Arlie Wayne Oetken

Arlie Wayne, age 80, was born on a rural farm in Warrenton, Tx in the house that was built by his great, great grandfather.  Parents, Erwin and Elfrieda Oetken, were overjoyed by their long awaited first child.

He was raised on this farm with his mom, dad, grandma Bauer and sister Ruth.  With German as his first language and naturally writing with his left hand, he had to quickly learn to speak English and write with his right hand upon going to school.  Even though the farm did not have electricity until he was 10 years old and a TV until he was 14, he was intrigued by technology.  After graduating from Round Top Carmine High School in a class less than 20, he headed to the big city of Houston to pursue electricity.  He received his electrical certification from The University of Houston while working at Carnation Ice Cream on the assembly line.  He soon became employed by McCane & Sondock, which then turned into Crime Control and eventually into what we know today as ADT.  He installed commercial alarms in banks, restaurants and businesses for 40 years becoming the longest tenured employee.  Being the most experienced employee, he trained many new employees. He was a hard worker with no fear of heights.  He enjoyed getting to ride in a cherry picker.  Coming home covered in insulation, he would enjoy a bottle of beer and a nap in his chair just to wake up the next morning to do it all over again.

Arlie was a very quiet man, a man of very few words.  So, it is not surprising that he met the love of his life, Peggy, through a blind date playing Putt Putt.  This country boy had never played and with his first swing, he hit the ball clear across onto the next putting green.  In less than a year, the two were married on April 15, 1967. 

Through their 55 years of marriage, they raised 3 children, Jimmy, Ann and Cindy.  Jimmy was born a year and a half after getting married and still with no phone on the farm back home, word had to be sent to Warrenton Grocery and a hand delivered message to the grandparents.  Ann was born 21 months later and Arlie was happy with his family of 4 but to his surprise 10 years later Cindy was born.  He never missed a football game, Friday Night Lights, a band concert, dance recital or awards ceremony.  Even with his shy demeanor, he never missed an opportunity to support his family.

Arlie went back to his roots in the 90’s and started farming again with shredding, mowing, bailing hay, fixing fence and raising cattle with his son Jimmy all while still working full-time.

After retirement in 2003, the kids insisted that they move to the suburbs of Cypress near them where Arlie and Peggy helped raise their 9 grandchildren with in-home daycare.  Arlie became a bottle feeding, diaper changing, cartoon watching pro.  Peepaw loved his grandbabies more than anything.  He also had a love for animals.  He always had a dog, but was probably the most attached to his current dog, Pebbles or Peppie.  This full-blooded Pug followed him home from the mailbox one day and never left his side.  This was his first indoor dog.  They took naps together and became inseparable. He truly was a gift from God. 

His garage became the drop off spot for anything needing repair.  Lawn mowers, weed eaters, tvs and so on.  If it had a motor, he could fix it.  He would spend hours fixing strings of Christmas lights.  His workspace was fully stocked and organized.  Every tool had its place and he knew immediately if something was missing.  He enjoyed planting flowers and sitting outside watching the world go by.  Whether it was on his stool in the garage or on the swing at the farm, he called it God’s country.

Arlie’s legacy lives on in the hearts and minds of his family, friends and especially his wife Peggy Oetken, son Jimmy Oetken and wife Kelly (children Cody, Jake and Katy), daughter Ann Hough and husband Mike(children Kendall, Tori and Allie) and Cindy Hogue and husband Paul(children Toby, Noah and Wyatt) and sister Ruth Roecker and husband Mike.