Spotlight on Family: Mary’s Dad, Myron Moritz

Myron Moritz was born December 11, 1928, in Fredericksburg, Texas.  He was one of seven children born to Bob and Vera Moritz.  They hunted deer for food, and would process the meat with Myron’s father and grandfather every year.  At age five or six, he began hunting with the family.

While hunting was a means for procuring food, it also became one of my dad’s favorite pastimes.  In fact, he told the draft board that he couldn’t leave in October because that was deer and elk season in Colorado!  So he left in January because all of the hunting seasons in Texas and Colorado were over!

Myron served in the army during the reconstruction of Germany as a cook.  Being from Fredericksburg, a German settlement in Texas, he knew the German language.  But the Germans he worked with did not know that!  This made for some interesting and funny stories!  Particularly one that ended with everyone in a bar buying him drinks!

He helped his mom and dad build a two-story building, on the outskirts of Fredericksburg, that housed a diner on the main floor, and his parents’ living quarters upstairs.  They called it Country Diner.  He worked as a cook there for about six months, then worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, traveling and inspecting problem insect infestations such as boll weevils.  After awhile he went back home and bought the diner with a friend of his.  He said he would run it until he could find someone to buy his share.  Evenually his friend’s brother came back from serving in Germany, so he bought my dad’s share.  Then he worked construction with a friend and his brother-in-law.

While working construction, he often traveled to San Antonio to work.  During his lunch break, he and his brothers and brother-in-law would often eat at Butcher Boys, where Mary’s mom was a waitress.  She claims it was a great place to eat, and one of the more popular dishes was a $1 t-bone steak, with all the fixings!  Can you imagine?!  The guys would often joke with my mom, Jean, and ask her what such a nice girl was doing there.  She answered, “Looking for a husband, but none of you fit the bill!”

One day the guys came in, but Myron was not with them.  He thought he had told Jean that he was going to be hunting in Colorado, but he must not have, for she quipped, “Oh, you lost your compadre?”

One of them responded, “Yeah, he got married last weekend.”

The next week she had to work late, and Myron came in by himself.  He was the only customer in there!  They talked a little, then she went about her work.  Finally he said to her, “Could I ask you something?”  She thought he wanted something else to eat.  “How about you go out with me?”

“Are you kidding?!”  she blurted out, thinking maybe he had had a fight with his new wife.  Of course, his brothers had been joking.  And this started Mary’s parents’ relationship.  They were later married on April 1, 1960 (no kidding!).  I like to tease them and say,”Will you marry me?  April Fool’s!”  Together they raised their three children, Jay, Robert Michael, and Mary.

My dad went on to own his own construction company, MCM Custom Homes, and my brother Jay worked with him.  They built half a million dollar homes (1980’s prices).  He did that for 27 years.  At age 60 he began inspecting homes for SACU (San Antonio Credit Union) and did that for 16 years.

About 30 years ago, my dad started writing down his experiences of hunting with his friends and family, filling up two yellow legal pads, front and back!  More to come on this…

He turned 89 today!  He is an amazing, hard-working man.  I truly admire him; his service to his country (and others like him) have made our country what it is.  His responsibility and work ethic have helped shaped me and made me who I am.  I love my dad and am very proud of him.  Happy Birthday, Dad!