Roll Call Tribute

Thomas D. Longbrake 

April 17, 1931 - April 26, 2024 

Thomas Dick Longbrake was born April 17, 1931 in Rio Hondo, Texas to Matie West and Lowell Longbrake. He passed away peacefully on April 26, 2024 in Kyle, Texas, with his loving family by his side. He graduated from high school at age 17 and immediately joined the U.S. Army. A Korean War era veteran, he served 1948-52, most of that time at the US Army Headquarters in Heidelberg, Germany. He attended Texas A&M University on the GI Bill and earned a BS in Agricultural Economics in 1956, and received his MS in Horticulture in 1971.

Tom was born and raised on a commercial vegetable farm where he learned from his father and grandfather the lessons of basic vegetable production. Tom’s distinguished career in horticulture began when he moved to Crystal City in 1956 and took on the challenge of managing vegetable research in the Southwest for Del Monte Foods. He gained a unique understanding of vegetable crops which enabled him to effect rapid improvement in quality and yields for Texas grown vegetables. In 1962, he joined the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station at the Rio Grande Valley Research and Extension Center in Weslaco as a Vegetable Specialist. Tom utilized his training and expertise to organize and direct what is universally recognized in the vegetable industry as one of the most effective vegetable production educational programs in the country. He was widely recognized as the leading authority on onion production in the United States, contributing to the development of the Texas 1015 sweet onion. In 1975, he moved his family to College Station, where he became State Extension Specialist. Tom continued his work on at least 16 different vegetable crops produced in Texas, which included being instrumental in expanding the production of the seedless watermelon. He often told the story that he was also instrumental in the decline of watermelon seed-spitting contests across the country.

At heart, Tom was an educator, holding grower meetings throughout the state, writing articles for professional magazines and periodicals, holding hands-on demonstrations in grower fields, and consulting with international agriculture leaders from developing countries such as Chile, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala, Russia, Ghana, Guinea, and Sumatra.

Tom was a firm believer in professional organizations for both self-improvement and grower education. His memberships included those in the American Society for Horticultural Science, the Texas Horticultural Society, the Rio Grande Valley Horticultural Society and the Texas Agricultural Extension Specialists Association. He was the founder of the Texas Vegetable Association, and received numerous awards for efforts on behalf of the various organizations and garden clubs with which he was involved.

Tom also had a passion for at-home gardening and enjoyed growing vegetables, fruit trees, exotic plants from all over the world, and especially, collecting and growing cactus plants, sometimes from seed. His cactus collection, including many gathered from several trips to Mexico, reached well over 1000 plants. In 1981, along with his friend and colleague George McEachern, he became owner and operator of a 600 tree peach orchard designed for pick-your-own sales, which lasted 15 years. After 28 years with Texas A&M University, he retired in 1989 to spend more time with his family and grandchildren, and to take his golf cart out 3 days a week to play golf with his buddies, mostly at the A&M golf course. He continued to have a small greenhouse full of flowering cacti after moving to Kyle with Mary in 2016. He instilled his love of gardening to his family and many friends, and was always available and loved giving advice on anything having to do with plants. Besides golf, which he enjoyed saying he shot his age or better from age 77-88, Tom loved fishing, history and exploration, hybridizing cacti for ornamental flowers, collecting rocks and fossils, and at age 90 began drawing with colored pencils, yet another talent discovered. He exercised with weights until a week before his passing.

Tom’s lasting gift was his love for his family and many friends. It was in Crystal City where he met and married Mary, the love of his life, and their three daughters were born there. He always had a positive outlook on life, loved connecting with people, and was a hero to many, especially his daughters. He was always smiling while enjoying a great game of golf or a weekend of fishing with his brother David, attending an Aggie sports event, participating in a family reunion, enjoying his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and so much more. He was a life-long Lutheran and served in various leadership positions in his congregations. He continued until very recently meeting his Class of 56 classmates for lunch and fellowship.

He is survived by his loving and devoted wife of almost 66 years, Mary Backor Longbrake, daughters Julie Giam and husband Patrick, Jeanne Valenta and husband Dan, Stephanie Longbrake and partner Penny Rayfield, granddaughters Lindsay Lefas and husband Thanassi, Jamie McHugh and husband Patrick, grandsons Chase Valenta and wife Gaby, and Dustin Valenta. His great-grandchildren include Kiki and Jack Lefas, Connor and Evan Thomas McHugh. He is also survived by his beloved brother David Sitz, and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, Matie Sitz and Lowell Longbrake, sisters Patti Dickson, Nancy Ryerson, and Trudie Lassiter.

A memorial service will be held Monday, May 6 at 11:00 am at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in College Station, preceded by a visitation at 10:00am. Following a light lunch, interment of ashes will be held at the Aggie Field of Honor with military honors. In lieu of flowers, the family requests gifts in memory of Tom Longbrake Class of ‘56 be made to the Texas A&M Foundation, 401 George Bush Dr., College Station, TX 77840, (979) 845-8161 or to Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 1001 Woodcreek Cr., College Station, TX 77845. oslcbcs.org