HENRY BROESCHE

1937-2021

Henry Fred Broesche, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and greatgrandfather, passed away peacefully on Sunday, the 24th of October 2021, with his family by his side. He was 84 years of age.

He was born on the 21st of January 1937, in Brenham, Texas, to Ella Appel Broesche and Henry Hank Broesche. Growing up in Brenham, Henry was a talented athlete, playing football and basketball at Brenham High School and qualifying as a swimmer in the junior Olympics. Henry loved to regale his grandchildren with stories of the escapades of growing up in a small town in Texas, with the cast of characters being his lifelong friends who were known and loved by his family.

The family moved to Houston during Henry’s junior year of high school. He became a member of Faith Lutheran Church in Bellaire, a church designed by Henry’s uncle Travis Broesche. Henry, Carolyn and their family were faithful congregants of Faith Lutheran until his passing. Henry attended Lamar High School, where he met the love of his life, Carolyn Clayton, in Mrs. Red’s algebra class. After graduation from Lamar, Henry received a scholarship to play football at Rice University, while Carolyn moved to Austin to attend the University of Texas. After a few months of being apart, Henry decided to transfer to UT to be with his beautiful “Carolina Moon.” Henry became a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree of Business Administration from the University of Texas in Austin. As the story goes, Henry proposed to Carolyn and gave her two minutes to make up her mind, and she did: Henry married Carolyn on the 6th of September 1958.

As a young man and father, Henry worked various jobs, starting as a salesman for Norwood Homes and US Homes. It was during this time that Henry began his lifelong career in homebuilding, like so many Broesche men. Henry established his own homebuilding company, Brighton Homes, in 1975. Brighton Homes was one of the few local homebuilding companies to weather the real estate bust of the 1980s that forced many of his local competitors out of business. Henry grew the company into a successful business, building thousands of homes throughout the Houston, Dallas and Austin areas. In 2002, Henry sold Brighton Homes to Hovnanian Enterprises Inc., but continued to maintain an office at the company until his retirement in 2017.

Henry never lost his love for his hometown, so in 1995 he purchased his beloved Pleasant Hill Farm in Brenham. Every weekend Henry and Carolyn loved to escape to “the farm,” which was the site of years of fun gatherings with family and friends. Henry was known for his hospitality and famous parties to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and other special occasions.

Henry and his family enjoyed playing golf, fishing, hunting, gardening, and playing with the grandkids. Above all else, Henry loved spending time with his family and entertaining his friends.

Henry was a dedicated community leader known for his generosity and integrity. He served as the President of the Greater Houston Builders Association, was awarded Builder of the Year from GHBA in 1987 and was named an honorary life member. Henry was also a member of the University of Texas Chancellor’s Council, and served on the board at Faith Lutheran Church. He received numerous accolades throughout his career recognizing his impact on the community. He faithfully supported The Heritage Society of Houston, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Texas Children’s Hospital, The Brookwood Community, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Yellowstone Academy, and The Children’s Fund Inc. Henry’s life exemplified Luke 12:48: “To whom much is given, much will be required.”

Henry was preceded in death by his parents, and is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 63 years, Carolyn Clayton Broesche; daughter, Julianne Broesche Gaut and her husband J of Amarillo; sons, Kirt Broesche and his wife Kelly of Houston, and Karl Broesche of Houston; grandchildren, Roy Gaut and his wife Laura of Long Beach, California, Jeffrey Gaut of Amarillo, Kathryn Broesche Smyth and her husband Trevor of Los Angeles, California, and Kirt Broesche, Jr. of Chicago, Illinois; great-granddaughters, Ella and Lucy Gaut of Long Beach, California; sister,

Ann DeCordova of Houston; nephew, Marshall Hooker and his wife Stephenie, and their children Kelan and Devyn of Houston; as well as numerous cousins, nephews and nieces.

Henry cherished his time with family and was so proud of his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, who provided so much joy and fulfillment in his life. Henry’s love for his family was truly unconditional.

Henry’s family wishes to express their gratitude and appreciation to caregivers Leticia Lopez and Ganiat Thompson, and the staff at the Farrington of Tanglewood and Seasons Hospice for their loving care of Henry.

Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family from six until eight o’clock in the evening on Thursday, the 11th of November, in the library and grand foyer of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston.

A funeral service is to be conducted at half-past ten o’clock in the morning on Friday, the 12th of November, at Faith Lutheran Church, 4600 Bellaire Boulevard in Bellaire, where Pastor Kerry Nelson is to officiate. Guests may also view the service virtually via a livestream to be hosted at live.faithbellaire. org

The family will gather for a private interment at Woodlawn Cemetery in Houston.

In lieu of customary remembrances, memorial donations in honor of Henry Broesche may be directed to the Alzheimer’s Association, 6055 S Loop E Freeway, Houston, TX, 77087 or at www.alz.org

Please visit Mr. Broesche’s online memorial tribute at GeoHLewis.com where memories and words of comfort and condolence may be shared electronically with his family.

“Our father will be remembered as an honest businessman, dedicated to hard work and giving back to the community. He was guided by his faith in God and his love for family. Life is fleeting but the life of Henry left an indelible mark on us. You will always be our sunshine, Henry.”