Lamoine Power (Cled) Wallace
Lamoine was born Sept. 13, 1940, in Austin to Cled E. and Mavis Willis Wallace. Throughout his life, Lamoine was to claim Friday the 13th as his particular lucky day. After several years, the family moved to Houston and eventually settled in the newly developing Memorial area of Houston. Lamoine spent much of his boyhood in those woodsy areas camping out, boating down the bayou and exploring with his buddies. At Friday Mountain Boys Camp, his uncles who were counselors dubbed him Little Cled after his father and that name stuck through his school years and into his 30s, leading to confusion when some (including his wife Carol) would call him Cled, though his family and business associates would refer to him as Lamoine. Throughout his school years, Lamoine was an accomplished athlete playing football and baseball for both Spring Branch and St. Pius High Schools. In his senior year, he was approached by baseball scouts from several Texas colleges, and he was offered a scholarship by University of Texas, but to the great dismay of his parents and UT, he joined the U.S. Air Force upon graduation. After basic training in jet mechanics, he was sent to Korea and later Japan. His experiences and the people he met while overseas, both American and Japanese became part of his fondest memories of his service. While serving in the USAF, he completed two years of college through the University of Maryland. After completing his service, Lamoine worked with his father in the construction business in Houston and also managed a hair solon where he learned to cut hair, and it was here where he met Carol Ann Howell, who would quickly become his best friend, soul mate and on Sept. 10, 1974, in Houston, she became his loving wife. During the next 10 years, Lamoine donned many hats as he worked in construction, as a hair dresser, a convenient store owner, a restaurant owner and cattle rancher. Having moved to Gonzales in 1984, ranching became his true love and remained so. He loved to entertain and, while in Houston, he held an annual “Pig Party” where whole pigs and goats were carefully cooked and served to a large number of friends in attendance. Lamoine was a fabulous cook and an adept bridge player. He was truly in his element with a BBQ pit going, gumbo cooking in the kitchen and three tables of bridge and lots of family and friends in attendance. For 25 years, friends and family met at the Wallace home to celebrate Thanksgiving with games and lots of delicious food. Lamoine loved being with friends and family, though seemingly a reserved man upon first meeting him; he was outgoing with those he knew well. He could be gruff, argumentative and contrary and fun loving; caring and soft-hearted . . . a true contrarian and you just couldn’t help but love him. He enjoyed Ray Charles, George Jones and opera. He was very articulate, a challenging conversationalist and despised politics but he could successfully debate political policy with the best. He was a multitalented, multifaceted man, and a charter member of the “Table of Knowledge.” He was absolutely one of a kind. Lamoine Power “Cled” Wallace will be sorely missed by all who knew him, but hope rings true in a paraphrase of the Ray Charles song “Sweet Memories,” “And we’ll be swept away from sadness, clinging to his memory.”
Lamoine is survived by his adoring wife of 37 years, Carol Ann Howell Wallace of Gonzales; daughter Cheryl Renee Wallace of El Paso; sons and daughters-in-law Bobby and Hollye Dean of Mabank, Corey and Tasha Wallace of Montgomery, and Kelly and Dona Wallace of Anna; a sister and brother-in-law, Reda and James F. Eubank III of Houston; grandchildren Brittney Dean and her husband Marshall, Courtney Dean, Cameron Dean and his wife Jenny, Trent Dean, Lawrence Belk, Erin Linehardt, Coehn Johnson, Brea Wallace and Michael Wallace; and a great-grandson Aiden Dean.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Marsha Wallace Keith.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18, in the First United Methodist Church with Pastor Andy Smith officiating. Interment will follow in Ebenezer Cemetery. Serving as pallbearers are Jack Rafferty, Jim Covin, Clayton Teat, Donald David Howell, Dell Whiddon, Jerry Stevenson and Ismet Dzidic. Honorary pallbearers are Fred Robinson, Dickie Hardcastle, Phil Borowitz, Chris Hymel, Doug Payne, Danny Sloan and Tim Markham. The family received friends at the funeral home Monday evening.
Memorials may be made to the First United Methodist Church, Friends of Gonzales Animal Shelter or the Salvation Army. Services are under the care and direction of Seydler-Hill Funeral Home.