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Edith Lorraine Notgrass
ODESSA — Edith Lorraine Notgrass, 69, a longtime resident of Odessa, passed away Thursday, Aug. 14, 2003, at the Hospice House. She was born Dec. 21, 1933, in Tulsa, Okla.
Mrs. Notgrass was a member of First United Pentecostal Church for 38 years. She was a retired bookkeeper. She had worked for Western Sizzling Restaurant and Western National Bank.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Mack and Vivian Ryan, and sister, Linda Williams.
She is survived by her daughter, René Branscum of Odessa; sister, Norma Barnes of Highland, Calif.; grandchildren, Lance, Cori and Deanna, all of Odessa; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16, 2003, at Hubbard-Kelly Funeral Home with Rev. Terry Pugh officiating. Interment will follow at the Monahans cemetery.
Services entrusted to Hubbard-Kelly Funeral Home.
Special thanks to her niece, Verlene Dagenhart, for her many hours of care.
Georgine Skipworth
WILLS POINT — Georgine Skipworth, 90, resident of Odessa for the past five years, but previously a resident of Wills Point for many years, passed from this life Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2003, at the Hospice House of Odessa. She expressed her Christianity in her love for God and people. Many who were lonely found her frequent visits sources of encouragement. Mrs. Skipworth was exceptionally hospitable; people were always welcome in her home where they enjoyed visiting and the desserts that she had prepared. Most of her old friends in the Wills Point area have preceded her in death.
She was an active member of the Church of Christ for many years, attending services with the Eisenhower Church of Christ of Odessa during her last years. Georgine became a widow early in life, but enjoyed marriage more than 50 years with Floyd Skipworth who preceded her in death.
She was born January 29, 1913, in Gober, Texas, and was the last survivor of a family of 13 children. Mrs. Skipworth is survived by two daughters, Anna Groves and her husband, Burt, of Odessa and Noma Griffin and her husband, James, of Willis Point; three grandchildren, Greg Groves of Pretoria, South Africa, Annette Griffin of Sioux City, Iowa, and Jeff Griffin of Wills Point; six great-grandchildren, Meggan Robinson of Westminster, Md., Abigail Grassa of Colorado Springs, Colo., Silas Groves of Denver, Colo., Cody Risner of Houston, Nathan Griffin of Wills Point and Zachary Griffin of Wills Point; and three great-great-grandchildren, Grant Robinson of Westminster, Md., Greg Robinson of Westminster, Md., and Lilly Grassa of Colorado Springs, Colo. The family loved her very much and will miss her smiling face and sweet manner.
Services are scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 16, 2003, at Hiett-Lybrand Funeral Home of Wills Point.
Local arrangements are with Hubbard-Kelly Funeral Home.
Richard L. Collins
MONAHANS — Richard Lewis Collins, 77, of Monahans, a geologist, died Thursday, July 10, 2003, at Odessa Medical Center Hospital.
Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Rest Haven cemetery in Gainesville. A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. July 19 at Family Funeral Services Chapel in Monahans. Arrangements by Family Funeral Services/
Jackie Harkey of Monahans.
He was born in Wichita Falls. He was a Baptist and a Navy veteran of World War II.
SURVIVORS: Wife, Doylene Collins of Monahans; son, Richard D. Collins of New Braunfels; daughter, Jerri Gardner of Levelland; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchild.
Brian Blackburn
ODESSA-Brian Keith Blackburn, 33, of Odessa, a truck driver, died Saturday, March 29, 2003, at his residence in Naples, Fla.
Services will be at 2 p.m. today at Faith Community Baptist Church with the Rev. Wayne Shelton officiating. Burial will be at Sunset Memorial Gardens. Arrangements by Odessa Funeral Home.
He was born in Odessa. He was in the Army National Guard. He was a member of Faith Community Baptist Church.
SURVIVORS: Parents, Bill and Beverly Blackburn of Odessa; brother, Richard Blackburn of Grand Prairie; sister, Kimberly Goolsby of Odessa; grandfather, J.W. Blackburn of Kentucky; and grandmothers, Lota Freeman of Odessa and Betty Kennedy of Florida.
Dakaija Walton
ODESSA — Dakaija Dashay Walton, 4, of Odessa died Friday, March 28, 2003, at the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, N.M.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Greater St. John Baptist Church with the Rev. E. J. Miller officiating. Burial will be at the Ector County cemetery. Arrangements by Martinez Funeral Home.
SURVIVORS: Father, Darsell Demon Walton of Odessa; mother, Tiffaney Nicole Woodard of Albuquerque, N.M.; sisters, Kainaja Walton of Albuquerque, N.M., and Anaya Walton and Deja Walton, both of Odessa; step-sister, Kayla Johnson of Odessa; brother, Yhai-mene Woodard of Albuquerque, N.M.; step-father, Alvin Woodard Jr. of Albuquerque, N.M; step-mother, Julia Walton of Odessa; grandparents, Yvonne White and Emmitt White, both of Odessa, Beverly Williams of Albuquerque, N.M., and Russell Walton of Dallas; great-grandparents, Minnie White, Pecolia Williams and Charles Daniels, all of Odessa, Mona Bell of Atlanta, Ga., and Samuel White of Dallas.
Robert Williams
CRANE — Robert V. “Papa Jack” Williams, 88, of Crane, a retired pumper, died Wednesday, April 2, 2003, at his residence.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Shaffer-Nichols Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Owen Sharp officiating. Burial will be at the Crane County cemetery. Arrangements by Shaffer-Nichols Funeral Home.
He was born in Athens. He was Baptist.
SURVIVORS: Daughters, Debbie Perryman of Crane and Louise Thomas of Waco; sons, Kennith Dossey of Wink and Jack D. Williams of Waco; sister, Lois Williams of Waco; and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
Susana Vasquez
ODESSA — Susana Vasquez, 30, of Odessa died Tuesday, April 1, 2003, at her residence.
Services are pending with Chapa Funeral Home.
Lena Cresswell
FORT STOCKTON — Lena L. Cresswell, 100, of Sanderson, died Thursday, July 10, 2003, in Fort Stockton.
Graveside services will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Cedar Grove cemetery with the Rev. William Perhealth officiating. Arrangements by Fort Stockton Funeral Home.
SURVIVORS: Son, W.N. Bowden of San Antonio; daughter, Billie McSparran of Sanderson; and numerous grandchildren.
Lorena Flowers
STANTON — Lorena Flowers, 82, of Stanton, a homemaker, died on Thursday, July 10, 2003, in a Midland nursing home.
Services will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at the First Baptist Church in Stanton with the Rev. Robert Frazier officiating. Burial will be at Evergreen cemetery in Stanton. Arrangements by Gilbreath Funeral Home of Stanton.
She was born in Stanton and was a lifetime resident of Stanton. She enjoyed quilting. She also had worked for Walgreen Drug in Stanton and Wes Tex Telephone. She was a member of Belvue Church of Christ.
SURVIVORS: Son, Jerry Wayne Hardin of Midland; daughter, Betty Sue Hardin of Odessa; brothers, Harold Graves of Stanton and I.T. Graves of Dumas; four grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
Johnnie Stockstill
STANTON — Johnnie Stockstill, 75, of Stanton, former Stanton Drug employee, died Thursday, July 10, 2003, in a Stanton nursing home.
Services will be held at 1 p.m. Monday at the First Baptist Church Stanton with Mike Harris officiating. Burial will be at Evergreen cemetery Stanton. Arrangements by Gilbreath Funeral Home of Stanton .
She was born in Stanton and had lived in Monahans for 17 1/2 years before returning to Stanton in 1968. She was a member of First Baptist Church.
SURVIVORS: Son, Morris Wayne Stockstill of Las Vegas; daughter, Betty
Sue Rogers of Alvin;
sister, Sue Branam of
Monahans; brother, Hardin Zimmerman of Midland.
Cleburne Warren
ODESSA — Cleburne Smith Warren, 83, of Odessa, died Friday, July 11, 2003, at Medical Center Hospital.
Services will be held at 4 p.m. Monday at Chapel Hill Baptist Church with the Rev. Jimmy Law officiating. Burial will be at Sunset Memorial Gardens. Arrangements by Frank W. Wilson Funeral Directors.
He was born in Sanger.
SURVIVORS: Wife, Bonnie Warren of Odessa; sons, Wade Warren of Snyder, Gary Warren of Odessa and Johnny Warren of Cedar Park; eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Gladys Atkinson Suggs
ODESSA — Gladys Suggs, devoted daughter and sister, faithful wife, loving mother and grandmother and loyal friend, passed away on August 12, 2003, at Regency Hospital. She died from complications associated with the injuries she received in a vehicle accident that took the life of her husband, Joe M. Suggs, on June 3, 2003.
Gladys Powell Atkinson Suggs was born on September 5, 1925, in Camden, New Jersey, to William Thomas Atkinson and Margaret Moore Atkinson. The summer after she graduated from high school, Gladys went to California to be a companion to an aunt whose husband was reported missing in action in WWII. While working in a soda shop in Los Angeles, Calif, Gladys met her future husband of 58 years, Joe Suggs. Family stories hint that their first meeting occurred when Gladys intervened and vouched for an unknown, yet obviously inebriated, sailor who was just about to get arrested by the Shore Patrol.
After the war, Gladys moved to her husband’s home state, Texas. At first, she disliked a few things about Texas – especially being teased about her New Jersey accent, the sand storms and the fact that the Pacific Ocean was 1,200 miles away. Although she continued to dream about the California coast, Gladys grew to love Texas and acquired a drawl that was equal to that of many native Texans. Gladys, her husband, Joe, and baby daughter, Victoria Jane – who was born on VJ Day, set up their first home in Wichita Falls, Texas, where Joe was using WWII G.l. benefits to be trained as a dental technician and serving in the National Guard.
In 1946, Gladys’s mother, dad, sisters and brother stopped in Wichita Falls as they were relocating to California. When they learned that Gladys was pregnant with her second child and that it was due only 15 months after the first child was born, they gave up their California opportunity in order to stay and provide support to Gladys and her growing family.
After his training was completed, Joe Suggs got a job as a dental technician at the Crane Dental Laboratory in Big Spring, Texas. Due to the housing shortage after WWII, Gladys was faced with the task of caring for her family in an apartment building where several families shared one bathroom. She tackled that challenge as she did many future challenges in her life. She created and managed a schedule for all the families and established procedures for use that eliminated conflict. In 1950, Gladys, her husband and two daughters moved to Odessa where their third child, Joe M. Suggs Jr., was born and where they eventually established Suggs Dental Laboratory.
Gladys loved being a wife and mother. She devoted her time and talents to parenting her three children, creating a secure and loving home, and providing strength, compassion, empathy and support to others as they faced difficult periods in their lives. She was a private person who did not need a large circle of friends, but she dearly loved the ones she did call “friend.” Gladys had a practical nature with a strong work ethic and sense of duty, but she could also be fun-loving and sassy. Along with their husbands, Gladys and her best friend, Mary Taylor, created a family get-a-way on Lake Sweetwater that became a secure, loving, fun part of many lives. This was especially true for her two grandsons who, when going through a difficult period in their young childhood, benefited greatly from the stability, love and fun provided by their “grandmom and pop.”
While it is often easier to describe the life of individuals who have achieved success in their professional, social or volunteer activities, it is more difficult to describe the unique significance of a life that is primarily associated with such common words as wife, mother, grandmother and friend. To put it simply and accurately, Gladys Suggs spent her life, love, talents and energy on the important things – the things that endure, the things that really matter. She was a woman who loved intensely and was truly the heart and soul of her family. The world is a better place because she was here and we all are better people because we knew her. Gladys Suggs, indeed, was as a rich and successful woman.
Gladys Suggs is survived by her sister, Marjorie Lee of Wichita Falls, Texas; her brother, William Atkinson and his wife, Judy, of Marietta, Georgia; her daughters, Victoria Jane Suggs, of Tustin, Calif., and Eileen Suggs Cook of San Antonio, Texas; her son, Joe M. Suggs, Jr. of Tustin, Calif.; her grandsons, Brian Cook and his wife, Denver, of San Antonio, Texas, Brent Cook and his wife, Rachel, of San Diego, Calif., and John Seitz Jr. of Plano, Texas. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews as well as long-time friends, Mary and Charlie Taylor of Odessa, Texas, and Bobbye Goodson, also of Odessa, Texas.
Her husband, Joe M. Suggs; her mother, Margaret Johnson Moore Atkinson; her father, William Thomas Atkinson; and her sister, Jane Atkinson Sells, preceded Gladys in death.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any donations be made to the Westside Baptist Church, care of Marjorie Lee, 1914 Buchanan, Wichita Falls, Texas, 76309.
Memorial services are scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, August 16, 2003, at Frank W. Wilson Funeral Home, 4635 Oakwood Drive in Odessa, Texas, 79761.
