Reno William Damerau Jr.

Reno William Damerau, Jr. was born April 1, 1935 in Lockhart, Texas, the son of an oil field worker and descendant of German immigrants who settled west of San Marcos in the late 1850s. When Reno was young, his family moved south to Falfurrias and Cuero in the Rio Grande Valley, where he went to high school, played football, and graduated at 16—ready to see what life would bring to him next.

At 17, he joined the U.S. Air Force. After basic training at Moody AFB in Georgia, he was sent to Germany in 1952 during the post-WWII occupation. After several years abroad, he returned to Texas and attended the University of Texas in Austin for a short time before deciding to re-enlist in the U.S. Air Force around 1957.

In 1958, Reno met Mildred Guckian in Lockhart. She was 18 and still finishing high school; he was 23. They married, and after she graduated, moved to San Antonio where Reno was stationed at Kelly AFB. Their family grew quickly: Michael Reno arrived in 1959, Shawn in 1961, and Michele in 1964. Around 1972, all three children were diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Michael and Shawn faced progressive muscle degeneration, and the family lost Michael at 17 and Shawn at 20—losses that shaped everything that followed.

In 1966, the Air Force transferred Reno from San Antonio to Bergstrom AFB in Austin. The family lived in a mobile home in South Austin until 1972, when they moved into base housing. Around that time, Reno bought 16 acres on the Burnett Ranch in Wimberley with a vision of building a retirement home. Starting around 1975, weekends became family construction projects. They built a "cabin" first—just big enough for the five of them to sleep in while they worked on the foundation and walls of the "big house."

Reno retired from the Air Force in 1976 after 25 years of service and moved the family to that ranch house in Wimberley. He worked several short-term jobs before joining the Veterans Administration in Austin, where he commuted from Wimberley for another 16 years until retiring in 1997.

He also earned a Bachelor's Degree in Applied Arts and Sciences in Occupational Education in 1977 and a Master's in Public Administration in 1980 from Southwest Texas State University. Reno was well-read and well-traveled, keeping a collection of first-edition literature and history books from England. He loved reading spy novels until his eyesight failed him. What defined him most, though, was his genuine curiosity about people. He always wanted to hear what you had to say and would listen intently to whatever mattered to you—no story too small, no detail too ordinary.

A devoted member of the Church of Christ, Reno spent countless hours researching the gospel and writing hundreds of theological abstracts and a book. In conversation, he would often steer things toward scripture, discussing his beliefs with quiet conviction. He never wavered in his faith.

After 47 years on the Wimberley ranch, Reno was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia. With considerable persuasion, he and Patty moved to an independent living community in Austin. As the disease progressed, they made an extraordinary move to Asheville, North Carolina in September 2024 to be near their daughter Michele and son-in-law Bob. They arrived exactly one week before Hurricane Helene devastated the mountain town, but they were safe. By December 2025, Reno moved into memory care, where he remained until his death on January 18, 2026 at the age of 90.

Reno was preceded in death by his parents, Georgia Virginia Alexendar Hagan Damerau and Reno William Damerau, Sr.; his siblings Rudy Hagan, Opal Barnett, Threasol Traw, Lonnie Ray Damerau, and Christine Chapa; and his sons, Michael Reno and Shawn.

He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Mildred Patricia (Patty) Damerau; his daughter Michele; and son-in-law Bob Miltenberger.

Memorial Services will be held at Thomason Funeral Home, 14700 Ranch Rd 12, Wimberley, TX 78676 on Saturday, Feb 7, 2026. Visitation in the chapel from 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Chapel Memorial Service from 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. 

In lieu of flowers, the family would like to advocate a donation to the Lewy Body Dementia Association (https://www.lbda.org), or they can opt to plant a tree. 

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