Roll Call Tribute

Robert Kent Metzer 

December 20, 1959 - May 27, 2023 

Kent Metzer, 63, passed away unexpectedly on May 27, 2023 in College Station from a heart attack. He was born Robert Kent Metzer on Dec 20, 1959 in Bryan, Texas to Robert Benjamin and Norma (Green) Metzer. He was the first born of three siblings. He spent his formative years in Ames, Iowa, and Lubbock, Texas.

His early days in Lubbock were filled with guitar and piano lessons and recitals; duties as a paperboy for the Lubbock Avalanche Journal, being nominated for Star Carrier in 1973; raising homing pigeons and showing them at the 1974 Panhandle South Plains Fair; catching horn toads in the empty lot down the street and showing how they could shoot blood from their eyes; evacuating the school when smoke from his volcano science fair project went a little too far; taking the time to teach his little sister how to swing without having to be pushed; and putting a note in a bottle, throwing it in the ocean to have it found in Port Aransas and getting a reply in the mail.

In 1975 the family moved to College Station. After graduating from A&M Consolidated High School in 1978, he moved to Austin where he landed, for him at that time, a dream job, working at Berkman's stereo store. Although he loved working around everything music, living in a college town got him thinking about going to school and "pursuing constructive things." In the fall of 1979 he moved to San Marcos and began attending Texas State University where he majored in Geology. Although he loved geology, he realized his love of horticulture was what he wanted to pursue as a career. He worked for a short time in Mission, Texas growing test plots for different herbicide applications and it was during this time he began to attend the local Orchid Society meetings. When he won a Cattleya orchid in a plant raffle at one of their meetings, he was hooked. From this one orchid he began to make plans for a greenhouse to be built on the side of his parent's home. This greenhouse became the home to many orchids, one in particular that bloomed only once a year. In addition to introducing his family to the world of orchids, he introduced them to a new culinary delight, the fajita.

He enrolled at Texas A&M and in May 1986 graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture. Upon graduation, he landed a job as the Head Horticulturist at the Governor's Mansion in Austin. During his tenure there, he worked under four governors, Mark White, Bill Clements, Ann Richards and George W. Bush all who saw him as an extension of their families. He met many celebrities and politicians such as Dolly Parton, George Bush Sr, Bill Clinton and the Queen of England to name a few, but was most excited meeting musician Lyle Lovett and the chats over coffee he had with him in the kitchen. While there, he was featured on the cover of a magazine about his beekeeping at the Governor's Mansion and was interviewed for a television series about the landscaped grounds.

While in Austin he enjoyed experimenting with creating hot sauces using various pepper plants he grew and in Sept 1991 entered the Austin/San Antonio Hot Sauce Showdown and Austin Pepper Festival. It was not only pepper festivals he enjoyed but music festivals as well and it was at these music festivals he connected with and made lifelong friends. His appreciation and love of the guitar stemmed from his younger years and never left him. If one were to ask what his best memories were, it's guaranteed he would say the times spent with friends and family guitar picking, grilling, or just shootin' the breeze.

In 2005 he met the love of his life, Donna Bourn at a crayfish party in Brazos County and when they met up again during a birthday party for two of their musician friends, they began dating and were married Oct 20, 2005 in Industry, Texas. Through this marriage, he gained a step-daughter, 2 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren whom he loved dearly.

That same year he relocated to Welcome, Texas where Donna was currently living and worked as a Well Site Geological Consultant for Texas Geological Services. In his off time they worked on restoring their 1920 home while still maintaining a beautifully landscaped yard. He was just beginning to enjoy retirement when he passed.

Those mourning his passing are his wife Donna of Welcome, Texas; step-daughter Tammy (Wigley) and husband Scott Chesarek of Billings, Montana; grandchildren Taylor (Wigley) and husband Dylon Lindley of Bremond, Texas and Colter Wigley of Billings, Montana ; great grandchildren Ryker, Presley and Copelyn Lindley of Bremond, Texas; brother Glenn Metzer of Kurten, Texas; sister Nancy (Metzer) Allen and husband Greg of Katy, Texas; aunt Carol (Green) Jacks of Houston, Texas; uncles Frank Metzer of Kurten, Texas and Paul Petty of Bryan, Texas; nephews Richard Metzer and wife Amanda Braswell of Bryan, Texas; James Allen and wife Emily Ladd of Katy, Texas; Andrew Allen of Katy, Texas; Benjamin Allen and wife Vivian Ramirez of Steilacoom, Washington; niece Sara (Allen) Stockwell and husband Steven of Katy, Texas; numerous cousins, great nieces and nephews, and friends too numerous to count who will miss him dearly. Because he made a confession of faith in Jesus Christ, we can be comforted to know he will spend eternity in Heaven.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.memorialfuneralchapel.com for the Metzer family.

IN THE CARE OF
Memorial Funeral Chapel—College Station