‘He believed everybody had a second chance’
YORKTOWN - Ernest Sertuche struggled with drug and alcohol problems after he was injured in the oil field, becoming addicted to pain medicine and then other drugs.
But despite his troubles, he managed to turn his life around, get an education and help change the lives of troubled teens.
The chief probation officer for the DeWitt County Juvenile Probation office died April 15 in his sleep after a brief illness. He was 58.
He had served with the department for 15 years, the last 10 as chief. He brought to his job not only his passion to help troubled youth but his experience as one as well.
“He would tell those kids, ‘You can’t bullsh-- a bullsh---er. I know. I’ve been there,’” said Sertuche’s wife, Nelda.
“He believed everybody had a second chance,” she said.
The two celebrated their 40th anniversary April 10. Two days later he entered DeTar Hospital in Victoria. When Nelda left him the night of April 14, she did not think it would be the last time she’d see him alive.
“I said, ‘When you leave here, we’re gonna go on that trip that we’ve been talking about. Because there’s no reason for us to put it off. You’ve been working too hard, we’re just going to do it.’ And he just gave me a little smile like... Now I think about (it), the smile was like, ‘I’m not sure I’m going to,’” Nelda said, her voice trailing off as she choked back tears.
No one could say how many lives Sertuche touched in his time in the probation department. But everyone agreed he treated juveniles under his watch as if they were his kids and that he was fair but full of discipline.
“He was passionate about kids and their well-being,” his widow said. “If he felt like somebody was being unjustly treated, he was ready to go to battle. Injustice, he just couldn’t see that for anyone.”
It was that passion that left a mark on Pama Hencerling, the chief juvenile probation officer for Victoria and Goliad counties. She taught Sertuche when he was first working to become a probation officer.
“He was really rehabilitative with them. His message was not to just punish the kids but to teach them,” she said.
Sertuche’s past experiences are part of what drove him to go the extra mile and spend his career in juvenile probation - something Hencerling said is hard to find these days.
“You can punish, you can recommend punishment to the judge and just go from a sanction standpoint. But to really dig down deep and find out what’s going on within these kids’ heads, and maybe what’s going on in their family. It takes a lot more time to get to know these kids.” she said.
Sertuche’s daughters, Kristy and Sara, said they did not know the challenges their father and mother had faced, especially when they were young. But they loved their father and the time they spent with him.
“A lot of people regret because they didn’t say what they needed to say, but nothing was left unsaid. We knew he knew,” Kristy said.
In a 1994 Advocate article, Sertuche discussed how he had dropped out of high school as a freshman and spent the next 23 years using drugs and alcohol and going in and out of employment.
That frankness was what made Sertuche who he was, said his wife.
“(He said,) ‘It’s the truth. That way, no one can hold that over my head. But the real reason, Nelda, if one person is saved by me coming out ... If I can change, and they can learn that, and they can see or hear that, it’s all worth it to me,’” she said.
The following thoughts were shared by his coworkers:
Ernest E. Sertuche was a good man. I met him when I applied for the juvenile probation department. Ernest showed me the in and outs of what it takes to be a juvenile probation officer. He was a leader, a teacher, and a friend. He showed me things to help bring out the best in me. He will be deeply missed. – Luis F. Gonzalez, Dewitt County Juvenile Probation Officer
I had the honor to have worked with Chief JPO, Ernest Sertuche for 8 years, as a CaseWorker/JCMS Clerk. Ernest was a true gentleman who cared deeply for the children and their families whom entered into the juvenile system; and he worked sincerely with them on a daily basis. Mr. Sertuche had a caring heart and dug his heels to reach deep into the hearts of the children and the root of their problems.
Ernest was an intelligent man with so much knowledge in his field of work. He was a person with that passion to reach every child and make a difference in their lives. I lost not only a boss, but a best friend who was like the older brother I never had. He will truly be missed in my life and in our department. Rest Easy Chief!
Chief, you will forever remain in our Hearts! – Diana M. Heil, JCMS Clerk
I had the honor to have worked with Chief Ernest E. Sertuche for 4 years, as his Office Manager/JCMS/Data Coordinator. Ernest E. Sertuche was a good man who cared for his workers, his kids in our department, and even his own family. This man could love strong and deep and would stand up and defend any of us at any given time as needed.
This man would go out of his way to get down to the bottom of things like a child in need or in trouble. But would also had a stern hand when needed. There was nothing that one of our kids would do that E. Sertuche wouldn’t already know about, they could not fool him.
This job was his career and his life. He loved doing what he loved.
His family stood by him while he did what he loved. But Chief ALWAYS tried to be it all: a father, a leader, a teacher, a husband, a friend, a boss, a male figure in all our kids’ lives. I only had the honor of knowing this man 4 yrs. but felt like a life time. And I am very thankful for the time I had with E. Sertuche he taught me a lot.
Chief, you will forever remain in our Hearts FOREVER & ALWAYS! – Melissa F. Gunter, Office Manager/Data Coordinator/JCMS