Verlyn "Cricket" Wiemers Mangold was born December 29, 1943, in Maxwell, Texas during World War II when her father, Dutch, was serving in the Pacific Theater. She became a child of God through Holy Baptism on Feb. 22, 1944. After the war, the family moved back to Hondo. She affirmed her baptism through confirmation at St. Paul Lutheran Church on May 17, 1959. Verlyn spent her school years in Hondo and graduated from Hondo High School. She then went to business school in San Antonio. After completing business school, she met Rusty and they were married in 1965. She took on the job of housewife and carried that role throughout her life. She was a member of the Rotary Wives of the Downtown Rotary Club for about 20 years and she was a member of the Kings Grant Forest Gardening Club. She was also a member in good standing of the MCEAA (Medina County Environmental Action Association), a founding member of the Quihi New Fountain Historical Society where she strongly supported the preservation of the historic and cultural features of Quihi. She was given the 2004 Dee Ann Story Conservation Award by the Southern Texas Archaeological Association for cultural resource conservation at Quihi, TX. She took up cake decorating as a hobby and found a true love which she enjoyed the remainder of her life. As a charter member and active participant of ICES (International Cake Exploration Society), she won many awards and ribbons for cake decorating contests throughout the United States. Verlyn loved to travel and enjoyed the beauty of the outdoors, hunting, fishing, wildflowers, and plants. She felt like she was as close to God as she could get when she was in the Colorado mountains or on a ranch in South Texas. She joined her husband in ventures to several states and on many rivers, lakes and the coast. Family and friends were important to "Cricket." She was given that nickname by her brother-in-law, Buddy Mangold, on one of their first meetings. He told her she sounded like a cricket to him. From then on it was Cricket, except to her mother, who still calls her Verlyn. Her friends knew her by her smile and the little giggle that punctuated her conversations. She loved to go to K&K in D'Hanis, to eat, listen to Ronnie Mason sing, and see all her friends. She spent the last four years planning her dream house and then having it built on an escarpment with a view of the Rocky Mountains and Montrose, Colorado. However, her new house was not finished until about a month ago. She only got to see it in pictures and never was able to live in it. After a painful fight against ALS, she died at her home in Hondo, on August 16, 2007, at the age of 63 years, seven months, 18 days. She was preceded in death by her father, Vemor V. "Dutch" Wiemers. She is survived by her husband of 41 years, Russell J. "Rusty" Mangold, mother Floreine (Best) Wiemers of Castroville, Aunt Ella Weisser of New Braunfels, Aunt Leona Best of Maxwell, sister-in-law Kate Mangold of San Antonio and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. She will be greatly missed by everyone who knew and loved her.