I joined the Houston Canoe Club in the mid 1980s. From 1986 onward for many years Louis was the purser, including the years of the Southwestern Canoe Rendezvous which was a massive undertaking for all involved. He rarely missed a meeting and always had good information to share.
My favorite memories of Louis are from canoe trips on the Rio Grande. Upper, Lower, Great Unknown, Boquillas canyon river trips were the best, particularly for those of us fortunate enough to be in Louis’ Food Group. What a great guy, knew every bend in the river, every good campsite, where the challenges were – and also created, supplied, and cooked a great menu. He was a master of cast iron and Dutch oven cookery and carried those heavy pans in his weighed down, solo canoe. Along with Joe Butler and Jack Richardson he produced the best river guides to not only the Rio Grande but also the lower Pecos rivers. It was my privilege to accompany him also on hiking trips to the Big Bend Ranch State Park as he produced guidebooks also for that area.
It goes without saying that he knew the in-depth history of Buffalo Bayou which courses through downtown Houston. He wrote the definitive history of the Bayou and its influence on the growth Houston and all its neighborhoods. Paddling trips on Buffalo Bayou were always the best when Louis was leading. He knew lots of cool stuff like how to create a mini-geyser in downtown, next to the opera house. When I last saw him only a few weeks back, he offered to lead a canoe club trip on Buffalo Bayou this spring when he got his strength back. Alas, that did not happen, and he will be deeply missed by all our friends in the Houston Canoe Club.
Natalie Wiest
Commodore, Houston Canoe Club, 2019-2022
I am so sorry to hear about Louis. Louis was a stalwart member of HCC when we first joined in the mid 80's. He was Treasurer for quite a few years for the club and the Rendezvous. Louis was always available for questions about paddling, Big Bend and more and willing to share his expertise. His guidebooks were and are indispensable and his history books were long on factual details and enjoyable.
Louis was a nice man as well. We will miss him.
John and Cindy
Well, this is a sad, sad day. I think I will speak for many in the club when I say that, regardless of how much time we may have spent with Louis, we're all sorry we didn't spend more.
Frank Ohrt
I used his guidebooks to prepare for trips on the Rio Grande River and the Pecos River. I plan to use his guidebook for the Devils River and those concerning Italy. He made me feel special, that was his superpower.
Here is his website for books and paddling information. Louis F. Aulbach, Publisher (epperts.com)
Christy Long
Louis, your written word added enjoyment and guided me safely down the Rio Grande on numerous occasions, Thank you
Mike Farrell
Several years back, I wanted to give a copy of Louis’ big book on Buffalo Bayou: An Echo of Houston's Wilderness Beginnings as a present to my wife, Linda. Not finding it right away at the bookstore, I called up Louis to see if it might be possible for him to get me a copy. We agreed to meet up that afternoon at a coffee shop conveniently located in between our homes. During the intervening time, something requiring my close attention came up, and when I looked up, I realized that it was already more than an hour beyond the agreed upon meeting time. I called up Louis and apologized profusely. Not only had I stood him up, but I had walked on the check for the coffee. Louis was incredibly kind in his response. He said that he hadn’t been to that particular coffee shop before, that he liked it, and that he had enjoyed the relaxing, unplanned down time. How many people can you think of who would have been that gracious about such a faux pas?
This Christmas, I bought a copy of Louis’ new book on The Buffalo Bayou Greenway: A Walking Guide to 25 Historical Sites That Are Hiding in Plain Sight as a present for Linda. I had hoped to get Louis to autograph it the next time I saw him, but now that isn’t going to happen.
Louis was so very generous about sharing his time and expertise with the paddling community and with the public in general. We will really miss him.
Louis’ website http://lfa.epperts.com/ has a list of all of his books. As a little bonus, it also carries a link to an unusual rendition of our state song Texas Our Texas that reflects both Louis’ love for Texas and his unfailing good humor.
Tom Douglas
Louis will be remembered as:
An Author, Historian, Trip Leader, Camp Cook (the only person I have ever met that could make Spam taste good), and Paddler but mostly I will remember him as one of the most intellectually stimulating people I have ever met.
Regards,
Robert Langley
Louis Aulbach Obituary - Houston, TX (dignitymemorial.com)
Louis is survived by his three children Rachel Aulbach Garcia (Laurence), Stephen Aulbach (Maggie) and Matthew Aulbach (Amanda) and seven beloved grandchildren, Luther, Sullivan (Sully), Laurel, Declan, Annie, Hudson and Travis. He is also survived by his brother, Charles, his sister Lauretta Wallace and numerous nieces and nephews.
Services for Louis Aulbach will be as follows:
Viewing at Heights Funeral Home. 1317 Heights Blvd, Houston, TX 77008 5-8 pm on Tuesday, Jan. 3
Service at St. Ambrose Catholic Church. 4213 Mangum Rd. Houston, Texas 77092 11 am - noon Wednesday, Jan 4
Burial at Hollywood Cemetery 3506 N Main St, Houston, TX 77009 2:30 pm Wednesday, Jan. 4.
The family requests that donations be made to the Houston Archeological Society, P. O. Box 130631, Houston, Texas 77219-0631. Please put “Louis Aulbach” in the comment part of the check.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.heightsfuneralhome.com for the Aulbach family.