Gonzales County clerk retiring after 20 years of service

After nearly 20 years of serving as county clerk for Gonzales County, Lee Riedel has announced her upcoming retirement. Her last day of work will be Jan. 27.

She has been county clerk since 1998. Prior to that she had been an abstractor since 1976, privately employed doing title research for oil companies across the state.

Her grandfather was a cattleman here in Gonzales, and she's a granddaughter of D.B. Kelley.

Riedel's father owned the first readymix concrete plant in Gonzales County and ran a welding shop for many years.

When asked what she loved and will miss about her job, Riedel said the history and researching of records have always been the most fun.

“I love the history of it,” she said. “It's my county and I love the titles that are in these old books. It's like putting a puzzle together. I missed being a title person – they would give me a spot on a map and it might have a name on it, and I had to figure out who owned it. If it was leased for oil and gas, and who owned the minerals under it.

“I've enjoyed being a county clerk, and I think I've done a good job,” Riedel said. “Most of the land people who come to our office say it's always a good experience, and I'm proud of that.”