Shelby County Today

12/16/2019

Breasa Joe Moore Lunsford, 60, of Center, passed away Saturday, December 14, 2019, in Nacogdoches. 

Funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Thursday, December 19, 2019, at Watson & Sons Funeral Home in Center with Bro. Eric Garrett officiating, assisted by Cody Price. Interment will follow at Jackson Cemetery in Joaquin. Visitation will be held prior to the service, beginning at 12:30 p.m.

Mrs. Lunsford was born September 9, 1959, in Nacogdoches, to Sylvester “Sonny” Moore and Linda Jonelle Sowell Moore. She had a servant’s heart toward everybody. Mrs. Lunsford was a member of First Pentecostal Church of Joaquin.

She is survived by:

Daughter, Misti Hogue of Center

Son, Cody Price and wife Laci of Tenaha

Grandchildren:
Jacob and Alaina Waller
Bailey Adkison
Cassity Hogue
Jacie Lewis
Cason Kohl-Dalde Hogue
Cayden Price
Chloie Price

Great-grandchildren, Cainan Jacob Waller

Sisters:
Rhonda Lee Clark
Kimberly Smith Tatum and husband Sidney

Nieces and nephews:
Michael Moore
Kelly Moore
Macy Moore
Beau Moore
Barry Smith
Stacy Cummings and husband Terry

Special family:
Billie McSwain
Johnny Howell Cassell
Chris and Amanda Belrose and their children
Zachary and Kailea Taylor
Zachary Taylor Jr.
Zailea Taylor
Zailyn Taylor

Preceded in death by her daughter, Brandi Michelle Hogue; parents, Sylvester “Sonny” Moore and Linda Jonelle Sowell Moore; brother, Charles Kelly Moore; and cousins, Shirley Ray Davidson and Joseph Bradford Bush.

Pallbearers will be Jacob Waller, Zach Taylor, Austin Hennigan, W.A. Nichols, Chris Belrose, Michael Moore and Tommy Price. Honorary pallbearers will be Chris Capps and Barry Smith.

Online condolences & tributes can be sent at www.watsonandsonsfuneralhome.com

12/14/2019

Lorelei Roberts Stevens, 66, of Shelbyville, passed away Thursday, December 12, 2019, in Lufkin.

Her wishes were to be cremated. A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, December 21, 2019, at Friendship Baptist Church in Joaquin.

Ms. Stevens was born July 10, 1953, in Los Angeles County, California, to Earl Ellis Roberts and Dovie Lucille McCoy Roberts.  She loved being a grandmother.

She is survived by: 
Her children: 
Ara Parke of Leesville, Louisiana
Ada Lowe and husband Tim of Center
Lee Stevens and wife Heather of Shelbyville

Grandchildren: 
Leila Escoto
Ruby Escoto
Lilly Escoto
Olivia Lowe
Jedidiah Lowe
Isaiah Lowe
Joanna Lowe
Levi Stevens
Keifer Stevens
Kynslee Stevens

Brothers and sister: 
David Roberts of Houston
Delbert Roberts of Huxley
Teenah Darrow of Massachusetts
Mike Roberts of Kentucky

Numerous nieces, nephews, other family, and a host of friends.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Earl Ellis Roberts and Dovie Lucille McCoy Roberts; brother, Eddie Roberts, and sister, Lynn Copeland.

Online condolences & tributes can be sent at http://www.watsonandsonsfuneralhome.com

12/12/2019

Polly Lynn Samford Chaney, 89, born August 1, 1930, passed from this earth at 1:31 a.m., Wednesday, November 27, 2019, at Nacogdoches Medical Center Hospital.

She was laid to rest at New Hope Cemetery in Center, Texas, near her family.

Polly Lynn, born and raised in Shelbyville, Texas, was a member of the Shelbyville Methodist Church, where she accepted her Lord and Savior into her life at the age of nine years.  Polly loved to sing, had a beautiful voice, and was called on often by “Miss Lula” at church to get up and sing. Later, she began singing with the Lee Men’s Trio with her friend, Dorothy Lee at the piano. Dorothy later married a Samford and picked the middle name “Lynn” for her daughter in honor of Polly.

Polly Lynn graduated from Shelbyville High in 1947, having served on the pep squad with dear friend, Nelwyn Fields, and was also chosen to sing the solo, “The End of a Perfect Day”, at her graduation ceremony.

After high school graduation, Polly moved to Houston and took a job as a switchboard operator at Southwestern Bell. At this time, she lived with her Aunt Olive and husband, Edward Dinkler, in Houston Heights. Her friend from Center, Peggy Webster, was also living and working in Houston for WWIB, which were auditors for all the railroads, including Southern Pacific. Peggy told Polly about a job opening and Polly nailed the interview as Peggy always said, “Dressed to Kill”. At that time, Polly made all her own clothes. After retiring from Western Weighing and Inspection Bureau (WWIB) after thirty-five years, Polly started her own inspection business, Able Inspection. For the next several years, often taking her only grandson, Adam Jay Chaney, just a youngster, along and making sure she wasn’t alone on some of those isolated railroad tracks. Polly was still climbing up on box cars and gondolas to often inspect contents, until a stroke in July 2000 put an end to that and also an end to her smoking another cigarette.

Fully recovered from her stroke, she returned to her business for a short time with the understanding she would not be climbing the railroad cars anymore. People were happy to accommodate, but when technology demanded a digital camera instead of the film being delivered at Eckerds, she called it quits.

Leaving Houston in 2012 to move back to East Texas to be close to her one of six remaining siblings, Charles L. Samford, she began to have some health problems. Suffering from AFIB for many years, her circulation was bad and finally resulted in an amputation below the right knee because of a small wound that only got worse. So many different things were tried, but it wasn’t meant to be. While back in Houston to have surgery on that wound, she fell off the surgery bed and a hip was broken.  Surgery resulted. She came through that and often suffered from that pain. Amputation of the leg finally came in August of 2015. Another hip surgery occurred due to a fall from her wheelchair, pneumonia while in the nursing home for rehab, and all the while dementia beginning to appear. Decided to replace her few teeth with dentures and nearly bled to death in 2016. Total removal of both breast in October 2018 due to cancer, coded in the hospital in October 2019 for a simple procedure to an artery for circulation, she bounced back from that after losing too much blood. And finally, a massive right brain stroke in November 2019 which affected her left arm, balance, and swallowing. Also, her carotid artery had begun to dissect. Then even this last episode, she continued to fight for her health insisting on having surgery for her carotid artery and wanting to be home by Christmas.

She was to have a trach put in Wednesday morning and the tubing she had in her mouth helping her breathe removed. They had kept her sedated, but her vitals were good.  The last time we had spoken had been nearly a week before the tubing was put in still insisting she would overcome.  Although I believed, I knew she was growing weary.

I know she had a great welcoming celebration that Wednesday, November 27, morning and my belief is we will be together again.

Be the things you loved the most about the person who is gone.

Loving daughter,
Pollene Estelle (Stellar) Walker

12/12/2019

Betty Ann (King) Underwood, 82, passed away peacefully on Thursday, December 5, 2019. Born in Beaumont, Texas, Betty grew up in Tenaha, Texas before moving to Pasadena, Texas in 1953 where she lived for a number of years and raised her family. In 1973, Betty married Jack Nelson Underwood and was married for 36 years until his death in 2009. Following Jack’s retirement, they moved to Lometa, Texas in the early ‘90s. Betty moved to Granbury, Texas in 2012.

Betty dedicated her life to serving God and those around her through the hospitality that she extended to so many people. She regularly opened her home to families who were in need and she enjoyed sharing meals with those she loved. Betty taught Ladies Bible Classes and was involved in, and supported, many of the ministries of the Church, giving generously of herself and her means.

Her legacy will live on through the people she touched and, should you wish to share your memories of remembrance, services will be held at Granbury Church of Christ on Saturday, 21 December 2019 at 10:00. There will be a visitation from 9:00 to 10:00 before the funeral. There will also be a graveside service in Lometa, Texas at the Center Cemetery at 3:30 the same day.

Betty is survived by:

Daughter, Celeste Mackie and her husband Grant Mackie

Grandsons, Joshua and Jonathan Cheatham

Two great-grandsons, Judah and Joseph Cheatham

Stepson, George Woods and his wife Barbara and their children and grandchildren

Stepdaughter, Rosemary Payne and her children

Her only sister, Barbara Anderson, and her children and grandchildren, and great-grandchildren

As well as cousins who were very close to her heart.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Ruth and Chester King, her brother, Johnny King, her first husband Nathan Shaw, her husband Jack Underwood, and stepson Mark Thomas Woods.

Family flowers only please. It is requested that if you wish to express your sympathy through a donation in her name, please make a donation to either the First Responders’ Luncheon, 1905 W Pearl Street, Granbury, Texas 76048, a ministry very close to her heart, or Universal Hospice and Palliative Care Facility, 5651 Bridge Street, Fort Worth, Texas, 76112 who provided loving care in her final days.

Services are under the direction of Wiley Funeral Home, Granbury, Texas 76048.

12/11/2019

Mr. Otis Ray Hoyt, 57, of San Augustine passed away Sunday morning at his residence in San Augustine services will be held Saturday 11 AM at Mt. Zion cemetery San Augustine.

Interment will follow at Mount Zion cemetery San Augustine with Reverend Herman E. Scott officiating.

Mr. Otis Ray Hoyt is survived by:
His wife Paula Davis of San Augustine

Father: J.T. Bratchet of San Augustine

Daughters:
Escinia Hoyt of Beaumont
JaKeva White of Logansport

Sons:
Michael Davis of San Augustine 
Cody Davis of San Augustine

Three grandchildren

Brother: James Hoyt of San Augustine

Sisters:
Glenda (Jerry) Whitaker of Tyler
Mary (David) Parks of San Augustine

Services are under the direction of Community Funeral Home.

12/10/2019

Linson White, 85, of the East Liberty Community, passed away Wednesday, December 4, 2019 at CHI St. Luke Health in San Augustine, Texas.

Funeral service will be Saturday, Decembe14, 2019 at 11:00 A.M. at East Liberty Baptist Church in the East Liberty Community. Rev. Fred Dade will be officiating.   

Mr. White is survived by:
Son: Joe Nathan White of Lancaster, Texas 

Brothers:
Johnny Ray White of Port Arthur, Texas
Carl Willis (Johnnie Mae) of Center, Texas 

Sisters:
Ella Faye Ware of Center, Texas
Lola Mae Fields of Dallas, Texas
Willie Mae (Fred) Dunn of Dallas, Texas
Pauline Hamilton of Dallas, Texas 

Visitation will be Friday, December 13, 2019 at Hicks Chapel from the hours at 7pm

Committal will be at Thompson Cemetery in Shelbyville, Texas 

Service entrusted to Hicks Mortuary 804 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Center, Texas 75935. Please visit our website for online condolences at www.hicksmortuary.net 

12/09/2019

Otis Ray Hoyt, 57 of San Augustine, passed away early Sunday, December 8, 2019 at his home.

Services are pending at this time at Community Funeral Home of Center, Texas.

12/09/2019

Martha Katharine Brittain, 67, passed away at Maine Medical Center in Portland Maine on November 24th.  Kathy was born June 12, 1952 in Dallas, Texas to Perry George Brittain and Martha Nelle Black where she lived most of her life. She graduated from Bryan Adams High School and then attended Austin College in Sherman Texas where she earned a BA in art history. She attended Dallas Theological Seminary and earned a MA.

Kathy was married to Robert David Rauschenberg. They had a son, Carlton David, in 1978.

She worked for Kidder Peabody in Dallas and for Republic National Bank. She moved to the family farm in East Texas in 1999. She worked with cattle and raised Texas longhorns. She also had several horses and dogs which she loved dearly. She also enjoyed gardening, and growing roses. She was active in churches in Dallas, Center and Timpson Texas where she taught Sunday school.

Shortly after her father, Perry, died in 2007 she and her mother moved to Waldoboro Maine. They brought their dogs, horses, and a cat. She wanted to be near her son Carlton who works as a research associate at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences. She loved the beauty of nature and enjoyed her time in Maine.

Kathy is survived by her son Carlton, sister Jennifer Giese of Bedford Wyoming, her mother Martha Brittain and many dear cousins and friends.

At her request, there will be no memorial service planned. Gifts in her name can be made to her favorite charity, The Maine Society for the Protection of Animals, 279 River Road, Windham, ME 04062.

Hall’s of Waldoboro has care of the arrangements. To extend online condolences visit www.hallfuneralhomes.com.

12/08/2019

Winston Gerald Smith, 71, of Center, Texas passed away on December 8, 2019, in Nacogdoches, Texas. Born June 19, 1948, in, Shelby County, Texas. Winston is the son of the late Bobby Lee Smith and Viola (Tynes) Smith. Graveside service will be held on Wednesday, December 11, 2019 at 2PM at White Rock Cemetery, Center, Texas.

Visitation will be held prior to the graveside service on December 11, 2019, beginning at 1PM at White Rock Cemetery, Center, Texas.

Winston was raised in the White Rock Community in Shelby County, Texas. He attended Excelsior School. He enjoyed riding backroads and visiting with friends. Winston was a member of Mt. Herman Church of Christ. 

He is survived by:

Sisters:
Thelma Hinton of Shelbyville, Texas
Flossie Caroline Smith of San Augustine, Texas

Nephew, Brad Hinton and wife Dena of Shelbyville, Texas

Great-niece, Harley Hinton

Great-nephew, Clayton Hinton

Host of friends that will miss him.

Winston is preceded in death by his parents, Bobby Lee and Viola Smith; and brother-in-law, Charles Hinton. 

In lieu of flowers family requests donations be made in memory of Winston to White Rock Cemetery, 604 CR 1210, Center, Texas, or at Farmers State Bank in Center, Texas.

To send condolences and sign the online guest book, you may go to www.mangumfh.net. Mangum Funeral Home, Center, is in charge of arrangements.