes, okra, green beans, squash, zucchini, onions and cucumbers. He enjoyed sharing these with his family and friends. One season he prided himself on growing 300 lbs. of juicy tomatoes. He also was a 4th degree Knights of Columbus member and a member of the SPJST Lodge 92 in Fort Worth.Johnny was preceded in death by his parents John and Annie, sister Margaret, brothers Eugene, Ronnie, and William.Survivors: Wife of 64 years Martha David Pelzel; children, Theresa Thompson (Doug Thompson), Sharon Thomas (Steve Thomas), and Duane Pelzel (Meg Pelzel); grandchildren, Garrett and Connor Thompson, Jordan and Brooks Thomas, Grace, Faith and Zachary Pelzel; sisters, Evelyn Walterscheid of Gainesville, Marilyn Weber and husband, Don, of Pilot Point and Jenny Dennis and husband, Doug, of Lindsay; brothers, Bobby Pelzel of Gainesville and Harold Pelzel and wife, Sandy, of Durham, North Carolina; sister-in-law, Emma Pelzel of Gainesville; and many nieces and nephews.