Bruce "Brew" Carlton Harrell

Bruce “Brew” Carlton Harrell passed away peacefully on May 7, 2026, at his home in Gatesville. The family is planning a celebration of life in August in Gatesville. Please contact his son Paul for details.

Bruce was born November 15, 1951, on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton to Kenneth and Patricia Harrell. He and his beloved sisters Linda and Karen settled in Beeville, Texas, where he graduated class of 1970 from A.C. Jones High School. Brew enlisted in the USMC reserves in a recon battalion. After graduating from Southwest Texas State University with a degree in political science, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant, ultimately leaving the service as a Captain. Sales followed. He sold everything from flavored toothpaste to large scale copier warranties, believing he could sell ice to an eskimo. He felt there was no bad time for a nickname or a joke, and it did not matter if they landed as long as they were flying. He was constantly learning, a voracious reader and a semi-pro genealogist; a gifted storyteller even if every yarn needed to be repeated ad infinitum. He fiercely loved his children, Paul, Christopher, and Kaylee but saved most of his heart for his five grandchildren, who all called him Pabu; Emmett, Ayla, Sam, Lily, and Penelope. He had all kinds of friends and will be missed.

Besides the family, Brew’s great love was music. Couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket but he could play the bass guitar, especially blues, with the best of them. As he would say, “you hear the music, but you feel the bass.” His projects were many and he was always welcome in the Austin music scene.

Brew is preceded in death by his parents and his sister Karen. He is survived by his sister, Linda Cronenburg, her husband Roy, his three children, his five grands, and many admirers of his indomitable spirit and attempts at wit. He loved his nieces, nephews, and cousins, and always talked about his grandparents, Toby, and Chrissie, with whom he will ultimately be laid to rest.

Semper Fidelis Pabu, you have left us way too soon.