Larry Robert Hoschek

Larry Robert Hoschek, 81, of Buda, Texas, died Friday, Dec. 12, 2025.

He was born in Burlington on Feb. 6, 1944, to Dorothy Elizabeth Hoschek, nee Luttenegger, and Robert Joseph Hoschek. Larry married Carolyn Sue Mettes on July 11, 1970, in Clarence, Missouri.

Larry grew up primarily in Iowa and Illinois before moving to Tennessee and finally Texas, which he has called home since 1982.

Larry graduated from Notre Dame High School in 1962. After graduating, he worked at Acers Blackmore, Murray Ironworks in the boiler shop, and J.I. Case in the machine shop. While working at J.I. Case, he attended Burlington Community College, graduating in 1966. He then attended Northeast Missouri State Teachers College (Truman State University) in Kirksville, Missouri, graduating in 1968 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering.

Upon graduation, he worked for Emerson Electric in Mount Pleasant for a few years before being hired by the Trane Co. and tasked to build a new boiler facility in Burlington. He transferred to the air conditioning division of the Trane Co. in Clarksville, Tennessee. He eventually ended up working in Amarillo, Texas, for Mason Hanger Silas Mason (Pantex) as a process engineer tasked with dismantling nuclear weapons. He retired in June of 2005.

In his retirement, he enjoyed making house repairs for family and friends; collecting and repairing HO and Marx trains; building trains using balsa wood; collecting coins; and spending time tending to the lawn. As with many Texas transplants, he cheered on the Dallas Cowboys, much to the annoyance of his daughter, while still rooting for the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, and Kansas City Chiefs as long as their opponent was not the Cowboys. Larry was always ready and willing to share a fun story with details that others seemed to have forgotten, or share a joke whether you needed a laugh or not.

When not able to be outside due to the warm Texas summers, he could be found searching the internet for train parts, watching videos on YouTube, tuning in to watch reruns of Yellowstone, or catching the new episode of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, much to the chagrin of his wife and daughter.

Most of all, he loved spending time with his friends and family, especially his granddaughter Vivane, who he hoped would take on the mantle of being the next Hoschek coin collector.

He was preceded in death by his father, Robert, and mother, Dorothy, as well as his younger brother Michael Eugene, who passed earlier in 2025.

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Carolyn Sue of Buda; his son, David (Heather) of Round Rock; daughter DeAnn of Buda; granddaughter Vivane of Round Rock; many nieces; and one nephew.

If you would like to honor Larry's life, please make donations to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.