JOSEPH GRUY, JR.

May 28, 1929 - June 3, 2022

Beloved and devoted husband, father, grandfather and uncle, Joseph Gruy, Jr. passed away peacefully in his sleep on June 3, 2022.

Joe was born in Beeville, Texas, on May 28, 1929, to Lucile and Joseph Gruy, Sr.

He attended schools in Beeville, Hebbronville, and San Antonio before attending Texas A&M University. He was at A&M for three years before transferring to The University of Texas where he was a member of the Kappa Alpha fraternity. He greatly enjoyed college life and was part of many legendary stories of the day. He was also well known for famously hosting the “Wednesday Night Open House” to kick off the coming weekend!

Joe was a life-long rancher on the El Torete ranch outside Hebbronville, Texas. He dedicated himself to clearing and improving ranchland in order to strengthen his cattle production in the rough south Texas brush country. He was also known to host a hunting party too!

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He left a lasting impression on everyone he met. Whether the stories originated in college, on his ranch, or at his home on Lake Travis, he was a funny, kind gentleman, whose self-deprecating humor and intelligence were appreciated by all. And even to his final days, he was always impeccably dressed. Pressed khaki pants, starched shirt, and tall, custom Luchesse cowboy boots were his trademark. His boots were always shined and buffed - sometimes at a fine men’s store in Houston, and sometimes by a boy on a corner in Nuevo Laredo.

Joe was an avid reader and a deep thinker. He spent summers with his three daughters giving life lessons which would later be passed on to his grandchildren. In addition to teaching his girls how to ride a horse, hunt for quail and drive a stick shift, he instilled self-determination, strength of character, and courage. He studied geopolitics and encouraged global business and travel long before it was in vogue.

He was a college football fan, never missed an episode of Johnny Carson and was always the life of the party. He kept a pistol by the bed and suffered no fools. He believed in gold, good wine and quality in all things.

He is survived by his wife, Denise Miller Gruy, his children from a previous marriage; Clayton Erikson and husband Shel, Carolyn Biedenharn and husband Larry, Lisa Brandt and husband Wayne, his five grandchildren; Kahler Marlow and husband Kristian, Tucker Biedenharn and wife Sarah, Emily LaGrone and husband Mark, Allison Biedenharn and Robert Brandt, his brother Viggo Gruy, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his sister, Dagmar Cole.

A private Celebration of Life will be held at a future date.