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Mrs. Walsleben
Olivia Elsie Edna Walsleben, 95, died Oct. 20 in Hamilton. Funeral services were held Oct. 22 in the Riley Funeral Home Chapel with Dr. J.W. Sellers and Rev. Bert DeBord officiating. Burial followed in Ireland Cemetery.
Mrs. Walsleben was born May 11, 1910 at Womack, the daughter of Paul Louis and Minna Pietzsch Conrad.
On July 9, 1929 she was married to Richard Otto Walsleben. He preceded her in death on Dec. 18, 1991.
She was retired for Patti’s of Texas and was an active member of the Jonesboro Methodist Church.
Mrs. Walsleben was a wonderful cook and when you went to her home she always had fresh cookies baked and coffee or punch to go with them.
She loved raising chickens and selling fresh eggs to the community. She was a devoted wife a loving mother, grandmother and great grandmother.
She is preceded in death by her husband; her parents; a daughter Diane Davis; three sisters, Takla Borah, Talita McGinnis, Lenora Ender; two brothers, Eldor Conrad and Joseph Conrad.
Survivors include her three daughters, Dorothy Ashmore of Jonesboro, Laweta Tyler of Burleson and Sylvia Moyer of Sarasota, Fla.; 10 grandchildren; 34 great-grandchildren and 13 great-great-grand-children; a brother, Edwin Conrad of Clifton and a number of nieces, nephews and a host of friends.
Pallbearers were Tom Davis, Paul Ashmore, Cody Ashmore, Bill Ashmore, Richard Ray Watson, Justin Davidson and Adam Tyler.
Riley Funeral Home
Mr. Rawlings
Roy A. Rawlings Sr., 82, died Jan. 1, 2006 at home with his family beside him.
Mr. Rawlings was a World War II Veteran, serving in the Coast Guard.
He was married to Elsie Pelgar in 1943 in Florida, where he was stationed. They later moved to his hometown of Fort Worth to raise a family. He attended TCU and worked for National Life Ins. Co. until his retirement.
The couple moved to Hamilton in 1981 to live the peaceful country life they so loved. Mr. Rawlings was an avid hunter and fisherman and shared this with his family.
He was preceded in death by his wife.
Survivors include his two daughter, Rena E. Meade and husband Don Barnes and Ardis L. Madewell and husband J.D.; two sons, Roy A. Rawlings Jr. and wife Alice and Rodney D. Rawlings and wife Leslie; eight grandchildren and three great- grandchildren.
Scott Funeral Home
Mrs. Durham
Jean Durham died Dec. 29, 2005. Funerals services were held Dec. 31, at Western Heights Baptist Church with Rev. Michael Patterson officiating. Burial was at Live Oak Cemetery in Hamilton.
Mrs. Durham was born August 9, 1931 in Hamilton, the daughter of Johnnie Marvin and Sarah Velma Winningham.
She graduated from Hamilton High School and went to Brownwood Business College. She married Charlie Durham Sept. 14, 1952 at the home of her parents near Hamilton. She worked as a school secretary at Bryan ISD and Waco ISD at Viking Hills Elementary School.
Mrs. Durham and her husband have been active members for 30 years at Western Heights Baptist Church.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey
Mr. and Mrs. Allen
Elvin Allen and Nelda Henry Allen of Evant both died after 51 years together in marriage.
Mr. Elvin died on Feb. 24, 2007 and his wife followed on Feb. 27.
A funeral service for the Allens was held on March 1 in the Pearl Church of Christ with Bill Wheeless Jr. and Dick Decker officiating. Burial followed in the Hurst Ranch Cemetery.
Mr. Allen was born Jan. 22, 1921 in Gouldbusk, the son of Mr. and Mrs. William Mabry Allen. Mrs. Allen was born Sept. 26, 1934 in Mills County, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Barton B. Henry.
Before meeting his wife, Mr. Allen served his country in the United States Army Air Corp.
They were married on Sept. 2, 1955 in Winters. They were together in all things they accomplished in their lives. The couple had a loving home and never met a stranger.
Mr. Allen worked as a sound technician for many years before his retirement and Mrs. Allen was a bookkeeper before her own retirement. They were members of the Pearl Church of Christ in Pearl.
Survivors include a daughter, Mitzi Horton and her husband Steve of Longview; a son, Cliff Allen and his wife Sue of Waco; Mr. Allen’s niece, Ruby and her husband Bill of Lampasas who were considered a daughter and son, five grandchildren, Shelby, Megan and Austin Horton and Zach and Amanda Allen and numerous nieces and nephews.
Riley Funeral Home
Mr. Olson
Charles Moran Olson of Cranfills Gap died March 13, 2007. A memorial service was held March 18 in the St. Olaf Lutheran Church in Cranfills Gap.
Mr. Olson was born May 15, 1940 in Dallas, the only child of Orville and Ruby Olson of the Live Oak community near Cranfills Gap.
He attended Cranfills Gap schools where he graduated in 1958. He received his Associates degree in 1961 from Tarleton and then attended North Texas State College where he graduated in January 1963.
He was married to Jeanene McAnally in October of 1963. Mr. Olson worked for the American Red Cross as an assistant field director at Lackland AFB and then at Flak Kaserne in Ludwigsburg, Germany.
He went to work for the Methodist Home in Waco in 1968 and then in 1969 he began his career with State Farm Insurance as a claims specialist.
After 27 years with State Farm he and his wife retired to the family farm in 1996. He worked for a time as an independent claims adjustor and in antique sales before his illness forced him to fully retire.
Survivors include his wife; two sons, Charles Christian Olson and wife Wendy of Bedford and Nathan Blake Olson and wife Michelle of Azle; a daughter, Dana Lynne Krauss and partner John Jones of Euless; grandchildren, Dallas Krauss, Garrett Hurst, Grace Olson, Mikayla Olson and Nathan Blake Olson Jr.
The family requests that memorials be made to St. Olaf Lutheran Church Endowment Fund, 402 Meridian St. Cranfills Gap 76637 or Clifton Lutheran Sunset Home, building fund, dementia unit, P.O. Box 71, Clifton 76634 or the Alzheimer’s Association.
Clifton Funeral Home
Mr. Payne
Chester A. Payne, 86, of Hamilton died March 14, 2007 in the Forrest Oaks Nursing Home. Funeral services were held March 16 in the Riley Funeral Home Chapel with Wade Lackey and Neil Carroll officiating. Burial followed in the Cox Cemetery near Sydney.
Mr. Payne was born Dec. 8, 1920 in Crews, the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Marvin and Sarah Beth Hurt Payne.
He was married to Eloise Caraway on April 8, 1944 in Stephenville. She preceded him in death in 1991.
Mr. Payne was a longtime farmer and rancher in the Hamilton area. He was a member of the Evergreen Baptist Church.
He was preceded in death by four sisters, Jewel Norwood, Golda Elliott, Margaret Hurt, Treva Newton; a brother, Ollie Payne and a great-grandson, Shane Carroll in 1996.
Survivors include three children, Lorena Carroll and her husband Dwain of Comanche; Coda Bottlinger and her husband Jr. of Hamilton, Bishop Payne and his wife Debbie of Buchanan Dam; a sister, Geneva Strickland of Comanche, 10 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews.
Serving as pallbearers were Neil Carroll, Alan Humphrey, Michael Parton, Joseph Brumbalow, Clay Moore and Thomas Carroll.
Riley Funeral Home
Norma Leeona Jones
Norma Leeona Jones, 88, of Lanham died on April 16, 2008 in the Dove Hill Care Center in Hamilton. Funeral services were held April 19 at the Riley Funeral Home Chapel with Robyn Young officiating. Burial followed in the Lanham Cemetery.
Mrs. Jones was born September 26, 1919 in Lanham, the daughter of Norman S. and Cora Elizabeth Mahew Sellers.
She was married to Wesley Jones in Crawford on January 1, 1941. Mrs. Jones was a member of several organizations that were very dear to her. She was a member of the Eastern Star, Jonesboro Quilting Club, United Care and The American Legion Auxiliary. She was a member of the Lanham Methodist Church.
Mrs. Jones always had a kitchen full of love. She loved to bake cakes and would decorate them for special occasions. As a child growing up she loved to play basketball and tennis.
Survivors include her husband, Wesley; four children, Ruth Gray and her husband Malcolm of Houston, John Wesley Jones and his wife Wanda of Hamilton, Marolyn Barber and her husband Steve of McGregor, James Jones and his wife Shiela of Waco; 13 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
Riley Funeral Home
Alton Wayne Lucas
Alton Wayne Lucas, age 56, of Cranfills Gap died at his home on April 16, 2008. Funeral services were held April 19 at Clifton Funeral Home Chapel with Brother Bill Schibler officiating. Burial followed at Boggy Cemetery.
Mr. Lucas was born Oct. 15, 1951 at Hale Center, the son of Alfred Lucas and Ruby Rudolph Lucas. He attended school at Hale Center and graduated from Pottsville High School in 1970.
He was married to Alice Faye Gaston on Dec. 16, 1978 in Cranfills Gap.
He was manager of the shipping department at Clifton Moulding and before that he was a truck driver, carpenter, farmer and rancher.
Mr. Lucas was a member of the St. Olaf Lutheran Church in Cranfills Gap. Earlier in life he was a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Plainview where he was baptized on Jan. 13, 1952 and confirmed on April 3, 1966.
He enjoyed horses, hunting, driving around, family and friends, old country music and doing work with tractors. He was president of the Meridian Horse Association since 1996.
Mr. Lucas was always willing to help others, he had calm nerves, was easy going and loved his family.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Survivors include his wife, Alice Faye Lucas of Cranfills Gap; two daughters, Jeanna Goains and husband Bobby of Cranfills Gap, Alana Lucas of Tyler; a brother, Ronnie Lucas and wife Marjie of Ponder; a niece, Bailey Lucas of Ponder, several relatives and many friends.
Pallbearers were B.J. Shepherd, Mitchell Allen, John Kruger, Greg Underwood, Tom Pierce and Jason Pierce.
Memorials may be made to St. Olaf Lutheran Church or the Meridian Horse Show Association or Central Texas Horse Show Association.
Clifton Funeral Home
Russell Bennett Cummings
Russell Bennett Cummings died on April 18th, in Austin, as a result of cancer. I ought to know since I was there; it was me!
Like most older people, I've been scanning the obituary columns for a number of years, just looking for familiar names and checking ages to see how they compared with my own. For a long time they were mostly older than me and that was comforting, but for several years I've noticed that I was older than most of the folks that were leaving this life.
That got me to wondering who was writing all those obituaries. Did the person's survivors have to sit down and put something together, with all the other things they had to do? Surely the funeral directors couldn't know all the facts well enough to write adequate stories. Regardless of how they are usually done, I decided I would write my own.
I was born in Houston, Texas October 6, 1925 at "old" Methodist Hospital on Caroline at Anita Streets. I attended public schools: Woodrow Wilson Elementary, Sidney Lanier Junior High and Mirabeau B.Lamar High School, graduating in 1942, when I was 16 years old. Originally my last name was Cumings, like my father's, who was descended from William Cumings, one of Stephen F. Austin's "old 300" families who established the original settlement in Austin's colony. After my parents divorced in 1940 my mother changed our name by adding the additional "m".
My older brother and only sibling, Glenn Malcolm Cummings, joined the U.S. Merchant Marine Cadet Corps in 1942, in response to public pleas for men to man the merchant ships being built to haul supplies to military operations all over the world in World War II. After graduating from high school at age 16, I held several entry level jobs and then attended Lon Morris College in Jacksonville, Texas for the spring 1943 semester. I then followed my brother and reported to the U. S. Naval District Headquarters in New Orleans to be sworn into the Cadet Corps soon after my 18th birthday in October 1943. I was in uniform in time to have my picture taken as I marched down Canal Street in the Armistice Day parade on November 11th. After eight weeks of basic training, I boarded my first ship, the S.S. Delmar in New Orleans just after Christmas, 1943.
The Delmar was built in 1919 at Hog Island, Pennsylvania and was capable of only about 10 knots, top speed. After one voyage delivering general cargo to Cuba, through the Panama Canal and down the west coast of South America and back to New York, I was transferred in March 1944 to a nearly new ship, the S.S. Sea Nymph. She was a C-2 cargo ship, more than twice the size of the Delmar, and had a 15 man U.S. Navy gun crew with a five inch gun mounted on the fantail. She was capable of speeds over 16 knots. I made two round trips in convoy to England on the Sea Nymph, delivering war materials (ammunition, bombs, food stuffs, etc) for the American soldiers already gathering for the invasion of Europe. We passed the battleship, U.S.S. Texas, in the English Channel, just before D-Day, as we headed back to New York for another load.
I graduated from Kings Point, the U. S. Merchant Marine Academy on Long Island New York in June 1945 with a license to sail as Third Officer on any merchant ship in any ocean of the world and a commission as Ensign, U.S.N.R. I was only 19 years old. During that career I visited Cuba, Panama, Colombia, Chile, Peru, England, Australia, Greece, Canada and Poland, in that order. Before retiring I was promoted to Lt. (j.g.) in the United States Naval Reserve.
As a result of the good work of my brother and me, and a few million others, we won World War II and I resumed my education. I attended The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Houston to accumulate enough college additional hours to add to the war-shortened course at Kings Point to earn my BS in Transportation.
I met my life partner, Dorothy Hensley, in September of 1948, where she was the receptionist and switchboard operator. We became engaged on Valentine's Day, 1949 and we were married in First Methodist Church in Houston on June 25, 1949. We had two children, David Malcolm (1950) and Karen Ann (1952), who have both made us very proud. Our outstanding grandsons are Russell Bennett Lang and Carl Thompson Norwood.
My business career included stints in automotive battery manufacturing, service station and auto repair and moving and storage of household goods, all in Houston. It was while I operated the Gulf service station at Richmond and Montrose (both Gulf Oil Co. and that station are now long gone) that I became interested in politics. I began reading and attending meetings and joined the Houston Junior Chamber of Commerce, which met for lunch weekly at the Lamar Hotel and heard numerous political speakers. I was appointed chairman of the Jaycees Americanism. Committee and at our first meeting (in my backyard) we planned the first "Old Fashion Fourth of July Celebration" to be held in Herman Park complete with a fireworks show, military band, patriotic speaker, free (small) American flags and a terrific traffic jam. We had hoped for 1500 people to show up; newspapers estimated that 35,000 people actually attended. During this time I was elected Vice President of the Houston chapter of Texas Service Station Association, Secretary¬Treasurer of the Houston Movers Association and President of Richwood Civic Club, where we lived from 1955 to 1973.
I was also elected President of the Houston Junior Chamber of Commerce in 1960, an honor that also led to my appointment as a director of the Houston Chamber of Commerce and as a Director of the Houston Fat Stock Show and Rodeo. All that experience led me to run, in 1962, for the Democratic nomination for one of eight State Representative positions Harris County was entitled to fill in the Texas Legislature. I was unsuccessful, but ran again in 1964 and again in 1966, when I finally was elected. I closed my company (Cummings Moving and Storage) and went to work as a consultant to Central Forwarding Co. (largest moving and storage company in Texas at the time). You do remember that being a Texas State Representative is a part-time job, don't you?
I served two terms (four years; two regular sessions and two special sessions) representing (in a multi member district) the western third of Harris County in the Texas Legislature. I served on the House Appropriations Committee. Parks and Wildlife Committee, Transportation Committee, House Administration Committee (I got to assign all the House members their parking spaces), Penitentiary Committee, and Public Education Committee, where I was Vice Chairman. It was a life-changing experience.
In 1971 I was defeated for re-election, but continued my work as a moving and storage consultant and was also employed by State Representative Ray Lemmon, of Harris County, to assist him with his legislative duties. In January 1973, I was hired by the members of The Texas Mass Transportation Commission as Executive Director. The agency's stated purpose was to "encourage; foster and assist in the development of public and mass transportation in this state". After two and a half years, the Legislature, in it's wisdom, merged the Texas Mass Transportation Commission (about 7 employees) with the Texas Highway Department (about 15,000 employees) to form the State Department of Highways and Public Transportation (later to add other agencies and become the Texas Department of Transportation, aka "TexDot"). If you're interested, a then new magazine named Texas Monthly, did a story on how this all happened in their April 1974 issue, with George Bush (the elder) and Robert Strauss on the cover.
I stayed with the Highway Department (there are still a few of us that call it that) until I retired in 1993. I made many good friends and had many challenging and interesting assignments. In 1988, a federal judge had ruled that those who served in the Merchant Marines in World War II were entitled to "veteran's benefits". About all that meant to me at that late date was that it added three years to my total retirement base with the Texas Employees Retirement System and gave me a few extra retirement dollars every month.
My brief experience as a member of the Legislature led to my playing a role in passing "open meetings" legislation (some agencies used to meet and later put out a news release about what happened; now most Texas "governmental bodies" have to post advanced public notice of when and where they'll meet and what's on the agenda), "open beaches" legislation (developers used to sign the public beach as private property and most law-abiding citizens would stay away), and pushing the extension of deer season into January (it used to end on December 31 every year); I took a petition, signed by 135 of the 150 members of the House) to the Parks and Wildlife Commission requesting that change because the Chairman of the House Committee wouldn't consider letting a bill pass out). I was House author of legislation to permit independent school districts to provide free kindergarten (there was no provision for state money); the Senate bill passed first, but I got it on the House calendar. I passed a bill for the Texas Nurses Association, making registration mandatory for registered nurses. I passed a bill for Texas Fish Farmers making their new industry legal; they had been unintentionally violating a number of laws about "means of catching fish, daily possession limits, size limitations, etc of game fish. The Texas Bar Association gave me a plaque for passing a bill they supported, but they would not support my attempts to create an optional penalty of "life without parole" for certain crimes of violence committed with a firearm. It was my bill that created Texas first "work release program" that let convicted non-violent criminals work "outside" in certain situations for private employers to earn money to pay the costs of their imprisonment, generate income for their dependents and start a savings account for use when they were released. There were others, but you get the idea.
In connection with those bills and other activities, I'd like to name as honorary pall bearers, the following folks, most of whom, if they are still with us, are too old to be any other kind; The Honorable Ray Lemmon, The Honorable Gus Mutcher, The Honorable Lee Duggan, The Honorable Tommy-Don Uher, Felton West, Bo Byers, Dave McNeely; The Honorable Babe Schwartz, The Honorable Don Kennard, and The Honorable Jack Ogg. Also Johnny Clepper, Henry A. Thomason, Marcus Yancey, Ed Davis, Richard Christie, Al Luedecke and Gary Trietsch. All these men played a part in my life.
After retiring from the State of Texas, we moved from our 8th floor condominium on Town Lake in Austin to our ranch between Hamilton and Goldthwaite in the fall of 1994. We have raised, over the years, many head of fine Brangus cattle, a few horses and donkeys, a few sheep, goats and barn cats and one fine dog....Scout. She was the product of a summer romance between a golden retriever and a yellow lab and we enjoyed sharing our space with her. Scout is buried, with a concrete tombstone, near the front gate of our ranch. Our ranch was the third one in Texas to be certified as a Texas Quality Beef Producer by the Texas and Southwest Cattle Raisers Assn, The Texas Beef Council, Texas Cooperative Extension Service in cooperation with the Texas Veterinarians Assn.
I'll be buried in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin, on April 22, at 1 p.m. The cemetery is located about a mile east of the State Capitol at 909 Navasota Street, between 7th and 11th Streets. The Cemetery has, since 1851, served as the final resting place for numerous soldiers and founders of the Republic and State of Texas, elected officials, jurists and other prominent men and women "who have made a significant contribution to Texas history, government and culture". Stephen F. Austin, 12 Texas governors, numerous legislators, judges and other individuals are buried there, along with some 2200 Confederate soldiers and their wives. More information about the Cemetery (and biographical information on Dorothy and me) can be found on the web site at www.cemetery.state. tx.us
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to Russell Cummings Nursing Scholarship, McLennan Community College, 1400 College Drive, Waco, Texas 76705 or www.mclennan.edu (click on Foundation).
It has been a great life and I am pleased with the way it has all turned out, for me, my wife and my children too. I hope you all are as content as I am, as I start the next stage of this experience. Smile every chance you get!
Arrangements by Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home.
Mr. January
John Paul January, 60, died at Rollins Brook Community Hospital in Lampasas. Graveside services and burial will be at High Valley Cemetery near Bend on Sept. 18, 2002 with Richard Johnson officiating.
Mr. January was born April 26, 1942 in Lampasas, the son of Thomas Houston and Ethil Mae Owens January.
He was raised at Bend and lived in Evant from 1967 until 1994 when he moved to Hamilton where he resided for six years. He moved to Lampasas in 2000.
Survivors include his brother, Douglas January of Port Lavaca; sisters, Sybil Porter of San Antonio, Charlotte Bass of Beaumont, Tommye Cobern of Bend and Sammie Eddleman of Evant and a number of nieces and nephews.
Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society.
