Estle Anna Kresse Hartzell (Estelle)

Estle Anna Kresse Hartzell (Estelle), 106-years-old, adventured into heaven for her next journey on Jan. 15, 2023. Her daughter was by her side in their home in Austin, Texas.

Estelle was born in Liberty, Mo., Dec. 4, 1916. Living with her grandparents in Bronaugh, Mo., her first six years, she recalled the love felt there, “Jesus let me live in Grandpa’s house.”

Back with her parents, they lived in Hardin, Concordia and Kansas City, Mo. Her college education included William Jewell College, graduating from Kansas City Teacher’s College; post graduate work at Oklahoma State University, Northwestern University, and Corpus Christi State University.

She met John Joseph (Jack) Hartzell (PA) during his World War II pilot training; they married Jan. 10, 1944, in Orange County, Calif. Married life was spent in the Rio Grande Valley, Victoria, and Corpus Christi, Texas, before ending their marriage. In later years they renewed their friendship until his death in 1999.

Estelle taught briefly in Illinois and Oklahoma, but most of her 30 year career were with Corpus Christi ISD and Del Mar Jr. College. Once she was quoted, “My students have become, to me, like part of my family.” A student said, “She teaches reading, but really she teaches a class on thinking." Endless creativity moved her to reach each student’s need.

Estelle was a writer! Words illuminated her quest for describing life. She and her daughter collaborated on writing projects on education, aviation, people and poetry.

Her journals focus on prayers for healing through studying the Bible and Jesus. Her prayer partners were her best friends. She was a member of The International Order of Saint Luke The Physician, a Christian healing ministry. Moving to Marble Falls and Burnet, Texas, for most of her retirement, she served with the jail ministry in Burnet.

Estelle is survived by her daughter, Mary Jewell Hartzell (Austin, Texas); grandsons, Ian Hartzell and Frazier Hartzell (Santa Maria, Calif.); and great-grandsons, Sean Hartzell and William Hartzell.

She was preceded in death by her sons, John Joseph Hartzell Jr. and Paul David Hartzell; parents, Aurthur O. Kresse and Leona McReynolds Kresse; grandparents, Benjamin F. McReynolds and Mary Hougland McReynolds (Packard); father of her children, Jack Hartzell; sisters, Jewell Louise Kresse and Dorothy Jeanne Larson; aunt, Mamie McReynolds Wilhite; and cousin, Mary Francis Wilhite Basham.

Her driving force was love for her three children; always ready to listen to their thoughts; forever reflecting the strengths she saw in them.

Eternal gratitude to Estelle’s dedicated and loving caregiver, Ariceli Munoz; for the years of unwavering support by friends John A. Kramak and Candice Ferris; for Criscelia Rubalcaba who made caregiving seem easy and joyful; and for the guidance of Suzanne Buchner, NP, and the Ministering Physicians team. Estelle wanted to live to be 100 or more, believing that God gave us life abundantly. Thank all of you who helped.

After her children moved away, she would go out and do something they used to do together, and then she’d call and say, “I did it in honor of you!” Today her daughter said, “It’s my turn, Mama. I have a lot to do ‘in honor of you’."