Carl Price Weidenbach

Carl Price Weidenbach, a devoted husband, loving father and grandfather, veteran, physician, Texas Aggie and pilot – passed away October 10, 2023, at age 90 in Bryan, Texas. His faithful wife of 50-plus years, Ruth Weidenbach, was at his side. Carl leaves a lasting legacy in the medical and veterinary professions that is only upstaged by his five children, seven grandchildren, and a new great-granddaughter.

Carl and Ruth moved to College Station in 2000 following the sale of his family practice in Plainview, Texas so he could retire in Aggieland. Carl (Texas A&M ‘55) then combined his two biggest interests and served as a Team Physician for Texas A&M Athletics for an additional decade. He and Ruth, who met through a mutual friend and were married May 29, 1971, traveled and supported many Aggie teams during that time, highlighted by the women’s basketball team winning the national championship in 2011.

Carl was born August 21, 1933, to Oscar and Pansy Weidenbach in Odessa, Texas. The Weidenbach family settled in Stephenville, Texas, to be near medical services in Dallas/Fort Worth following a tragic accident Carl suffered in third grade while playing at school recess. He broke his femur and was in a body cast for almost an entire year. 

Carl graduated from Iredell High School in 1951. He went to nearby Tarleton State College in Stephenville, earning an Associate’s Degree in Science. Following graduation, he sold Bibles and encyclopedias door to door in Ohio and Virginia. On a weekly telephone call to check in with his mother back in Texas, she told him he received a letter from Texas A&M University. Carl instructed her to read it to him, and he learned that he was admitted to Texas A&M’s Veterinary School. He immediately hitchhiked home and began school in Aggieland in the fall of 1953.  

After receiving his doctor of veterinary medicine degree in May 1957, Carl began work as an area veterinarian for the Disease Eradication Branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). His primary duty was testing cattle for tuberculosis to maintain Texas as a T.B.-free state. 

On March 10, 1958, Carl was commissioned a 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps. He was assigned to the Pentagon and stationed at Fort Myer, Virginia. His duties included inspecting all foods – he graded up to 250,000 pounds of beef daily. In addition, Carl oversaw the medical care for the parade horses used in funerals at Arlington National Cemetery. 

Upon release from active duty in March 1960, Carl was employed by the Kerrville Toxicology Investigation Laboratory, Animal Disease and Parasite Research Division of the USDA. 

A career in government did not appeal to him and a lackluster economy dissuaded him from starting a large animal practice, so Carl decided to apply to medical school. Already with a D.V.M. degree, he was immediately accepted to the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, graduating in three years in June 1964. Because of his love for Texas A&M, he proudly hung his D.V.M. diploma over his M.D. diploma from
“t.u.”

Carl opened his family practice on July 1, 1965, in Plainview, where he served as a practicing physician for more than 30 years. He was a dedicated doctor who cared deeply for his community, and no time was “off limits.”  He would make frequent house calls during the night or a holiday and once gave one of the boy’s friend’s stitches on the kitchen table! He was appointed Hale County Health Director and served as Chief of Staff at the Central Plains Regional Hospital along with many other civic duties. 

Athletics had always been a big passion of his life. He volunteered as a team physician for the Plainview High School athletics teams – organizing free physicals for all student-athletes – and traveled with the football team for most of his time in Plainview.

A proud supporter of his alma mater, Texas A&M, he was a continuous member of both the Aggie Club (now the 12th Man Foundation) and the Association of Former Students since 1967. He served as a director of the 12th Man Foundation and endowed two scholarships. He was a Mark Francis Fellow with the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.  His love of Texas A&M was shared with his family, and four children and four grandchildren are also proud graduates of Texas A&M.

Carl is proceeded in death by his father, Oscar Weidenbach; mother, Pansy Weidenbach; sister, Enid Davis; and brother, Fred Weidenbach.

He is survived by his wife, Ruth Weidenbach; children, Kathryn Holloman and husband Bob, Marty Weidenbach, Myron Weidenbach and wife Shelley, Eric Weidenbach, and Leann Cook and husband Jason; grandchildren, Abby Obryant, Riley Weidenbach and wife Autumn, Sidney Weidenbach, Cole Weidenbach, Brayden Cook, Jace Cook, and Mia Weidenbach; great-granddaughter, Clara Weidenbach; his brother, Paul and wife Annita; along with several nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank The Langford, Arbor Oaks, Crestview, and Amedisys Hospice for their love and exceptional care over the past few months, as well as many other special friends for their unwavering support.

In loving memory of Carl Price Weidenbach, his family kindly requests that donations be made to The Langford Scholarship Fund or the Langford Employee Appreciation Fund.