John Terry Goulas

John Terry Goulas was born in Nederland, Texas on October 19, 1936 to Margarette and Robert Paul Goulas and passed July 10, 2016. He is preceded in death by his parents, his beloved wife Barbara, and his sisters; Ruth, Lillian, and Marlene. He is survived by his brother Bob Goulas, son Kevin Goulas, and several loving nieces and nephews.John was raised and went to school in Nederland before joining the Air Force at the age of 19. He served as a mechanic on B-36 Peacemaker bombers for the 72d Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Ramey AFB in Puerto Rico from 1955-1958. While stationed on the island, he often enjoyed free time activities such as playing poker or scuba diving with his buddies. After his service in the Air Force, he served as a deputy sheriff in Kansas for several years before returning back to Texas to join The Texas Department of Corrections working as a Sergeant of the guard. He renewed his commitment to his country by joining the Air National Guard as a tank commander in 1965. Barbara and John met at Sam Houston State University after his return and were married in Pearsall, Texas on July 2, 1965. John completed several semesters at Sam Houston before transitioning full time with TDC, working at each of the Huntsville units over his career. He completed his state service retiring in the late 90’s. They adopted son Kevin in July 1969 and lived happily in Spring Lake, spending family time camping, snow skiing, or traveling the great state of Texas as Kevin grew. John and Kevin also loved golfing together, competing against one another for the lowest score and bragging rights.After Barbara’s passing in 1998, John moved to Hondo, Texas to be closer to Kevin, who was now living in San Antonio. While there, he loved to host Monday night poker games at his house where he served his famous heaping bowls of homemade gumbo. Ever the jokester, he always kept everyone smiling with his warmth and good humor.John returned to East Texas in 2012. He had recently moved in with Kevin in their new house in Spring where he was anxious to spend his remaining years with his son helping around the house, playing with the dogs, cooking, watching television together, and keeping each other company.