In Loving Memory

Franklin Charles Buerger

Franklin Charles Buerger
May 1, 1937
February 10, 2020
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Obituary

Franklin Charles, Buerger, 82, passed away on February 10, 2020.

Frank was born on May 1, 1937, to Fred Sr. and Christine (Meyer) Buerger. He was born at home on the family farm in the Gay Hill community of Washington County – after his hardworking mother had spent the day picking cotton. Frank got his strong worth ethic and his honesty from her, and he would carry these qualities with him all his life. In his childhood, Frank and his family were members of Frieden’s United Church of Christ of Gay Hill, where Frank’s grandfather had been a founding member. Frank was baptized there in 1937 and confirmed there in 1955. Frank enjoyed growing up in the country with his family, playing lots of baseball and trying to keep up with his many siblings. In 1955, Frank graduated from Snook High School.

The next few years of Frank’s life were busy: in 1956, he moved to Houston for new employment opportunities. Later that year, he met future wife Lyle Simpson by chance – he was riding along in a friend’s car when they happened to break down in front of her Houston home. In 1957 they were married, and in 1958 they welcomed their first child, daughter Pam. In the following years they had another daughter, Patty, and son Frank E. They made their home in the Houston area.

Frank spent most of his working life as an estimator, mainly for metal buildings. He was employed by various companies in Houston, including MesTex and A & S Steel, before becoming part-owner of TRIO Metal Buildings. Frank’s final job was with JedCo Building Systems, before declining health forced him into retirement at age 79. His mind stayed sharp until the end and he was very knowledgeable about his work.

If anything, Frank was a creature of habit. He was very punctual (and expected that you would be, too!). He enjoyed following sports, especially the Rockets (but never the Astros). He could often be seen wearing his favorite Aggie cap. He always had the radio on, and he kept up with current events. After his 5:30am breakfast of a Little Debbie Oatmeal Crème Pie and a cup of coffee, he would call his kids to check on them and let them know what the weather would be that day. Calls from Pawpaw were so dependable that Pam’s kids used them as an alarm clock!

He enjoyed trips to Denny’s, and would always ask for his favorite waiter. He absolutely loved scratch-offs and lotto tickets. He had a special method of scratching them off, including using some “lucky” nickels – although they usually weren’t very lucky, and he would announce that “I didn’t even win a plug nickel!”. He could, at times be a (well-intentioned) backseat driver. Long road trips were made a bit longer because Frank would insist on stopping to buy scratch-offs if a certain service station looked promising.

In 1994, Frank was married to Judy (Morgan) Moss, and they enjoyed building a life together in the Spring area.

Frank was absolutely full of stories. From his childhood in the country, up to the present day, he always had a story to tell … although there may have been a few tall tales thrown in here and there! He also enjoyed teasing and bantering with friends and family. Frank enjoyed the small pleasures in life, especially time spent with his family. He enjoyed going to the camp house with family. He spent a lot of time with the grandkids, teaching them to fish, and sharing his wit, wisdom, and “PawPaw-isms”. His words of advice to his grandkids include "stay out of debt and don't overspend". He also encouraged them to "walk slow and carry a big stick", because if you walk too fast, you might miss something, and you need a big stick in case someone gets in your way!


Frank loved the outdoors and spent many happy hours watching and feeding birds. He never missed a meeting with the Rocky Creek Wildlife Association. Frank was a huge animal lover, especially dogs and puppies. His energetic fur-baby Dottie Jane has stayed in the family and is now being enjoyed (and watched closely) by son Frank E. and family.

Frank is survived by his children, Pamela Ann Buerger Metzler, Patty Jean (husband Wane) Ellis, Frank E. (wife Amber) Buerger; step-sons Roger Moss, and Robert Moss (wife Blanca); he was “PawPaw” to grandchildren, Travis Metzler (wife Lisa), Melvin “Jay” Wren, Samantha Guebert (husband Travis), Ashley Chittwood (husband James), Brittany Metzler, Trenton Charles Buerger, Tracer Cade Buerger, and step-grandchildren Joshua Melton, Brandon Moss, Jacob Moss, Noah Moss, Bethany Moss, and Natalie Moss. Frank was so proud and excited to have been able to meet the most recent additions to the family: great-grandsons Cooper Jennings Chittwood and Carter Scott Guebert. Pawpaw gave them nicknames before they were even born of the "C-boys": "Cooper Tires" and "Carter Country." He also said that they would be called the "can-do" boys because whenever they would be asked to do something, they would say "yes, I can do that!”.

Frank was also a great mentor and father figure to Ricky Metzler, father of Pam’s children, for over forty years. They enjoyed several trips to Brenham together where they often worked hard with the upkeep of the camp house & property. They also shared the love of scratch offs together and it would always take them twice as long to go anywhere because they'd have to make several stops to get "just one more!".

Frank is predeceased by his wife, Judy (Moss) Buerger; his parents, Fred Sr. and Christine; his siblings, Melvin, Fred Jr., Bernice (Buerger) Mantey, Evelyn (Buerger) Popp, Delores (Buerger) Zander; the mother of his children, Lyle (Simpson) Buerger; and his dog companions, Precious and Logan, who he missed very much.

Honorary Pallbearers will be Erwin Zander, Ricky Metzler, Kevin Hickman, and Mike Brown (special thanks to Mike for being such a great neighbor to Pawpaw). The family would like to extend their gratitude to all the wonderful caregivers at Kevin’s Senior Living Center in Conroe where Frank spent his final days.

A memorial service celebrating Frank’s life will be held at 11:00 am, Saturday, February 29, 2020, at Brenham Memorial Chapel. Please make plans to stay after the service to enjoy some light refreshments and a visit with the family. In accordance with his wishes, Frank will be cremated; private interment will take place at a later date. Franklin was much loved and will be greatly missed by his family

If you’d like to make a donation in memory of Frank, please consider one of his favorite charities: Kevin’s Senior Living Center, 11120 FM 1485 Conroe, Texas 77306; Rocky Creek Wildlife Association, c/o Washington County Wildlife Society, 1305 East Bluebell Road, Ste 104, Brenham, TX 77833; or Abandoned Animal Rescue, 32632 Wright Road, Magnolia, TX 77355.

Services are in the care of Brenham Memorial Chapel, 2300 Stringer St., Brenham, TX 77833. 979.836.3611 Tributes may be shared at www.BrenhamMemorialChapel.