Joseph Leon Korenek Sr.

Joseph “Joe” Leon Korenek Sr., aged 84, is now resting in peace with our Heavenly Father. While surrounded by his loving wife, their four children, and a large gathering of family members, Joe was called home on Sunday, August 23, 2026, from complications following emergency open-heart surgery. He was born on February 25th, 1942, in Baytown, Texas, to Margaret (Malchar) and Victor Korenek Sr. He was the fourth of six children and was loved and cherished by all his siblings. Joe graduated in 1960 from Robert E. Lee High School in Baytown, Texas. He was also a graduate of Texas A&M University, where he was a member of the class of 1964. Impressively, he was in the first class of Aerospace Engineering graduates at A&M, and spent an incredible beginning of his career as an engineer building simulators for the Apollo program at NASA. He was an instrumental part of the team responsible for six lunar landing missions—successfully putting two astronauts on the moon each time, a true American hero. Subsequently, he transitioned his career to the energy industry, working on global infrastructure and oceanic pipeline projects for Brown & Root for over 35 years. For the last decade of his career, he had top-secret government clearance, and still to this day, his family does not know what he worked on during those years. Though unsurprised that his integrity led him to keep those secrets for the duration of his life, his family would love to know if anyone out there has information about the secret projects he worked on—let us know, if you can! During college, he met the love of his life, Dolly. They were married for 61 wonderful years. Joe truly lived life to the fullest and loved his family with all his heart. Joe was an active member of St. John Vianney Catholic Church for over 50 years, where he was a third-degree member of the Knights of Columbus. He loved spending time on his tractor at his ranch “The Lazy K”, going to Lake Buchanan with his family, and watching Aggie football. He was proud of his Czech heritage and loved passing down the family tradition of making the world’s best Czech sausage. He was well-traveled, exceptionally intelligent, and a truly humble man. His family will always remember how incredibly loving, patient, and gentle he was—and his grandchildren were exceptionally touched by how frequently he told them how proud he was of them. His incredible kindness and warmth made an enormous impact on everyone he met, and his actions always lined up with his words. He was a constant strength to all those who were blessed to know him. Joe is survived by his loving wife, “Dolly” Lauretta (Stiles) Korenek, children Laura (Kirk) Sullivan, Joseph “Joey” (Lauri) Korenek Jr., Sharon (Jason) DeLorenzo, and Susan (Drew) Whaley. Joe is also survived by his grandchildren Ryan (Meagen) Korenek, Lindsey (Steven) Brown, Rachel (Reece) McCrea, Bradley (Katie) Korenek, Kirk “Patrick” Sullivan Jr., Brianna (James) Dorris, Lauren Whaley, Brooke (Chris) Jones, Blake Whaley, Jack DeLorenzo, Kyle Whaley, Grant DeLorenzo, Paige DeLorenzo, twelve great-grandchildren, sisters Patricia (Tony) Caporina, Mary (Beck) Knox, and Julie (Gary Don) Hopkins, sister-in-law Mary Kay Jax, and brother-in-law Bill Smith, along with many cousins, nieces and nephews, extended family, and innumerable friends. He is preceded in death by his parents, Margaret and Victor Korenek Sr., beloved granddaughter Sophia DeLorenzo, sister Katherine Smith, brother Victor Korenek Jr. and his wife, Gere Deane, and brother-in-law Billy Stiles and his wife, Emily. We are greatly comforted by knowing that while we grieve his loss, we rejoice in the knowledge that he is healed and in the presence of our Savior in Heaven. Family, friends, and others whose lives Joe touched are invited to a funeral Mass that will be held at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, 625 Nottingham Oaks Trail, Houston, TX 77079 on Friday, August 28th, 2026. A rosary service will begin at 12:15pm, and the funeral Mass will be held at 1:00pm. There will be a reception following the service in the Activity Center. After the reception concludes, there will be a committal service at Memorial Oaks—guests are invited to attend via police cortège. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations made in his honor to the Eagles Trace Scholarship Foundation. The mailing address is 14703 Eagle Vista Drive, Houston, Texas 77077. The Eagle’s Trace Scholarship Fund provides educational scholarships to student servers who qualify, supporting them in their future goals.

Joseph Leon Korenek Sr.

February 25, 1942 - August 23, 2026