William Gustafson

William David Gustafson was born March 30, 1938 in Ferndale, MI and met his Savior July 29, 2014. He was a lifelong Christian with a strong faith. Second only to his faith was his devotion to his wife Nola. He was preceded in death by his sons, Alex and Arthur. He leaves behind his wife, Nola; children Scott, Kurt (Juliette), Kris (Chad), and Brett (Mandy); daughters-in-law Gina, Kathy, Lisa, and Christi; 11 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. He also had many others who he referred to as his kids that he had mentored or befriended over the years.He had many careers and interests, primarily the US Postal Service for 34 years in Michigan, California, and Texas, retiring in 1992. He was a veteran of the US Army(ER) from 1956-1959, was a volunteer firefighter with Mathis and Annaville. He was an avid car enthusiast who was a substitute instructor for "autobody/shop" at Del Mar College for 22 years, and was the full-time instructor for "diesel" for 2 years. Being a fan of NASCAR he also raced locally at CC Speedway. His Lutheran faith played the most important role in his life. A lifelong Lutheran, he most recently was a 26 year member of St. John's Lutheran Church in Robstown where he became a SAM (Synodically Authorized Minister), started the Lutheran Men in Mission chapter, assisted with youth camp, mentored numerous youth, served on many boards, sang regularly for the Lord, and was faithful in attendance. He never met a stranger and befriended and accepted everyone he met. He had a couple of sayings he used regularly that demonstrate this faith: "Christ was a servant and that's what I want to be". "Everyday I want to be a blessing to all I meet". And, "We are all related, there were no stow-aways on the ark".Whether you were blessed enough to have met or known him personally, if you needed anything he would put your own needs before his own. Everything he did was with a smile and he was well known for his wonderful sense of humor. A Memorial Celebration of his life will be Saturday, August 9th, 2014 at 10:30 am, at St John Lutheran Church, 3316 Hummingbird Lane, Robstown TX 78380. Phone is 361-387-9481. Gus wished everyone to come in bright, happy clothes. In lieu of flowers, donations to a charity of your choice or to St. John's Lutheran Church for the "Gus Gustafson" project would be most appreciated by the family.