Obituaries

Obituaries published in the July 2025 edition of the Texas Press Messenger.

ROBERT BORDEN

BRYAN – Former Eagle opinions page editor Robert Borden, who retired last year after being at The Eagle in Bryan for 38 years, died May 25 in Tomball, where he had moved only a few weeks earlier from Bryan. He was 75.

According to an article in The Eagle by Robert Cessna, Borden requested no funeral service nor obituary notice. “Those who encountered him thought differently, reflecting on his impact in the community,” Cessna wrote.

Borden graduated from the University of Texas in Austin with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism. He worked for the Killeen Daily Herald, the Lubbock Avalanche Journal, the Midland Reporter-Telegram and the Odessa America before coming to The Eagle. He worked at The Eagle for a year, then worked for JC Penney for eight years, before rejoining The Eagle on Oct. 20,1986, as an education reporter. In 1990, he was named the editor of the opinions page, a position he kept for the next 34 years. 

Borden was known for making sure the public understood how decisions made at city hall or the statehouse could affect their lives. For all local and state elections, he scheduled candidates to meet with The Eagle’s editorial board and made sure the readers were informed about what they said.

“I think he did the best job of keeping this editorial page alive for a long time where people had a place to voice their opinions and that’s so very important in the community and for journalism today and it’s all because of him,” Former Eagle Publisher Crystal Dupre said.

Borden was also known as the “theater guy” to many because he reviewed events by MSCOPAS, Stage Center, The Theatre Company and the Brazos Valley TROUPE,

but he also reviewed high school productions and those put on by the Navasota Theatre Alliance or Unity Theatre in Brenham. He also volunteered to write articles for those groups.

While he requested no services or other recognition, his friends agreed memorial contributions to the Hospice Brazos Valley and Brazos Valley Food Bank would be appropriate.

ROBERT (BOB) HAENEL

ROSENBERG – Robert (Bob) Haenel, 69, former managing editor of The Herald Coaster, died June 9.

A native of Giddings who grew up in San Marcos, he graduated from Southwest Texas University (now Texas State University in San Marcos) in 1978. While at the university, he served as the editor for the school newspaper for two terms.

In 1978, Haenel was hired by the late Bill Hartman to work at the Baytown Sun, mainly as their sports editor. He worked at various Hartman publications, including The Katy Times and The Mirror, where he served as the editor.

He subsequently became the managing editor of The Herald-Coaster, later known as The Fort Bend Herald, where he served in that role for more than 30 years.

According to his colleagues, he had a strong belief that the newspaper should be there for “the little guy” as well as the major players on the political scene. He was available for all the people in his community. He was adamant that the obituaries were published error free. 

He was known as a mentor to young reporters and interns, making sure they understood the fundamentals of journalism, both sides count, less is more and a deadline is a deadline.

When he left the newspaper business in June 2011, Haenel was employed as the public information officer for the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office until his retirement in June 2019.

He believed in contributing to the community in his personal life. He was elected and served as mayor of the Village of Fairchilds for two terms.

He was a faithful member of the Rosenberg Rotary Club and was a recipient of the Paul Harris Fellowship Recognition Award. He also served in various roles on the council at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Rosenberg and he mentored high school journalists and volunteered his time and expertise as a University Interscholastic League journalism judge.

He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Denise Cryer Haenel, two sons, three grandchildren and other relatives.

Memorial service was held June 20 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Rosenberg. Memorial contributions may be made to the Salvation Army.

DOROTHY JEAN LILLARD De La GARZA

AUSTIN - Dorothy Jean Lillard De La Garza, 81, of Austin and Inks Lake, Texas died June 1 in Austin. 

Married to John De La Garza, Jr. since 1966, they lived in Washington, D.C., Houston, Austin, and Dallas before returning to Austin in 2003.

She earned an honors bachelor of journalism degree from The University of Texas. In college she served as a “Littlefield Lady,” Daily Texan news editor, president of her professional journalism sorority, and an Orange Jackets and Mortar Board member. She and John met at a 1964 football game on campus, and they were Texas Exes Life Members.

Professionally (in order) she was a Dallas Morning News reporter with White House credentials; public relations writer for Rice University; Texas political party communicator; senior staff aide to U.S. Senator John Tower; personal assistant to Dallas Mayor Starke Taylor; speech writer at UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas and news interpreter for the school’s Nobel Prize laureate researchers; and finally, a middle school English teacher for 25 combined years at The Episcopal School of Dallas and St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Austin.

In addition to her husband, she is survived by four children, six grandchildren and other relatives.

Funeral Mass was held June 28, at St. Austin Catholic Church in Austin. Private burial services were held at Lakeland Hills Memorial Park, near Burnet.

Memorials may be made to nonprofit organizations, including Saint Louise House (saintlouisehouse.org), Central Texas Food Bank (centraltexasfoodbank.org) or a charity of choice.

PAUL MOWRY JR.

AUSTIN - Paul Mowry Jr., retired Austin American-Statesman executive, died June 12. He was 78.

Mowry’s career in journalism began as a boy delivering his local paper and took him all over the country. After a few years reporting in Rawlins, Wyoming, he met wife Diana Zicafoose while a sports editor in McCook, Nebraska. He later joined Cox Newspaper Group in Grand Junction, Colorado.

The family eventually settled in Mesa, AZ and later in Austin. His specialty was leading inter-departmental teams in converting the newspapers in Mesa and Austin into electronic publishing. He retired in 2010 as director of publishing and business systems for the Austin-American Statesman.

In retirement, he did volunteer work for several Austin nonprofits, notably Street Youth Ministry of Austin Inc. and the Religious Coalition to Assist the Homeless. He was a member of Covenant Presbyterian Church, where he served on the mission committee.

He is survived by two children, three grandchildren and other relatives.

Memorial service is planned for later this year. Memorials may be contributions to nonprofits and charities of choice.