Eric Paul "Punch" Wilde
Eric Paul “Punch” Wilde, age 44, of Westphalia passed from this life during the early morning hours of Sunday, March 1, 2026. He was born to Marcus “Rug” and Janet (Fuchs) Wilde on the 4th day of August 1981 in Rosebud.
Eric grew up and spent his entire life in Westphalia. He attended Westphalia through the eighth grade and Rosebud-Lott High School until he graduated in 2000. Eric was a standout on the football field while in high school, making many lifelong friends. He married the love of his life, Crystal Bashore, on September 27, 2014 in Westphalia. Together they would build a family that would include one daughter, Mallory, and one son, Myles. He worked for Michael Coker Construction in Rosebud for several years but most recently he has been a plant maintenance crew leader with Brazos River Authority in Temple for the past 9 years.
Eric grew up with an unstoppable passion for farming and ranching, hanging on every footstep of his dad Rug who raised cattle, and his uncles, Richard, Carl, Eugene and Sammy who farm and raise cattle as well. He worked countless hours in the fields plowing, shredding, hauling fertilizer and any other chore needed on the farm. Eric has been putting his own herd together for the past several years, building quite an impressive collection of cattle, and of course his “prize winning Charolais” bulls, who he would tell anyone that would listen all about them. To say Eric was a hard worker is an understatement, he had a drive in him that didn’t stop at 5 o’clock but would continue until the job was done. He was a proud dad, supporting all of Myles and Mallory’s sporting events and a husband that loved his wife deeply; he loved to have a good time, a good cold beer with his family and friends, and an old Gary Stewart or Conway Twitty song on the radio.
The legacy that Eric leaves is one that will be remembered for years to come. He will never die as long as he is spoken of and spoken of often. The great singer/songwriter and even better friend, Justin “Cole” Psencik, once wrote “Sun go away, you always bring me down”, in life Eric never wanted the sun to come up and the party to end, but in death he finds everlasting life and a sun that never sets.
He is preceded in death by his father Marcus “Rug” Wilde, maternal grandparents Werner and Clara Fuchs and paternal grandfather Marvin Wilde.
Eric leaves behind to cherish his memory, his beloved wife Crystal Wilde, daughter Mallory and son Myles Wilde, mother Janet Wilde, sister Amanda Alexander and husband Dave, brother Nathan Wilde and wife Katie, and sister Audra Palmer and husband Travis all of Westphalia. He also leaves behind his maternal grandmother Oleta Wilde of Cyclone as well as numerous uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
A funeral mass will be held on Saturday, March 7, 2026 at the Church of the Visitation in Westphalia at 10 o’clock a.m. with Father Ranjan Cletus officiating. The family will be accepting visitors at the church on Friday evening between the hours of 5 and 8 o’clock p.m. with the rosary being recited at 6:30 p.m. Eric will be buried in the church cemetery directly after the mass.
Please do not send flowers and plants, in lieu of please consider donating to an account set up for Mallory and Myles at the First National Bank of Falls County in Travis. Donations may be made directly to the bank, to Hewett-Arney Funeral Home, or any other of Eric’s family members.