Herbert William Appel, Jr.

A funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Laurence Catholic Church in Sugar Land for Herbert William Appel Jr. A visitation with the family will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Settegast-Kopf Funeral Home in Sugar Land with a brief rosary presented by Deacon John Burns.

A reception will follow the Mass at the church. A private burial will be held at Morton Cemetery in Richmond.

Appel, 76, who had lived in fort Bend County 42 years, died Tuesday while on a family cruise. He retired in 2013 after 27 years as president and chief operating officer of the Fort Bend Economic Development Council.

He was born July 15, 1942, in Washington, D.C. to Herbert William and Francis Appel. After graduation from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., Appel went to work for a national firm, Sprague Electric, and was transferred to Wichita Falls in 1968 as industrial relations director.

After two years, he was hired as executive director of the Wichita Falls Board of Industry, his first taste of economic development.

In 1976, he formed a partnership with Wichita Falls businessmen and was awarded one of the coveted Coors Beer distributorships, with a region covering Fort Bend and Brazoria counties.

Appel sold his beer company five years later to the Aspromonte family of Houston, who had three similar operations.

Appel then created Trinity Church Construction Co., building 27 churches in Greater Houston over the next five years. He was encouraged by Fort Bend businessmen in 1986 to take charge of the startup Fort Bend Economic Development Council to promote the county as an ideal location for home developers, businesses and industries.

During his 27 years at the EDC, Fort Bend grew from a 225,000 population rural and farming community to one of the fastest growing counties in the country with a population exceeding 700,000.

Appel was active in all Fort bend communities, serving as president of the Richmond-Rosenberg Chamber of Commerce, director of the Fort Bend Chamber, chairman of the Richmond State School’s Volunteer Services board and chairman of Hearts & Hammers, a volunteer organization that assisted people needing repairs and replacements to their homes.

Appel is survived by his wife, Emelia; sons Erik Appel and wife Monica, Jason Valentz and wife Kitee, Patrick Valentz and wife Veronica; daughters Mary Gaddy and partner Gina and Katherine Wright and husband Hugh; and brother, Gary Appel and wife Gail. Sixteen grandchildren and two great grandchildren also survive.

In lieu of flowers, the family recommends contributions to Medical Missionaries of Divine Mercy through St. Laurence Catholic Church in Sugar Land.