At 99 years old, Mr. Ed Mergele stands as a remarkable sixth-generation Texan whose life reflects service, scholarship, leadership, and deep Texas roots. A resident of Morningside at Menger Springs, Ed is proud to call the Hill Country home, a place where his family history stretches back nearly two centuries. While he prefers a quiet, reflective lifestyle today, he remains closely connected to his family and community. He enjoys weekly lunches with his family and stays mentally active through books, films, and history documentaries.
Born in 1926 and raised in New Braunfels, Ed truly grew up surrounded by Texas history. His Alsatian ancestors, including his great-great-grandparents Peter Mergele and Barbe Shertz, came to Texas in 1843, first stopping in San Antonio before joining the Prince Solms group to help settle New Braunfels. The Mergele family arrived with wagons and oxen and were among the area’s earliest settlers, with relatives also helping establish Fredericksburg, Schertz, Seguin, and communities across the Hill Country. Ed’s parents, Edwin Walter and Helen (née Wallace) Mergele, carried on this legacy, and Ed grew up aware that his family had once lived on the Alamo grounds and witnessed Texas evolve from frontier settlements to thriving towns.
Ed’s childhood was spent near the rivers of New Braunfels, where he enjoyed fishing, hunting, and the outdoors. His schooling took him from New Braunfels to Houston and San Antonio, including two years at Texas Military Institute before graduating from San Jacinto High School in Houston. Active in ROTC and the Civil Air Patrol, Ed chose to volunteer for military service at just 17 years old, joining the U.S. Navy during World War II.
His naval service was extensive and extraordinary. Serving aboard the USS Campbell, a Navy destroyer, Ed participated in dangerous escort and anti-submarine warfare missions across the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, North Atlantic, and Mediterranean. His ship escorted convoys supplying Russia, helped drive German U-boats from Atlantic shipping lanes, and supported Allied operations leading up to the invasion of Southern France in August 1944. He later served aboard the USS Dickman, a major attack transport that earned six battle stars and carried troops, supplies, and eventually liberated prisoners of war who were, as Ed recalls, “skin and bones.” Like many young servicemen of his era, Ed says they thought of it as a great adventure and were too young at the time to fully understand fear.
After returning home at 19, Ed enrolled at Blinn College and continued his education, eventually earning degrees in history and business administration. He married his wife, Mary Lou (Proctor), in 1950, beginning a 71-year marriage rooted in shared faith, service, and love of learning. Mary Lou, a fourth-generation Texan born in Sour Lake, earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in history from The University of Texas at Austin. She taught school before marrying Ed and later served as president of the Boerne Area Historical Society. Together, they were active members of the Methodist Church and deeply committed to preserving Texas history.
Ed was recalled to service during the Korean War as part of the Naval Reserve and spent two years stationed in Houston. Afterward, he launched a long and successful civilian career in construction and real estate development. He operated a general contracting and commercial real estate business in San Antonio before moving to Boerne, where he became a key figure in the town’s growth. Over the years, Ed developed subdivisions, built schools and shopping centers, owned and restored historic properties including La Villita, and at one point owned more than 50 properties in Boerne. He also served as Kendall County Commissioner for Precinct 1 in the 1970s, helped develop the Boerne courthouse, and dedicated 12 years to the Boerne library board.
Alongside his business career, Ed pursued his passion for history. He earned a history degree from UT Austin, worked as a Rockefeller Foundation research student, contributed as a staff writer to the first Handbook of Texas, helped produce three encyclopedias, and later earned his Ph.D. He is also a prolific author, having written several books on military and Southwest history, along with numerous newspaper articles and short stories. His works include Alsace to Texas, Robert E. Lee’s First War, Federal Gold & Rebel Cotton, and Notables, Peace & War.
Ed and Mary Lou raised four children—Edwin III, Stephen, Bruce, and Jane—and built a large, close-knit family that now includes 12 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Family has always been central to Ed’s life, from traveling together across every U.S. state, all Canadian provinces, and a dozen European countries, to today’s regular family lunches and shared conversations about life and business. Three of his children live in Boerne, one in San Antonio, continuing the Mergele presence in the Hill Country.
After Mary Lou’s passing in 2021, Ed remained at Morningside at Menger Springs, where he says he truly enjoys living. Now the patriarch of a family deeply rooted in Texas history, with generations of family military service from the War of 1812 through World War II, Ed reflects humbly on a life filled with service, scholarship, and community leadership. Though he considers himself “just an average person,” those around him know his story tells a far greater legacy.