Paul Borden Frenzel

Paul Borden Frenzel was born October 23, 1936, in Crystal City, Texas to R.E. and Edris Borden Frenzel.  He passed away Sunday evening, February 26. He was a graduate of Big Wells High School in 1954.  Paul attended Southwest Texas University in San Marcos then spent three years in the army.  He and Vicki Eberle met on a blind date in 1962 and in May of 1963 they married in Carrizo Springs, Texas. Paul graduated from Texas A&I in Kingsville in 1964. He accepted a position as a computer programmer with the FAA and he and Vicki moved to Oklahoma City on their first anniversary. Paul worked at FAA for thirty years, retiring in 1994, and the couple returned to Gonzales on their thirty-first anniversary.

Paul (Dutch) became interested in the history of the home they purchased and from there his love of the history of the Gonzales area grew.  His friend, Leon Netardus, recruited him in 1996 to conduct free driving tours of historic Gonzales, an activity Paul enjoyed until Covid put an end to closed vehicle tours. Paul did extensive research to document the names of the people who had built some of the older homes in Gonzales, helping some owners to get their Texas Historical Markers. Eventually he documented over seventy homes’ dates of construction and had his research published in a book called Historic Homes of Gonzales. Later, he took on the task of documenting the dates of construction of the buildings surrounding the squares.  The Historic Homes Association, of which he was a member, funded the cast aluminum markers in front of the historic houses and helped to fund the markers on the buildings that Paul documented.  He was awarded many certificates and citations for the work he did to preserve the history of Gonzales and was proud to receive the Walshak Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.

Paul was a member of the Gonzales Zoning Board for decades and worked tirelessly at Pioneer Village.   He was an Elder in the Presbyterian Church of Gonzales.  He enjoyed his Friday morning coffee group and counted these guys among his best friends.  He was a devoted husband of almost sixty years and a committed father to his children.  He adored his two granddaughters, and they adored their PaPa.  He loved fishing and being out at the camp house.

He is survived by his wife, Vicki, and two children, son Chris (wife Alex) and daughter Kimberly Frenzel and granddaughters Caroline and Victoria.

A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. on March 19 at the Presbyterian Church of Gonzales with Reverend Cheryl Homsher officiating. Visitation and refreshments will follow in the Fellowship Hall.  In lieu of flowers the family would suggest a donation to Pioneer Village, the Presbyterian Church or the charity of one’s choice.