Roll Call Tribute
Brent Gattis '95 June 25, 2018 10:25 AM updated: June 25, 2018 10:30 AM
Ramsey Funeral Home &Crematorium at Lake Georgetown obituary
5600 Williams Dr. (FM 2338 Andice Rd)
Georgetown, Texas 78633
512.869.7775
info@ramseyfuneral.com
Brent Gattis
May 2, 1972 - June 17, 2018
Brent Wesley Gattis was born in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday, May 2, 1972. He passed from this life to go home to his Lord and Savior on Sunday, June 17, 2018, less than a mile from where he was born. In between those two dates he traveled the world and positively impacted thousands of lives. During his 46 years here with us he was known and called friend by people from every imaginable walk of life: royalty, presidents, drycleaners, members of Congress, governors, fence builders, billionaires, custodians and CEOs of industry and everyone else he met. He had a lifelong passion for animals and worked in high school for a wild game park where his infatuation with exotic animals took off. He often talked fondly of Ralph the giraffe, the rhinos, and other animals he cared for during that time. He also worked for the Houston Zoo as a volunteer.
During his life, including his years as a child, his home was often a menagerie of pets including raccoons, coyotes, rheas, a giant tortoise, and too many different species of exotic birds to recall not to mention the dogs, cats, horses, cattle, goats and all his 4-H and FFA show animals (pigs, lambs and heifers) that he raised. He was considered an expert in exotic birds by many and owned some of the rarest birds in captivity that he worked tirelessly to cultivate and preserve.
After graduating from Friendswood High School in 1991, Brent attended Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture Development in 1995. While attending Texas A&M, Brent began what was to become a lifelong career in public policy in Washington, D.C. He first went to Washington, D.C. on a Texas A&M College of Agriculture internship in Congressman Charlie Stenholm’s (D-TX) Washington, D.C. office. For over 10 years he served members of the U.S. House of Representatives, House Committee on Agriculture including Stenholm, Richard Pombo (R-CA) and three Chairmen of the Committee - Chairman Bob Smith (R-OR), Chairman Larry Combest (R-TX), and as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) before becoming a senior policy advisor with the firm of Olsson, Frank, and Weeda and eventually starting his own consulting firm in 2013.
Brent traveled the world promoting American Agriculture visiting more than 36 countries in the past 20 years including Afghanistan, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Cancun, China, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, Thailand, Taiwan, Tanzania, Turkey and Uruguay. Most importantly, Brent’s home on Capitol Hill was a refuge for those from Texas and rural America working in DC who were looking for a place they could feel at home inside the D.C. bubble. Brent was the lynchpin of the “26 Friends” - a core group of mainly farm kids transplanted in D.C. who grew together through life and work, while striving to make a lasting positive difference in U.S. agriculture and other policy.
Success in life is not measured by the material things you leave behind but by the positive impact you make on those God puts in your path. By that measure, Brent Gattis was the richest among us. He was always a friend willing to lend a helping hand, an encouraging word, or a bit of tough advice when you needed it. He has been described by friends as a “southern gentleman,” “the best Aggie I’ve ever known,” and “a true friend.” He would appreciate all of those statements.
He is survived by his parents, Karen and Dan Gattis; brother and sister-in-law, Dan & Shana Gattis; nephew, Sterling Jack Gattis; and nieces: Carson Marie Gattis and Kenedy Sue Gattis all of Georgetown, Texas; grandmother, Jane Busby of Burnet County, Texas; and countless friends in whose life he made a difference (and they in his).
His family will remember fondly all those who traveled long distances to see him and those who sat with him during his last days here on earth as well as those who worked tirelessly to make sure that all of his beloved animals found a good home.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Brent's memory can be made to your favorite charity or to the Houston Zoo easily found online.
The family would like for any who have a favorite "Brent Story" to share it with us on bwgstories@gmail.com.
The memorial service will be held on Monday, July 2nd at 2pm in the sanctuary of First Baptist Church in Georgetown, Texas. For those who cannot attend the service will be on video and can be accessed at http://www.ramseyfuneral.com/sitemaker/sites/Ramsey2/?page=livewebcasting.
You may share a message or memory in the online memorial guestbook at www.RamseyFuneral.com.
5600 Williams Dr. (FM 2338 Andice Rd)
Georgetown, Texas 78633
512.869.7775
info@ramseyfuneral.com
Brent Gattis
May 2, 1972 - June 17, 2018
Brent Wesley Gattis was born in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday, May 2, 1972. He passed from this life to go home to his Lord and Savior on Sunday, June 17, 2018, less than a mile from where he was born. In between those two dates he traveled the world and positively impacted thousands of lives. During his 46 years here with us he was known and called friend by people from every imaginable walk of life: royalty, presidents, drycleaners, members of Congress, governors, fence builders, billionaires, custodians and CEOs of industry and everyone else he met. He had a lifelong passion for animals and worked in high school for a wild game park where his infatuation with exotic animals took off. He often talked fondly of Ralph the giraffe, the rhinos, and other animals he cared for during that time. He also worked for the Houston Zoo as a volunteer.
During his life, including his years as a child, his home was often a menagerie of pets including raccoons, coyotes, rheas, a giant tortoise, and too many different species of exotic birds to recall not to mention the dogs, cats, horses, cattle, goats and all his 4-H and FFA show animals (pigs, lambs and heifers) that he raised. He was considered an expert in exotic birds by many and owned some of the rarest birds in captivity that he worked tirelessly to cultivate and preserve.
After graduating from Friendswood High School in 1991, Brent attended Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture Development in 1995. While attending Texas A&M, Brent began what was to become a lifelong career in public policy in Washington, D.C. He first went to Washington, D.C. on a Texas A&M College of Agriculture internship in Congressman Charlie Stenholm’s (D-TX) Washington, D.C. office. For over 10 years he served members of the U.S. House of Representatives, House Committee on Agriculture including Stenholm, Richard Pombo (R-CA) and three Chairmen of the Committee - Chairman Bob Smith (R-OR), Chairman Larry Combest (R-TX), and as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) before becoming a senior policy advisor with the firm of Olsson, Frank, and Weeda and eventually starting his own consulting firm in 2013.
Brent traveled the world promoting American Agriculture visiting more than 36 countries in the past 20 years including Afghanistan, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Cancun, China, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, Thailand, Taiwan, Tanzania, Turkey and Uruguay. Most importantly, Brent’s home on Capitol Hill was a refuge for those from Texas and rural America working in DC who were looking for a place they could feel at home inside the D.C. bubble. Brent was the lynchpin of the “26 Friends” - a core group of mainly farm kids transplanted in D.C. who grew together through life and work, while striving to make a lasting positive difference in U.S. agriculture and other policy.
Success in life is not measured by the material things you leave behind but by the positive impact you make on those God puts in your path. By that measure, Brent Gattis was the richest among us. He was always a friend willing to lend a helping hand, an encouraging word, or a bit of tough advice when you needed it. He has been described by friends as a “southern gentleman,” “the best Aggie I’ve ever known,” and “a true friend.” He would appreciate all of those statements.
He is survived by his parents, Karen and Dan Gattis; brother and sister-in-law, Dan & Shana Gattis; nephew, Sterling Jack Gattis; and nieces: Carson Marie Gattis and Kenedy Sue Gattis all of Georgetown, Texas; grandmother, Jane Busby of Burnet County, Texas; and countless friends in whose life he made a difference (and they in his).
His family will remember fondly all those who traveled long distances to see him and those who sat with him during his last days here on earth as well as those who worked tirelessly to make sure that all of his beloved animals found a good home.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Brent's memory can be made to your favorite charity or to the Houston Zoo easily found online.
The family would like for any who have a favorite "Brent Story" to share it with us on bwgstories@gmail.com.
The memorial service will be held on Monday, July 2nd at 2pm in the sanctuary of First Baptist Church in Georgetown, Texas. For those who cannot attend the service will be on video and can be accessed at http://www.ramseyfuneral.com/sitemaker/sites/Ramsey2/?page=livewebcasting.
You may share a message or memory in the online memorial guestbook at www.RamseyFuneral.com.
505 George Bush Drive
College Station, TX 77840
(979) 845-7514
When Aggies see a need, their energy and their selflessness draw others into the cause, and good things happen.
© 2024 The Association of Former Students of Texas A&M University, All Rights Reserved