John Stolarek

John Stolarek, 74, passed away on August 15, 2023, in Bastrop.

John was born in Santa Ana, California to Jack and Irene Stolarek on May 16, 1949. He went to school at Newport Harbor High School, and went on to Duke University, the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, Rochester University, the University of South Carolina, and Pan American University in Edinburg, TX (now the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley). He initially graduated from Duke University in 1971 and worked as a graduate student and a political science professor, finishing ABD.

John worked as a political reporter for the McAllen Monitor, spending part of that time working in Austin. He interviewed then-Senator Joe Biden in 1987, as well as George W. Bush, Ann Richards, Bill Clements, Mark White, Kika de la Garza, Juan Hinojosa, and Brian Lamb. John even did over an hour impromptu live television with Brian Lamb on C-SPAN2, when an expected guest had to cancel.

John also worked for a couple of years at the Bastrop Advertiser, covering school board meetings, accidents and crimes. He really liked finding explanations for why stories unfolded the way they did.

John received an award for his reporting from the Bastrop Volunteer Fire Department, which he greatly appreciated.

John enjoyed attending Mass at Ascension Catholic Church.

John loved walking his dogs, following all sports, especially soccer, and continued to enjoy following local, national, and international news as long as he lived. He was an avid reader, and loved listening to music, especially The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and The Lovin’ Spoonful.

John is survived by his wife, Kathy, his nephew, Pat Christensen, his brother-in-law, Doug Eckert, and his niece, Dr. Dawn Eckert, DVM.

John is preceded in death by his parents, his wife’s parents, and his sister, Dolores.

A  Memorial Mass will be held at Ascension Catholic Church on Tuesday, September 19, 2023, at 6:00 p.m.

Memorials may be sent to the American Cancer Society.

The family of John Stolarek wishes to extend our sincere thanks to Dr. Rajeev Gupta, Michelle Sanchez, MSW, Terrence Fueyo, RN, all the people at Serenity Hospice, to Ray Rivas, Father Jim, Father Luis and all of John’s friends, neighbors and co-workers.