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Mary Llewellyn Sessing
ODESSA — Mary Llewellyn Sessing, 75, of Odessa, died Sunday, Oct. 10, 1999, at Medical Center Hospital.
Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church with the Rev. James Bridges officiating. Rosary will be recited at 7 p.m. today at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church. Burial will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Calvary cemetery in Tulsa, Okla. Services are under the direction of Hubbard-Kelly Funeral Home.
She was born in Bristow, Okla. She married
Ralph E. Sessing May 2, 1953, in Sand Springs, Okla. He died in 1973.
Mrs. Sessing moved to Odessa in 1969 from Oklahoma City. She was a former member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church and was a member of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church. She was loved by all and will be deeply missed.
Survivors include her son, John T. Sessing of Odessa; daughter, Lynn S. Dodson of Odessa; brother, the Rev. Anselm James Llewellyn of Atchison, Kan.; and one grandson, Mark L. Sessing of Odessa.
The family suggests memorial to St. John’s Episcopal School, 412 N. County Road West, Odessa, Texas, 79763.
Services entrusted to Hubbard-Kelly Funeral Home.
H.C. "Joe" Luther
MIDLAND — Beloved husband, father, grandfather and dear friend, H.C. "Joe" Luther was called home to heaven on October 10, 1999, at his residence.
Funeral services will be held at I0 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 13, at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church with the Rev. Richard Edwards officiating. Burial will follow at Resthaven Memorial Park cemetery under the direction of Ellis Funeral Home.
Visitation is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Ellis Funeral Home Chapel.
Joe was born in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Aug. 15, 1924, to Herman and Iona Luther. He graduated from Slidell High School and joined the Air Force and flew bombing missions over Italy in World War II. He married
Corrine Covington in San Antonio March 6, 1948.
He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in geology.
Joe worked for Chevron as a geologist, retiring after 28 years to go out on his own to do consulting work.
Giving of himself generously, he lived and loved life with all his heart. He volunteered at the Airport’s Information Booth and the Confederate Air Force Museum, being instrumental in bringing recognition to the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II. Other countless hours were spent as a board member and a volunteer at the American Heart Association in the "Jump Rope for Heart" program. He volunteered at Meals On Wheels, Midland Memorial Hospital Auxiliary, West Texas Geological Society and The Petroleum Museum.
He was preceded in death by his parents; one brother, Denny Luther of SlideIl; and one sister, Burl Bauerle of Hammond, La.
He leaves to cherish his memory, his wife, Corrine; his daughters, Cheree Smith and husband, Billy, Sheila McCright and husband, Dan, all of Midland and Lisa Jolley of Scottsdale, Ariz.; his nine grandchildren, Jessica and Travis Smith, Michelle Watts, Blake and Natalie Boyce, all of Midland, Brent Boyce and Cody Jolley, both of Scottsdale, Ariz., and Shane Freeman of Dallas; and two great-grandchildren.
Pallbearers are Mike Jolley, Larry Hambek and his grandsons, Cody Jolley, Brent Boyce, Blake Boyce and Shane Freeman.
John Sweatt White
ODESSA — John Sweatt White, 91, died Sunday, Oct. 10, 1999, in Odessa.
Graveside services will be Wednesday, Oct. 13, 1999, at 3 p.m. at Tamarisk cemetery in Grandfalls. Services will be conducted by Grandfalls Union Church, with Dr. David Mindel of First Christian Church in Odessa and the Revs. Craig and Raquel Moll officiating.
The funeral arrangements are by Hubbard-Kelly Funeral Home of Odessa.
John was a member of Odessa First Christian Church and Grandfalls Union Church. He also was a member of Grandfalls Masonic Lodge No. 895.
He was born Aug. 25, 1908, and raised in Grandfalls. He graduated from Pecos High School, and earned his B.A. degree from the University of Texas and M.A. from Stanford University. John served in the Texas National Guard (Cavalry) and was a two-year boxing champion. The Guard was called out in 1931 to put down rioting in the East Texas oilfields. (His tentmate was Jackson Parker of Odessa).
On Thanksgiving Day, 1932, John and Vida (a teacher) were married
at Grandfalls Union Church. They honeymooned at the Settles Hotel in Big Springs.
John held a number of public school jobs. At Girvin he taught and drove a bus, and lived on an oil lease; at Pyote he taught English and met Vida; at Mentone he lived in a sheetrock shack, and used upended orange boxes for a cupboard — and Vida made curtains for it.
While he was superintendent at Grandfalls-Royalty, from 1934-41, he helped promote construction of high school buildings, qualified for state "Affiliation" and Southern Association membership and established a 12-grades system two years before Texas’ statewide change.
Rather uniquely, during John’s 1939 near-death struggle to live, during which he underwent five operations, the present Grandfalls-Royalty John S. White Stadium received its name. It was intended as a memorial.
In the 1940s, John & Vida lived four years in the Arkansas Ozarks (where they raised sheep in "Vida’s Valley") and three years in New York City. There, after completing two assignments for a New York detective agency, John spent two years as a "manuals" writer for Moody’s Investors Service.
In 1948, John and Vida moved to El Paso, where they lived for 39 years and Vida taught school.
He was University of El Paso Registrar (1948-54).
Occasionally, they bought and sold real estate (in Texas, New Mexico, New York City, Minnesota, Missouri and Arkansas).
Between times, John and Vida traveled by autos, buses, trains, planes and ships. Part of it was five California summer school sessions, plus six summer vacations at a cabin on Minnesota’s Blackduck Lake — and visiting Mexico, Canada, Alaska (by auto), and Hawaii.
In addition, they made three seven-month trips around the world, during which they took 8,000 color slides.
Partly in response to caring treatment by others, John and Vida were happy to establish these permanent awards programs: Vada & Vida (twins) Augusta (Kan.) High School Scholarships; John and Vida Grandfalls Royalty high school scholarships; six UTEP scholarships and awards; and El Paso Manuscript Club writers prizes fund.
Also, in addition to providing a Grand Falls Union Church building maintenance fund, they helped promote installation of 19 stained glass windows (John drew the designs).
In the 1980s and at home with Vida, who was ill, John began writing (helped by writing courses he took at Columbia University and UTEP). In addition to a previously written Grandfalls story for "1978 Ward County History," he prepared and bound "John & Vida Travel Slides Index."
Later, books John wrote and had bound were "A West Texas Family (from 1898)," "Mem-ories & Imagination," "Our New York Dream," and hopefully, at least another one (in progress).
Of many writing projects in mind or started, John received a mid-1995 reply from an article submitted to a research group, New York Mills Arts Retreat, entitled "Money vs. Morality." John’s manuscript was selected from 700 entries nationwide as "State Award Winner (for) Texas," plus engraved plaque.
John lost Vida in January 1994 after 61 wonderful years together. (She had taught 30 years, been president of El Paso Teachers Association and Texas State President of TACE.) El Paso’s Coronado Christian Church changed its fellowship hall name from the John White Room to the John & Vida White Room. In another assurance of friendship, the El Paso Manuscript Club gave John a plaque awarding him lifetime membership.
In May 1994, John moved to Odessa, where everyone is equal — and friendly. He was welcomed into the Odessa Writers Club.
John had kinfolk (no children) in Odessa and the area.
His Texas family members live in Odessa-Midland, Grandfalls, El Paso, San Angelo, Ozona, Henrietta, Longview and Dallas-Houston-San Antonio areas.
Memorial contributions can be mailed to: Grandfalls-Royalty Ind. School District, John & Vida White Scholarship Fund, Grandfalls, Texas 79742.
Services entrusted to Hubbard-Kelly Funeral Home.
Harold Diller
ODESSA — Harold Diller, 87, of Odessa, a retired owner of a retail lumber company, died Monday, Aug. 16, 1999, at his residence.
Graveside services will be at 9:30 a.m. today at Sunset Memorial Gardens with the Rev. Jimmy Braswell officiating. Arrangements by Hubbard-Kelly Funeral Home.
He was born in Tahlequah, Okla., and moved to Odessa from Kermit in 1992. He was a Navy veteran of World War II.
SURVIVORS: Wife, Margaret Diller of Odessa; son, Jim Diller of Kermit; daughter, Pat Evans of Odessa; brother, George Diller of Thatcher, Ariz.; sister, Hazel Maher of Kermit; six grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.
W.M. Groesbeck
HOBBS, N.M. — W.M. "Bill" Groesbeck, 75, of Hobbs, N.M., owner of WMB Oil Co., died Friday, Aug. 6, 1999, at Covenant Health System in Lubbock.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Griffin Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Leon Green officiating. Burial will be at Sunset Memorial Gardens. Arrangements by Griffin Funeral Home.
He was born in Shreveport, La., and has been a resident of New Mexico since 1975. He was an Army veteran of World War II.
SURVIVORS: Wife, Eunice Groesbeck of Hobbs, N.M.; sons, Don Groesbeck of Houston and Sonny Groesbeck of Tatum, N.M.; daughters, Jann Jones of Odessa and Shirley Roberts of Austin; brother, Herman Groesbeck of Shreveport, La.; and eight grandchildren.
