Michael J. Pohler

Michael Joseph Pohler, of Shiner, passed on September 17, 2023, at the age of 71.
Visitation will be held from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, September 27 at Shiner Funeral Home, followed by a rosary at 7 p.m.  
Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Thursday, September 28 at Sts. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church, with the Rev. Bryan Heyer officiating.
Burial will follow at the Shiner Catholic Cemetery under the direction of Shiner Funeral Home, Shiner.
Pallbearers are Harvey Dwayne Pohler, Jaime Pohler, Tristan Pohler, Jason Pohler, Wesley Pohler, and Craig Pohler.
Honorary pallbearers are Christopher Pohler, Joshua Pohler, and Nick Pohler.
Please join the family in Michael’s celebration of life with a meal after the burial at the Shiner KC Dining Hall.  
Michael was born on November 21, 1951, in Moulton, to Irene and Harvey Pohler, Sr. He grew up picking cotton on his family’s farm in Witting and walked (uphill, both ways) to Oak Grove School. At Moulton High School he excelled in sports, namely basketball, but a knee injury ended his long-term hoop dreams.
Upon graduation he worked a few odd jobs until eventually taking over his father’s tire business. He opened Pohler Tire Center in Shiner and ran a successful tire retail business until his retirement somewhere in his 40s where he cleverly tricked his wife, Deralee, into running the business so he could focus on more important endeavors, such as landscaping and golf.
Michael enjoyed all things sports-related. In his earlier days, he loved being around the diamond, whether playing tournament softball, hardball with the Shiner Clippers, or coaching his son in little league…but golf became his true passion as he aged. Pretty much a daily ritual, you could find him rabble-rousing around the Yoakum Municipal Golf Course, making friendly wagers amongst his band of merry men, always making sure each poor soul left the course with a few extra dollars in their pockets, so they could enjoy a nice, warm meal that eve.
At home he enjoyed simple things like grilling meats, landscaping around the house, and trading baseball cards and golf clubs on the interwebs. His big heart was often on display through his generosity to help others, or in the care for his pet dogs and the downtrodden stray cats he took in. If a sporting event of any type was playing on the television, you could rest assured he was using his keen intellect to berate the sportscasters on the television, regarding how they, or the players, had erred in their ways.
Around the town, with his outgoing, joking personality he was always the life of the party. If there was a dance floor present, there would be no trouble locating him, which brings us to the last day of his time here with us. A day of competing in (or against) his annual antagonist, the Yoakum Golf Association Club Championship in the morning, followed by a beautiful family wedding celebration ending in his final heart-stopping crescendo as the music afinally stopped.
His body giving out, like his broken golf cart still sitting on the third hole from earlier that day, the final hole of his life ends up not one he plays, but the one he leaves in the hearts of everyone he touched.
Survivors include the mother of his children, Deralee Pohler; two children, Clinton and Wendy; one grandchild, Ella; one brother, Donald Pohler (Gerrie); and two sisters-in-law, Cornelia Pohler and Vernice Pohler.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Irene and Harvey Pohler, Sr; brothers, Eugene “Boyce” Pohler and Harvey Pohler Jr; and nephew, Matthew Pohler.
In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully asks that you donate in Michael’s name to either: Shiner Catholic School, P.O. Box 725 Shiner, TX 77984 or Shiner Animal Services PO Box 308 Shiner, TX 77984.
Friends may leave their condolences to the family by visiting www.shinerfuneralhome.com.