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Basel Butler Boatright III joined his wife, Sheila, in the Lord’s presence on December 3rd, 2025. Known to most as ‘Boat’, ‘Pop’ to his grandkids and throughout his childhood as ‘Scooter,’ he was born in Alice, Texas, on March 4th, 1959, and graduated high school in Bandera, Texas, in 1977. After serving as a Security Forces officer in the United States Air Force, Boat earned his police officer’s commission and briefly served at San Antonio Police Department before finding his true call to service at the New Braunfels Police Department, where he served until retirement in 1997. He was proud of his service as an investigator for this community, solving several high-profile crimes and graduating from the FBI National Academy. After his first retirement, he was hired to direct the Security and Loss Prevention departments at Schlitterbahn Waterpark, finding his second calling and continuing to serve as a principled example of a leader, mentoring many along the way. After retiring from Schlitterbahn he pursued his lifelong passion for motorcycles and found a second family in the local chapter of the Thin Blue Line Motorcycle Club, an organization of mostly retired peace officers. Boat’s sudden passing has left his friends and family speechless, but we know he’s back in Sheila’s arms, finding his final comfort with her, probably two-stepping to Amarillo By Morning. Basel was preceded in death by the undoubted light of his life, his wife Sheila Jai Boatright; his father, Basel Boatright Jr., his sister, Angel Laslie, and his mother, Marilyn Pridgen. He leaves behind his son and daughter-in-law, John Henry and Valerie Boatright, and their three children, Story, Sadie and Reiter. He also leaves behind his niece and her family, Rachel, Matt and Micah Gunter, who meant more to him than they may realize. He is also survived by his stepbrothers, Harvey Kelley, Jerry Hay and Bill Hay, and stepmother, Sue Jo Vollmering, and their familes. To my father and one of my dearest friends, all I can say is ‘don’t worry about us, Pop. The example you and Mom set is one to emulate. Your mentorship will be missed. Your lessons will be passed along, and we know you loved us immensely and without reservations.’ A public service for Basel will be held at Doeppenschmid’s Funeral Home in downtown New Braunfels, on Saturday, December 13th, at 11AM and will proceed to a graveside service at Hill Country Memorial Gardens afterwards.

Basel Butler Boatright III

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