Coping with Grief
We would like to offer our sincere support to anyone coping with grief. Enter your email below for our complimentary daily grief messages. Messages run for up to one year and you can stop at any time. Your email will not be used for any other purpose.
Edward Keith Ponish was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, at Spohn Hospital on June 29, 1928, to Coy Houchins Ponish and Mary Teresa McKeon Ponish. He passed away peacefully at home, where he lived with his daughter, Valerie, at the age of 93 on April 23, 2022. He will be remembered and missed as a loving husband, father and family man.
He graduated from Saint Joseph's High School in Victoria, Texas, in May of 1945 and attended Victoria Community College and Texas A&M College in College Station where he was a member of the Corps.
He started his career in May of 1947 with Humble Oil & Refining Company as a Roustabout on the King Ranch in Kingsville and later in Pleasanton, Conroe & Hastings, Texas. While in Pleasanton, he met the love of his life, Frankie Jean Richardson. They were married at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Victoria, Texas, in 1948. In 1951, he was promoted to District Clerk in their Friendswood, Texas, office. Their Son, Coy, and daughters, Sharon and Pam, were born in nearby Houston.
In 1955, he and the family moved to Pendopo, South Sumatra, Indonesia, as the Materials Department Head for Standard Vacuum Oil Company (SVPM: Standard Vacuum Petroleum Maatschkappij).
In 1960, he became Senior Field Accountant for Tennessee Gas Transmission Company in Wichita Falls, Texas.
In 1961, he became Office Manager for Tenneco, Inc., in Rio Grande, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. For several months in 1962, Keith swapped jobs with a co-worker in Buenos Aires, Argentina, because he and Jean were expecting their daughter, Valerie, to be born; and there was not an adequate hospital on the island of Tierra Del Fuego that could handle the potential complications of Rh incompatibility. Valerie was born in Buenos Aires.
In 1963, he was self-employed as a rancher in Booneville, Arkansas.
In 1964, for a few months, he was an Accountant for Houston Natural Gas Co. in Houston.
Later in 1964, he moved his family to Singapore while he worked in Central Sumatra, Indonesia, for Standard Oil of Indiana (Pan American Indonesia Oil Company) and for a short time as an Office Manager in Singapore for AMOCO.
His children, being young during their traveling years, were always asking questions later about the order of things regarding their travels; so he wrote down a list of all the places, companies and dates, practically writing his own obituary. There were numerous interesting and sometimes dangerous situations during his overseas travels. At the end of his list, he wrote the following story about one of them:
"A Short Story About the Last Time I Left Indonesia
I left Indonesia for the last time by a small motor launch owned by the company I worked for (SVPM). Our oil camp was located on the banks of Siak River, where the motor launch was moored. We traveled down the Siak River, which flows through the town of Pekanbaru (means 'new market') on the east side of the Island of Sumatra, Indonesia, in the Riau Province. The Siak River empties into the Straits of Malacca. From there we made our way to Singapore where my family lived. The Straits of Malacca is a very dangerous area to travel due to pirates, which still exist to this day (Google 'Straits of Malacca piracy'). My greatest concern during this trip was that pirates might board our small vessel and take the gold replica of an oil drum I had been entrusted to sell in Singapore for my company. I found a willing buyer in a Chinese jeweler. This miniature gold oil drum was intended to be given to Sukarno, who was the first president of Indonesia, upon completion of the first well in our concession (which never happened ... as no commercial production was found and we abandoned the concession). We arrived safely at Collyer Quay (pier) in Singapore, tired and dirty but without incident."
In 1966, he worked in New York City as Office Manager for AMOCO while he and his family lived in Rowayton, Norwalk, Connecticut. Their son, Dwayne, was born there.
In 1967, he worked in Tokyo, Japan, as an Office Manager for AMOCO U.K. while he and the family lived in Yokohama, Japan, for about six months.
Later in 1967, he moved the family to Tehran, Iran, while he worked on Kharg Island, Iran, in the Persian Gulf as the Office Manager for AMOCO U.K.
In 1969, he worked in Norfolk and Great Yarmouth, England, as Office Manager for AMOCO U.K. and lived in Ormsby St. Margaret and Great Yarmouth, England.
In 1971, after his wife was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, he moved his family to Victoria, Texas, and became self-employed as a Real Estate Broker.
In 1973 through 1987, he was a Vice President in the Credit Department and a Trust Officer for Victoria Bank and Trust. During this time, he helped his father through a battle with cancer until he passed away peacefully at home in 1978.
In 1987, after his retirement, he moved back to Corpus Christi to take care of his wife, Jean, at home.
In 1994, they moved to Aurora, Colorado, to be near their daughters, Sharon and Pam.
In 1999, they moved back to Corpus Christi to be near their daughter, Valerie, and son, Coy. After many years of caring for his wife, Jean, she passed away peacefully at their home on February 18, 2003.
On January 20, 2007, he married Leona Davis Drouet at St. Andrew by the Sea on Padre Island, and lived in their home in Corpus Christi before they moved to Trinity Towers, a senior independent living community, also in Corpus Christi.
On January 3, 2021, due to Covid and mental decline, he moved into Valerie's home, where he passed away peacefully on April 23, 2022. Many thanks to the family of Valerie (Allan, Austin, Cameron and Nicholas), as caring for him would have been more than one person could have done.
He was predeceased by his parents, his wife, Jean, and his granddaughter, Ashley Renee Jurica.
He is survived by his wife, Leona, sons, Coy Ponish (Amalia Tinoco) and Dwayne Ponish, and his daughters, Sharon Remmy (David), Pam Basden and Valerie Jurica (Allan), grandchildren, Jaclyn Ponish, Aaron Remmy, Tabitha Remmy Miller (Rob), Austin Jurica, Cameron Jurica (Rafael Cacao), Nicholas Jurica, Sarah Ponish and several great grandchildren. Per his wishes, there will be no services.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Edward Ponish, please visit our floral store.