Gordon A. Hildebrandt, 77, of Witting, passed away Dec. 10, 2013. He was born on March 18, 1936 and raised in Witting, TX. His parents were Lilian Pietsch and Alfred W. Hildebrandt. He had one sibling, an older sister, Doris Hildebrandt Heidrich. In 1944, their father passed, and their mother soon was remarried to Hugo Albrecht, their dear stepfather. One of Gordon's fondest memories includes helping his family tend their family store and filling station, The Witting Store, next to their home. Gordon attended grade school in Witting, and graduated high school at Sam and Wilmore Institute of Moulton, TX. He attended Texas Lutheran College for one year.

In 1954, he married his high school sweetheart, Patsy Orts, at Zion Lutheran Church of Moulton. They had four children. Gordon served in the United States Air Force in various locations during the family's early years.

In the 1960's, the family moved to Weimar, TX. Gordon then worked for Herder Trucklines, and owned a pizza business called Gordo's Pizza. He was deeply involved in Weimar's Faith Lutheran Church where he served as an adult Sunday School teacher. He always had a quiet yet deeply devout Christian faith. Mid 1970's, Gordon relocated to his family roots in Witting where his Mom was residing. He so cherished the years he had with her until she passed. Gordon worked as a truck driver for Hallettsville's Migl Feed and Grain until he retired. He thoroughly enjoyed driving his grain truck. Through the years and all the miles traveled, he made lifelong friends and many acquaintances.

Gordon enjoyed spending time by his pond, watching the deer graze on the hill below his home, and growing and trading vegetables with his neighbors and friends. In later years, he became involved in the Witting Lutheran Church. He regularly attended the Pietsch family reunions and his class reunions. He enjoyed sharing fond memories with relatives and friends.

Knowing Gordon, who was such a witty guy, how do you sum up his life? When it comes to Gordon's personality, it was a lot like the Texas weather. One minute, he was ruffling your feathers, and in your next breath, you'd find yourself in deep conversation of another subject. His exterior came across as a rough, tough ol' crow, but inside he had the ability to be a soft and caring wise man.

Gordon was an avid gardener, having a passion for tending to his garden, vines, fruit trees, roses, flowers and plants. His one deep passion and pride was nurturing and growing grapes in his vineyard that came from a family heirloom grapevine. He loved doing woodwork, especially building birdhouses. He enjoyed watching birds, and his favorite was the martins. He despised mockingbirds. He always related them to a politician. Through the years, Gordon enjoyed playing or watching a good game of tennis and basketball.

Gordon enjoyed tending to his farm and animals which included cattle, chickens, guineas, and pigs. Since childhood, he always enjoyed having cats around and would take in any cats that came looking for a home. Daily you could find him riding his four-wheeler or tractor looking over his land & cattle.

Gordon faithfully read the local newspapers to see what was going on around him as well as reading anything to do with his passions. He loved watching educational and historical programs on TV, especially the PBS channel. In his later years, he deeply enjoyed sharing the family and area history with his kids but also anyone who would listen. He loved to educate those around him with the knowledge he gained from his life experiences. One of his neighbors commented that he was a great historian for the Witting area.

Gordon loved cooking and baking, and especially enjoyed sharing family recipes and gaining new ones. He had a knack for canning using the methods he learned as a child from his mother.

Gordon is survived by: 3 sons, Chris Hildebrandt & wife Phyllis of Hallettsville, Mark Hildebrandt of Lake Wood, CA, and Paul G. Hildebrandt of Moulton; daughter Sharon Hunley & husband Wayne of Blackburg, SC; 6 grandchildren, Season Hildebrandt Trowbridge, Shana Hildebrandt, Joshua Hildebrandt, Bianca Henderson, Anthony Hildebrandt and Christina Hildebrandt; and 5 great grandchildren, Kobe, Noah and Brayden Trowbridge, Tatiana Henderson, and Alliyah Hildebrandt .

Gordon was preceded in death by: parents; step father Hugo Albrecht; and sister Doris Heidrich.

Over his life, he was strong willed, energetic, mysterious and quite creative. What emerged was a majestic, ol' bird. He will be immensely missed.

Funeral Service: 3 pm, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2013 at Zion Lutheran Church of Moulton.
Visitation: 4 pm, Saturday, at Kubena Funeral Home.
Officiant: Rev. Herb Beyer.
Pallbearers: Allen Krejci, Glenn Heidrich, Donny Foeh, Josh Hildebrandt, Anthony Hildebrandt, Paul Hildebrandt, Kris Phipps, and Mike Hanslik.
Memorials: Witting Lutheran Church or Cemetery.
Burial: Witting Cemetery.