Dr. Gary Mounce

Gary Joe Mounce was born on December 25, 1937, in Arkansas City, Kansas. He passed away on December 21, 2025, in The Woodlands, near Houston, Texas, just days before his 88th birthday. A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, February 21st, 2026, at 2:00 pm, at Peckham Christian Church.

Gary was the son of Walter and Nellie Walker Mounce. The family moved from Arkansas City to Roxanna, Illinois, when he was a toddler. They lived there for five years, before moving to Hobbes, New Mexico, for a short time, and then eventually settling in Peckham, Oklahoma. He attended Peckham School and went to high school in Newkirk, Oklahoma. He attended Oklahoma State University and graduated in 1960, with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science, and obtained his PhD in Political Science from the University of California, Berkley.

After obtaining his PhD, Gary spent many years teaching Political Science in universities in Texas, Mexico, Belize, Brazil, Portugal, and Spain. He enjoyed visiting other countries and learning about their cultures and traditions. He taught for many years at Pan American University in Edinberg, Texas, which was later renamed the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley.

Gary lived a life marked by intelligence, integrity, and quiet strength. Teaching was not simply his profession, it was his passion and calling. A Political Science professor for many years, he believed deeply in the power of education, critical thinking, and service to others.

Gary married Maria Elena (Malena) Elias on November 29, 1985, in Mexico City, Mexico. They made their home in Edinberg, TX, where they raised their children, Joey and Nena. Gary volunteered for many years with the ballet company where his children danced, and enjoyed performing in The Nutcracker with them.

Gary wrote a regular political column for the Rio Grande Guardian newspaper. He wrote articles for the newspaper for many years, and in 2025, those articles were incorporated into a book, "A Writing Fool," and published. Gary was diagnosed with cancer in 2013. He retired from teaching in 2015. In the fall of 2025, he returned to teaching. He taught the Fall semester, until his illness made it too difficult to return to classes after Thanksgiving.

Gary is survived by his wife of 40 years, Malena, and children, Joey Mounce and Nena and Caleb Jones; sister Betty Jean Glasgow; grandchildren Sophie and Liam Jones, brothers-in-law Tito, Fernando and wife Marisol, and Alfonso and wife Marcela, sisters-in-law Maria Rosa and husband Jose, and Maria Isabel and husband Chavo, many nieces and nephews, and extended family and friends.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Walter and Nellie Mounce, grandparents Daisy and Samuel Mounce, and Della and Earl Walker, mother and father-in-law, Maria and Honore Elias.