Harvey H. Staas

Harvey Herman Staas passed away on the evening of January 16, 2026, peacefully and with family by his side. A visitation and brief memorial will be held at Pecan Grove Funeral Home, 3124 Robinson Dr., Waco, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM on Thursday, January 22nd, with a private family graveside service to follow on Friday.

Harvey was born in Waco, Texas on May 30, 1931, to Herman Martin Staas and Lena Henrietta (Schaeper) Staas. He attended Waco schools before enlisting in the U.S. Navy, where he would serve as a machinist from 1949 to 1953.

During his military service, Harvey met a beautiful young woman from South Carolina named Betty Lou Taylor and, on September 3, 1952, they married. Together, they would return to Waco and build a life of purpose and dedication – Betty through the work of homemaker and nurturing mother to four children, and Harvey as a proud, hard-working father, dedicated to the plumbing profession and to passing along the tireless work ethic that would become his trademark.

Harvey would officially join the United Association Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 529 in Waco on June 28, 1954, serving as a proud member for 71 of the organization’s 115 chartered years. In 1969, he became coordinator for the Waco Joint Apprenticeship Training program where he spent the next 27 years teaching those who would become the future of his trade. He stepped away from this role in 1995, his knowledge having been passed on to generations of new plumbers, including his own children. A plaque honoring his service hangs alongside his photograph in the WJAT building, built and dedicated in 2005 by a committee that included his son, Mike.

The end of his role as coordinator did not, however, mark the end of Harvey’s plumbing journey. Instead, he joined Mike at his newly founded Mike Staas Services, Inc., where he could continue to show off his mechanical skills and have more time to hunt, often spoiling the office staff with a batch of his amazing deer jerky. In 2004, his 50th year of service, Harvey was granted Lifetime Member status in the union. Still as sharp as ever, he continued working with Mike for the rest of his active plumbing career, officially as a construction estimator and unofficially, as shop mechanic and motivator – a professional tinkerer who could take anything apart and put it back together, all while offering instruction, advice, and “gentle reminders” that there was work to be done. The knowledge he shared lives on in plumbers across the Central Texas plumbing community.

At the time of her passing in 2020, he and Betty Lou had been married for more than 66 years, living in the home they had built nearly five decades prior. He was also preceded in death by his parents, his eldest son, Steven Dewayne, and six siblings.

He is survived by his son Michael and wife Carla, his son Tracy and wife Camila, his daughter Janine Emanuel and husband Steve, as well as five grandchildren (Kelli Richardson and husband Cody, Tyler Staas, Rusty Adcox and wife Leah, Brandon Staas, and Garrett Staas) and seven great-grandchildren (Parker, Presley, Camden, Kynlee, Corbin, Hailey, and Ronin).

Also surviving Harvey are Donna Adams, who brought him much joy and peace in his final years, and Ray Shelton, a favorite former apprentice with whom he would have lunch every Friday for decades, along with many extended family, friends, and former apprentices.

Pallbearers will be Ray Shelton, Tyler Staas, Cody Richardson, Gary Taylor, Jerry Boynton, and Larry Green. Honorary pallbearer will be John Watts.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to a charity of your choice in Harvey’s memory.