In the early morning hours of August 31, 2024, our beloved father, grandfather, uncle and caring friend, Edwin Glendale "Butch" Theiss, was called to his Heavenly home with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Born in Louetta, Texas, on November 19, 1928, to Rosa Elizabeth Scherer and John Edwin Theiss, Butch lived the majority of his life in the Klein community.  He attended Trinity Lutheran School through the eighth grade and graduated from Klein High School in 1947.  Butch was an outstanding athlete playing high school basketball, and he was also active in FFA. Following graduation, he returned to KHS in the fall as a player/coach on the very first Bearkat Football Team.  In 1950 during the Korean Conflict, he was drafted into the United States Army where he served as a tank driver, stationed at Fort Polk, Louisiana, earning the rank of Sergeant.  On April 14, 1951, while still in the Army, Butch married his high school sweetheart, Billie Jean Armstrong. They celebrated their 60th anniversary before her passing on February 14, 2012.

Following his discharge from the Army in 1952, Butch and Billie Jean lived in the Heights for a few years before settling in the Recreation Acres area of North Houston. In 1966, they built a home in the Klein community where they both resided until their passing.  Butch had a long and fruitful career at Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, retiring with 38 years of service.  He served his community faithfully as a member of the Klein ISD Board of Trustees for 18 years, during which time the district grew exponentially.  He was a driving force in the recruitment and eventual hiring of Dr. Donald Collins, who was the Superintendent of Klein ISD for 29 years. After retiring from Southwestern Bell, Butch resigned from the Klein ISD Board to begin working for the District, retiring with 16 years of service to Klein ISD. As a former high school athlete and avid supporter of Klein ISD, Butch always volunteered in any way he could. In the early days, it was not uncommon to see Butch behind the administration building, climbing telephone poles to replace field lights; and after the new stadium was built, he would often troubleshoot electrical issues between the field and the press box.  He was also a lifelong supporter of the Klein FFA, supporting their auctions, allowing students to raise animals on his property, and giving of his resources for awards, fundraisers and other annual events. For his many years of service to the Klein School District, his lifelong commitment to Klein football and athletics, and his dedication to the community of Klein, Butch was honored in 2010 with the naming of Butch Theiss Field at Klein Memorial Stadium.

Butch was most proud of his German heritage, as one of the foremost historians for the Theis/Theiss family history. He poured countless hours and his own personal funds into researching the Theis/Theiss history, publishing the history on two occasions, organizing many Theis/Theiss family reunions and providing valuable commentary on other related German families in the area as well.  In the 1980s, they joined a group of Klein residents and traveled to Bottenhorn, Germany, the place from which many of the founding Klein families immigrated in the late 1800s.  While visiting Bottenhorn, Butch and Billie Jean forged a lasting bond with distant relative Volker Theis and his partner, Margit Albers.  Volker and Margit visited Klein on several occasions through the years and were able to be with Butch at his 95th birthday celebration. He served on the Board of the Spring Creek Historical Foundation in Tomball for many years and was a major contributor to the Wunderlich Farm and Interactive History Park in Klein ISD. In 2015, his family home became one of the major exhibits in the museum.   A consummate story-teller, Butch authored his auto-biography, My Life in Klein in 2009.

Butch was an avid hunter in the Texas Hill Country for over 70 years, hunting in Fredericksburg, Comfort, Doss and Mason.  Although self-taught, he was an accomplished taxidermist, and his work was first-rate.  Many of his mounts were donated to the Wunderlich Farm, to include a full-mount standing deer he shot in Mason, Texas, at the age of 92.  The Lord blessed him with a keen intelligence and a sharp mind, which he maintained until his passing.  He could fix anything, especially electrical devices, and he continued to engage in electrical repairs well into his 90s.  During his younger years, Butch was also a member of the Greater Houston Men's Fast Pitch Softball Association, where he was selected into the Fast Pitch Hall of Fame as a Legends player in 2014.

While Butch grew up at Trinity Lutheran Church in Klein, he honored Billie Jean's desire to remain in the Baptist denomination and became a faithful member of Spring Baptist Church until her passing.  As a widower, Butch returned to Trinity Lutheran once again where he has been an active member since 2013.

In addition to his parents and his wife, he was preceded in death by his brother Victor and wife Cora Strack Theiss; sister Etta Mae and husband M.C. "Buddy" Klein; and sister Gladys and husband Marcos Hakemack; sister-in-law Geraldine Armstrong and husband Larry Ford; Brother-in-law Bobby Armstrong; nephews Jerald Theiss, Vurtis Klein, Dennis Klein and John Ford; nieces Patricia Mingus and Becky Diehl; great niece April Theiss and great-great nephew Brayden Watthuber.

Left to cherish his memory are Butch's four children and their families: son, Dr. Ronald Theiss and his wife Melanie of Nacogdoches; daughter, Yvonne Stolz and her husband Mark of Houston; daughters LaVonne Theiss of Klein and Sandra Theiss of College Station; grandchildren Michael Graves and his wife Mary; Elizabeth Fife and husband Brandon; Nicholas Graves; John Robert Theiss and wife Dr. Mary Amanda Theiss; and Cpt. Paul Theiss (United States Army); great-grandchildren Skylar and Gavin Fife; Michael Lee, Mariner and Maisy Graves; and arriving in November, Hallie Virginia Theiss. Butch also leaves his brother-in-law, David Armstrong and wife Kerri, as well as a host of nieces and nephews and countless friends.  Among these, he leaves special friends Bernell Lovett and Ann Mifflin.

Serving as pallbearers are nephews Kenny Hakemack, Terry Hakemack and Mark Hakemack; Ronnie Anderson, Dr. Donald Collins, Jr., Robert Collins, John McShan, and Robert Young. Honorary Pallbearers will be David Armstrong, Gary Butler, Dr. Jim Cain, Otis Davis, Bruce Hillegeist, Tommy Kaiser, Bobby Klein, Bobby Russell, Douglas Weidemann, James Wunderlich and all of Butch's great-nephews. Also included are members of the Klein ISD Administration and Board of Trustees, as well as members of the 1947 First Klein Football team.

Visitation will be Saturday, September 7, 2024, at Trinity Lutheran Church Klein, from 10:30 am until the beginning of the service at 12:00 noon.  Following the service, interment will follow immediately at Klein Memorial Cemetery on FM 2920. For those desiring memorials, please consider Trinity Lutheran Church or Klein High School FFA Project Show.

The family wishes to thank the pastoral staff of Trinity Lutheran Church, who ministered greatly to Butch throughout his 8-month journey with pancreatic cancer. In addition, our deepest gratitude is extended to Dr. Benjamin Musher and his team at the Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center of Baylor College of Medicine, for their compassionate and expert care.

"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." II Timothy 4:7-8 KJV