Former Lavaca County Constable passes away

Former Lavaca County Constable, Joseph C. Nieto, passed away Sunday, Dec. 22 leaving behind a legacy of dedicated service to both Lavaca County and the City of Moulton.

Joseph Nieto was 86 when he passed and he served with pride as Constable of Lavaca County Precinct 2 for nearly 38 years before retiring in 2010.

He is survived by his wife Eloisa Nieto and his children Joe Nieto, Adam Nieto, Rachel Dolezal, Richard Nieto, and Edward Nieto.

Joseph was born in 1938 on his family farm just east of Moulton. He came from a big family having around 11 brothers and sisters.

“He loved working with animals on his farm and driving the tractors,” Adam said. “He lived a farm life for the early part of his years. He married his wife, my mother, in 1962. He worked different jobs, having as many as three jobs at the same time. However, he really found his passion when he was elected as Constable in 1972.”

Joseph never lost an election in running for constable 10 different times. He was considered one of the most continuous elected officials in the State of Texas. Joseph was one of the only Spanish interpreters for the whole county.

“Back in the day, in the City of Moulton, the Police Department counted on him to respond to service calls or any kind of accidents,” Adam said. “Traditionally, the Constable position is mostly civil. You serve a lot of civil papers. He did that, but in addition, he had to do a lot of other stuff too within the department.”

Joseph was truly a local legend in the City of Moulton and Lavaca County. He was also a school bus driver.

“The teenagers and the young adults knew him,” Adam said. “He would also work as security at some of the dances in Moulton and Shiner. Everyone knew him.”

“He was a very friendly guy and very sociable. He was a people person. He had several nicknames including ‘Papa Joe,’ or ‘Uncle Joe.’ He was always community oriented and he really liked helping people. Whenever a new family moved to Moulton, he was always the first person to meet them and introduce himself. Several people told us after his death that Joseph was the first friend they met in Moulton. Even after he retired, he would make his rounds around Moulton and was always a friendly face.”

Along with being family oriented, Joseph had many core values.

“He was hard working,” Adam said. “That’s what he instilled in his family, always work harder. He would say there is no such thing as sick days. He was tough, a real strict person when it came to us kids, but a big softie when it came to the grandchildren.”

The community has been very supportive of the Nieto family after his loss.

“A lot of people reached out on Facebook sharing their memories of Joseph,” Adam said. “He loved serving the community, not just in Moulton, but in Lavaca County.”

The funeral for Joseph was on Dec. 27 and it was quite a large turnout.

“Since he was so big in law enforcement, we decided to include all law enforcement past and present as honorary pallbearers,” Adam said. “There was probably over 30 law enforcement officers who showed up and participated in the ceremony. That includes DPS and the Victoria Police Department as well as officials from DeWitt and Fayette County.”

Joseph is also survived by his son-in-law Jeff Brigman, thirteen grandchildren, five great-grandchildren with one on the way, his brother Felipe Nieto, and his brother-in-law Steve Martinez, along with numerous nieces and nephews, and great-nieces and nephews.