The Victorick Family Scholarship honors the memories of Janice and Ashley Victorick, wife and son of longtime SPJST District One Director Donnie Victorick of Snook. Both believed deeply in SPJST and its youth, and the family’s goal is to fund three scholarships to help SPJST students further their education.

Janice Victorick

Janice Victorick of Snook, Texas, passed away on Wednesday, May 26, 2021.

Janice was a special lady. She lived an ordinary life, although encountering many hardships. Her mother passed away when she was about three years old, and she was raised by her father with the help of Emmagene Sebesta, her aunt, who served as Grandma to Melissa and Ashley. Being a good mom was her number one priority. Janice was a very hard worker who was always willing to lend a helping hand. Never would she sit back and wait for someone else to start cleaning after any function, and most of the time, she would wind up in the kitchen washing all the pots, pans, and dishes. She loved to cook and was an excellent one. She especially enjoyed cooking great meals for her family and according to her granddaughter, Addison, no one could cook like her.

Janice spent a large portion of her life being a caretaker for family members – first was her dad, followed by Donnie’s dad after his mother passed away at an early age. Then, Donnie’s aunt became the next recipient of her love and caring. Her last venture was Aunt Emmagene (Grandma) for several years and especially after she had open heart surgery. Giving help was always Janice’s gift.

Janice retired from Texas A&M in January 2019 and spent her time doing many things at home. She was worried at first because she thought she would get bored because of her highly active life. She never let that happen and loved being able to travel with Donnie on trips for SPJST. She went to every lodge meeting with him, even when she was working full time. She loved meeting and talking to people and was never at a loss for words.

She will be missed by many, especially her family whom she loved dearly. She was the rock for Donnie and supported him in all facets of his career.

During Donnie’s coaching years, Janice was at every ball game. She took pride in caring for the boys and washed practice shirts every evening for the teams. She also made sure the players never had to wear soiled uniforms when playing in tournaments. Janice would gather their uniforms and go to the nearest laundromat to wash them while the team would go to eat. She loved all the players and treated them like her own sons. She would even doctor them if they got sick while in the playoffs. To many of the players she was known as “Mama V.” She loved doing the little things for people and never worried about taking credit for doing any of this.

Janice was one of a kind and loved her only granddaughter, Addison, dearly. There is a strong bond between them, and Mimi loved her “Pumpin.” Addison was the apple of her eye, just like Melissa and Ashley. There was nothing she wouldn’t do for any of them or the rest of her extended family. She made many, many trips between her house and Melissa’s and Ashley’s homes – almost always bringing meals to keep in the freezer so they wouldn’t have to cook. She continued that tradition by making sure Addison and her teammates had good food and brownies when playing in tournaments.

Helping, caring for, working, and cooking were the things she loved. Janice was a 51-year member of SPJST Lodge 9, Snook.

Ashley Victorick

On Sunday, February 13, 2022, Ashley Don Victorick, son, brother, brother-in-law, uncle, nephew, cousin, and friend died peacefully at 45 years old at St. Joseph Hospital in Bryan, Texas.

On November 29, 1976, Ashley was born in Bryan to Donnie and Janice (Albright) Victorick. He graduated from Snook High School in 1995. He attended Blinn Junior College in Brenham to serve as the men’s basketball team statistician/driver/coordinator and any other job Coach Waldo Dalchau gave him.

After two years, Ashley transferred to Texas A&M University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting in December 1999. While attending school, he worked at First Federal Bank in Bryan, learning everything he could about lending and finance until moving to Houston to work in the oil and gas industry. In doing that work, his Type A personality served him well. Ashley enjoyed the challenge and the tedious aspect of a tax return—it was his favorite time of the year, even though he’d say otherwise. He’d often joke when his mom or sister would complain about not balancing an account and missing $16. He’d laugh at the amount and say when they could add some zeroes behind their missing money; he’d help them find it. It was an inside joke that we still laugh about today!

While in Houston, Ashley served Texas A&M as Vice President and Past President of the Houston A&M Club, chairing its biggest fundraising events.

Ashley was a lifelong member of SPJST, serving as District Five President, secretary of the SPJST Finance Committee, and a delegate at the 2021 SPJST Convention. Ashley helped in almost all areas of SPJST throughout the years. Being involved in many areas, he saw a need to speed up the tabulation process at District and State Youth Achievement Days and created a program to expedite it. Ashley supported Lodge 9, Snook at its annual fundraiser and would offer ideas for improvement to help the lodge raise more money. He also supported the youth in every endeavor and especially enjoyed preparing the local king and queen contestants for competition because he saw so much value in the public speaking contests.

At Lodge 88, Houston, Ashley served in many capacities as a member and past chair of Lodge 88 Board of Trustees, and most recently as treasurer. Perhaps his favorite time spent at the lodge was serving as bar chair because it combined his love for helping people and his ability to analyze data. He took pride in managing the bar operations. He considered it a personal accomplishment if he had to wait to close the lodge because people enjoyed themselves too much to leave. However, he never rushed anyone out the door, and customer service was always a priority.

Ashley was a member of the Bingo Committee at Lodge 88, and customer service was again his goal. The family has heard many stories about his Thursday nights at Bingo in the Heights and how he helped players and workers. Even during his final days in the hospital, he received several texts asking where his smiling face was. A life well-lived is in the service to others.

The Bingo Committee members were his second family, and he so enjoyed his Thursday nights spent with them. It’s impossible to detail every committee or event he chaired or every heart he touched with his kind and caring nature.

During his mother’s illness, he was the perfect caregiver for his mother. Ashley was the all-around cheerleader for his many friends and family. Without his attendance at ball games, track meets, fundraisers, and youth camps, it will leave a hole in many hearts. He is tremendously missed by niece Addison, whom he adored more than anyone. They were best friends and spent hours playing games, cooking, watching movies, texting, and talking about life. He rarely missed her softball or basketball games and never missed a dance recital.

Ashley was an avid high school and college football, basketball, and track fan. Few people could rival his statistical knowledge on where an athlete attended high school or college. Never bet against him on a sports trivia question! He had never missed the UIL Boys State Basketball Tournament, attending 45 consecutive years – his first one at four months old. Sports were always a large part of his life, and he enjoyed every opportunity to watch the events.

He was also an excellent cook. His dream was to open a bakery to make cookies and pastries for others to enjoy. But never ask him for a recipe because he couldn’t give you one!