John Palmer Bartels

John Palmer Bartels, age 72 of Gatesville, passed away on October 9, 2025. A Celebration of Life will be held at 10:00 am on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, at Scott’s Funeral Home with Pastor Tim Crosby officiating. Military honors will be provided by the United States Air Force at the beginning of the service.

John was a member of Trinity Baptist Church. John’s faith in God was important to him. His favorite Bible verse was Exodus 19:4, “I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.”

John was born on November 21, 1952, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Leonardtown, Maryland to the late Wilson Samuel and Stella Bennett Bartels. John grew up in Camarillo, California and graduated from Camarillo High School in 1971. John joined the Air Force in 1974 and was medically retired in 1985. John met the love of his life, Lois Williams Bartels, in 1987 and they married in 1988. He worked for Lockheed Martin for twenty-two years as an Internal Parts Breakdown Specialist (IPB) before retiring in 2010. In 2012, Lois and John moved to Gatesville to be closer to family.

John was an avid astronomer and was a member of the Central Texas Astronomical Society. He loved photography and enjoyed taking pictures of animals, plants, and stars. He used his telescope to take pictures of stars and planets and would even grind his own mirrors for his telescopes. With the help of a friend, he built a teledrive mount to follow one star all night. John loved animals, especially dogs. To know John was to love him and enjoy his “corny” jokes. In 2021, John became a resident of William R. Courtney Veterans Home where he attended church and made many friends.

John is preceded in death by his parents, and brother, Ron Bartels and wife, Gayle.

He is survived by his wife, Lois Williams Bartels; sister-in-law, Kathy Williams Coffman and husband, Gerry; brother, Gary Bartels; numerous nieces and nephews, and many friends.

The family would like to express their heartfelt appreciation to William R. Courtney Veterans Home and Heart of Texas Hospice.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to Trinity Baptist Church-Building Fund, 1506 West Main Street, Gatesville, Texas, 76528.