A.J. Goertz

Arthur James “A.J.” Goertz was born on June 6, 1952, and passed away on October 19, 2025. He was the first of five children born to Arthur and Erlene Goertz—his lifelong heroes—in Bastrop, Texas.

He attended Rockne Catholic School until it closed, graduated from Bastrop High School in 1970, then attended Blinn College before earning his Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M University in 1974.

A.J. was always thankful for his teachers and fondly recalled his early childhood memories—winning the Grand Champion Brahma Heifer trophy at the Houston Livestock Show in 1965 (held in the brand-new Astrodome) and being part of the 1969 Bastrop Bears football team, even if he mostly sat on the bench.

His early jobs included mowing grass for Rockne Catholic Church, working sale days at the Lockhart Livestock Auction, feeding and tending hogs for Leon Goertz, and working at Alexander Feed, Seed & Fertilizer on Main Street in Bastrop.

In 1975, he began a 39-year career with Armstrong & McCall Beauty Supply, selling wholesale beauty products to salons and barbershops before retiring in 2014. A.J. was always grateful for his customers and employees, many of whom became like family—especially the McCall family and John McCall, who welcomed him to the 501 Ranch in Uvalde, Texas, where he spent 19 years “with no job title.”

In 2015, A.J. married the love of his life, Alex Reyes, on South Padre Island, Texas. They had first met in 1975 while A.J. was making sales calls in McAllen. Alex brought into his life her son Carlogabriel Reyes, daughter-in-law Yanira, and grandchildren Maksim, and twins Julian and Jaxon. From his first marriage to Mary Jo McCall in 1974, A.J. is survived by sons Michael and John Goertz; daughter Jamie Hill and son-in-law Jacob Hill; grandchildren Jace and Jayden Hill; and his adopted son, Mark Crawford. Time spent with family was A.J.’s greatest joy, and he was always proud of their achievements.

Throughout his life, A.J. loved the outdoors—whether searching for Indian arrowheads or fossils, photographing nature, birdwatching, or simply relaxing in the backyard on Shoal Creek. He enjoyed fly, deep-sea, and bay fishing with family and friends in places such as Alaska, Montana’s Bighorn River, Utah’s Snake River, Costa Rica, Cancun, Cabo, Acapulco, and South Padre Island. His hunting adventures took him to Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Arizona, the golden triangle of South Texas, New Zealand, Africa, Monterrey and Sonora, Mexico, and the wilds of Alberta, British Columbia, and the Northwest Territories of Canada.

A.J.’s favorite music included The Rolling Stones, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Toby Keith. He loved movies featuring Clint Eastwood and John Wayne, reading about Native American life, African safaris, hunting, and history, and watching college football—or whatever Alex enjoyed, such as Dancing with the Stars and The Masked Singer. Together, they traveled often, celebrating Alex’s birthdays with trips to New York City for Broadway shows, and visiting Paris, Greece, Mexico, Hawaii, Bora Bora, Australia, and the American West—especially the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, and Canyon de Chelly.

At age 25, in 1977, A.J. survived a rare form of cancer—Hairy Cell Leukemia—and lived 48 more years under the exceptional care of M.D. Anderson. In 2023, he faced stage 4 non-small-cell lung cancer with courage and grace, following a lifetime of resilience that also included surviving a float plane crash in Alaska in 1995. His motto was, “You never really experience life until you have a near-death experience.”

A.J. was preceded in death by his mother, Erlene Goertz, and brothers-in-law Tomas Reyes and John McCall. He is survived by his 102-year-old father, Arthur Goertz; his children and grandchildren; brothers Keny (Nancy) and Laster (Paulette); sisters Marily (Kevin Miller) and Julaine (Karen); brothers-in-law Dr. Enrique (Georgina) Reyes, Gabriel (Bruce) Reyes, Ruben (Cindy) Reyes; sister-in-law Liana (Omar) Rodriguez; first wife Mary Jo Hague; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts, and uncles.

A.J. and his family were forever grateful to Alex for her loving care until the end, and to the many friends and family who called and visited. A.J. often said he would rather be lucky than skillful any day—and truly, he considered himself blessed.

As it says in Psalm 90:10: “The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their pride is but labor and sorrow.”

A funeral Mass will be held at St. Louis Catholic Church, 7601 Burnet Road, Austin, Texas, at 11:00 a.m., with lunch to follow in the parish hall on Friday, November 7, 2025.

In Lieu of flowers, the family request donations to St. Louis Catholic Church, 7601 Burnet Road, Austin, Texas.

AJ's urn will be laid to rest at the Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery on Saturday, November 22, 2025. The family invites friends to gather from 9:30 to 10:00am and the committal service will begin at 10:00am.  There will be food and fellowship at 11:00am at the parish hall following the service.