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James Seale
ODESSA - James “Red” Seale, 73, of Odessa, a retired mechanic, died Sunday, Aug. 5, 2001, at his residence.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at Greenfield Acres Baptist Church with the Rev. Mike Bartlett officiating. Burial will follow at Sunset Memorial Gardens. Arrangements by Sunset Memorial Funeral Home.
He was born in Cass County and moved to Odessa in 1953 from Amarillo. He was an Army veteran. He was Baptist.
SURVIVORS: Wife, Helen Seale of Odessa; son, Brian Seale of Odessa; stepsons, Harold Wilson, Don Horrell, John Horrell Jr., Terry Horrell, Ben Horrell and Tom Horrell, all of Odessa; daughter, Nettie Stewart of Laurel, Miss.; stepdaughters, Verta Sparks of Mentone, Mary Gaffey and Alice Grenier, both of Odessa; sisters, Marjorie Eggleston of Nash and Pearl Carlisle of Arkansas; 39 grandchildren; 51 great-grandchildren; and a great-great-grandchild.
Emma Sutton
ODESSA - Emma Sutton, 88, of Odessa, a retired housekeeper, died Friday, Aug. 3, 2001, at Hospice House.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Bethlehem Baptist Church with the Rev. R.S. Sutton officiating. Burial will be at Rose Hill cemetery. Arrangements by Martinez Funeral Home.
She was born in Carthage. She was Baptist.
SURVIVORS: Sons, Velvet Beck Jr. and Billy Beck Sr., both of Odessa; daughter, Florene Jones of Odessa; brother, the Rev. Roscoe Sutton of Odessa; sisters, Mildred Burts, Lucille Beck and Hazel Servance, all of Odessa; 11 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and seven great-great-grandchildren.
Catherine Malone
ODESSA - Catherine Faye Malone, 53, of Odessa died Sunday, Aug. 5, 2001, at Medical Center Hospital.
Services are pending with Hubbard-Kelly Funeral Home.
Wanda Serna
ODESSA - Wanda R. Serna, 87, of Odessa died Sunday, Aug. 5, 2001, at Medical Center Hospital.
Services are pending with Hubbard-Kelly Funeral Home.
Estelle Cook
WACO - Mrs. Estelle Cook, 75, of Waco passed on to eternal life while her sons and husband held her hands Tuesday, April 17, 2001, at Providence Hospital. She was stricken by an unexpected and sudden illness at her home two days prior on Easter Sunday.
Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. today, April 19, 2001, at Connally/Compton Funeral Home. Funeral services are scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday, April 20, 2001, also at Connally/Compton. Dr. Scott Walker of Waco’s First Baptist Church will officiate the services. Burial will follow the services at Waco Memorial Park.
Mrs. Cook was born Estelle Williams to Augustus H. and Pearl Williams in rural Dallas County outside Wheatland on Oct. 8, 1925. She started school there until her dad was killed in a car accident in 1931. Her family moved to Grapevine where Estelle attended middle school and graduated from Grapevine High School.
She married
J.W. Simmons in 1946 and her son, Timothy “Skeet” Simmons, was born Feb. 6, 1947.
She settled into a career with Royal Finance of Dallas auditing accounts. Management rapidly recognized her extraordinary work ethic and enthusiastic nature, and she was offered a management position with the Waco branch of Royal Finance Co. in the mid-1950s.
As one of only two or three female finance company managers in the late 1950s, her branch office excelled. She married
Richard “Herman” Buzbee in 1957 and gave birth to twin sons Michael A. and Marshal G. Buzbee Sept. 6, 1958. A sudden airplane crash took Herman’s life Aug. 1, 1960. Modern working mothers could take great inspiration from the successful way she juggled her management job and toddler children.
On February 6, 1964, she married
her current loving husband, J. Marvin Cook. Mr. Cook was self-employed and when Estelle retired from her management position with Domestic Finance around 1970, she continued working as a homemaker, bookkeeper and partner in several family businesses that included farming, automobile wrecking yards, recycling insurance salvage and buying and selling estates.
She attended First Baptist Church at Fifth and Webster during Michael and Marshal’s childhood. She loved children and provided home care of infants and toddlers and also for a short while taught Sunday school at First Baptist Church.
She was a loving, enthusiastic mother who always tried to find the bright side of any tragedy and motivated her children through beautiful smiles and loving words of encouragement. She could afford anything she wanted but the only thing she wanted was to help her family and others. She was a wonderful care provider to ill family members, and she eased many people’s suffering during times of illness.
She was preceded in death by her mother, Pearl Williams; her son, Timothy “Skeet” Simmons; her oldest sister, Helen P. Simmons; and a brother, C.L. “Jack” Williams.
She is survived by her husband, J. “Marvin” Cook; her sons, Dr. Michael A. Buzbee and wife Marguerite of Odessa and Marshal G. Buzbee of Waco; and stepdaughter, Cindy Cook Smith and husband Ron. Estelle’s surviving siblings are Elden “Buddy” Williams of Paris, Texas, and Virginia Miller of Grapevine. She left behind four grandchildren, Trevor M. Buzbee and Morgan M. Buzbee of Odessa, Diana Simmons Cole of Grand Prairie and Mark Simmons of Grand Prairie; two step grandchildren, Rhonda G. Smith of Georgetown and Renee G. Wolf of Waco; and six great-grandchildren. She deeply loved and cared daily for a very special love, Kacie Shockley, age 2, of Waco.
Pallbearers will be George Wayne Lewis, Allen Morehouse, Junior Kelly, Joe Kelly, Ron Smith and Leslie Cook.
She lives on in her family’s hearts with her love of life and the little songs she sang, “It’s the top of the morning, it’s a bright and sunny day.”
Zachary Franco
ODESSA - Zachary Franco, age 11, of Odessa went to be with God Tuesday, April 17, 2001, at a Dallas hospital. He was born Nov. 19, 1989, in Odessa.
Memorial services will be held at 4 p.m. Friday, April 20, 2001, at Immanuel Baptist Church with the Revs. Dr. Mark Riley and Brian Swiggart of Immanuel Baptist Church and Rosario Hill of Buenas Nuevas Church officiating.
Zachary Franco and his family have been active members of Immanuel Baptist Church of Odessa. He was involved in the Kids-4-Life Children’s Ministry at Immanuel where he participated in many things like children’s choir, Bible drill, child precept Bible study and other activities. He had a heart for helping others and at the church served as a volunteer in the Special Needs Sunday School Class, which is for children with special needs.
Zachary was a fifth-grade student at Gonzales Elementary where he was on the A/B honor roll and participated in the drama club. He was a strong Christian at school and prayed for others and was extremely well liked by all students. He was a leader in a positive way on his school campus and volunteered in the special needs class there at Gonzales. He also held first degree black belt in tae kwon do.
Zachary was a very happy, caring and a loving young boy who had a great heart and loved to help and serve everyone. He loved his family and friends, especially his parents, Toby and Frances, and his brothers, Joshua and Tomas. Most of all, Zachary loved God and his personal Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave him the wonderful eternal life he is now enjoying in heaven.
While Zachary will be greatly missed, his parents, family and friends know that because he had Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior, he is in a much better place. They pray that others will know and find the peace that they and Zachary have.
Zachary is survived by his parents, Toby and Frances Franco; brothers, Joshua T. Franco and Tomas A. Franco; grandparents, Florentino and Esperanza Franco and Hipolito and Esperanza Hernandez; and many aunts, uncles and cousins.
If desired, contributions can be made to the Zachary Franco Memorial Fund set up at Southwest Bank, 4800 E. 52nd St., Odessa, Texas, 79762.
Arrangements are by Frank W. Wilson Funeral Directors.
Bessie Lee Cooper
ODESSA - Bessie Lee Cooper, 85, of Odessa passed away Tuesday, April 17, 2001, at Medical Center Hospital.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 21, 2001, at Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church with the Rev. William Tatum officiating. Burial will be at Ector County cemetery.
Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. today, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at Martinez Funeral Home Chapel.
She was born Sept. 6, 1915, in Axtell to Bertha Turner and Cleveland Belcher, both deceased. She was a homemaker and a member of Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church.
She was a pioneer of south Odessa. Everyone loved her. She would help anyone, even if they were just beginning on their own. She was known to everyone as “Auntie” or “Mrs. Bessie.” She captured people’s hearts the first time they met her. She loved her flowers in the yard, gardening and fishing. She could also sew clothes without patterns.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Lue Quina “Sun” Cooper, and daughter, Ella Bea Cooper-Henderson.
She is survived by her daughter, Vessie Lee Cooper-Callaway of Odessa; son-in-law, Isaiah Callaway of Odessa; son, Terry L. Belcher of Odessa; granddaughter, Carla Beth Williams of Odessa; grandson, Vince E. Wallace of Kenny; great-grandson, Lue Quina Isaiah Lee “Poppers” McCowan of Odessa; and great-granddaughters, Vessella Cambriella “Pook“ Pride, Jabrazia “Bray” Logan and Rochelle “RoRo” Robinson, all of Odessa.
Arrangements by Martinez Funeral Home.
Daisy Johnson
SMYRNA - Daisy Johnson was born Feb. 4, 1916, in the Brookline suburb of Houston. She was a member of the Smyrna Baptist Church in Cass County. She passed away Sunday, April 15, 2001, in Atlanta, Texas.
Mrs. Johnson was preceded in death by her husband of 39 years, Parker Johnson, also of the Smyrna Community. She was also preceded in death by her sister, Goldie Coombs Dishong and her brother-in-law, Gayle B. Dishong, longtime residents of Odessa.
She is survived by her daughter, Ora Jane Johnson of Richardson, Texas; niece, Betty Renfer of Chapel Hill, N.C.; two grandnieces, Angela Geadelmann of Chapel Hill and Kerry Green of New York City; six sisters-in-law, Edna Johnson, Louise Johnson, Elouise Johnson, Marine Johnson and Pauline Maxey, all of Atlanta, and Roma Johnson of Magnolia, Texas; a brother-in-law, Raymond Johnson of Magnolia, Texas; nine nieces and nephews; 21 grandnieces and nephews; 25 great-nieces and nephews; two great-great-nephews; as well as many friends and neighbors.
She was devoted mother and wife and cared for her mother and husband during their illnesses. Her hobbies included doll collecting and restoring and dressing antique dolls.
Services will be at 2:30 p.m. today, April 19, 2001, at Smyrna Baptist Church in Cass County with the Revs. Gene Parker and Leland Maxey officiating. Interment will be at Smyrna cemetery in Cass County.
Arrangements by Hanner Funeral Service in Atlanta.
Bennie ‘Ben’ Lee Ellis Sr.
ODESSA - Bennie “Ben” Lee Ellis Sr., 71, of Odessa passed away Tuesday, April 17, 2001 at Medical Center Hospital.
Ben was born April 9, 1930, in Kiowa County, Okla., to James and Lorello Ellis. He married
Jerry in 1949 in Lovington, N.M. He was a member of Northside Baptist Church.
He worked for Sewell Ford from 1964 to 1995. He loved nothing more than hearing a motor hum.
The family will be receiving friends from 6:30 to 8 p.m. today, April 19, 2001, at Sunset Memorial Funeral Home. The family has requested memorials to the Northside Baptist Church Building Fund.
Ben was preceded in death by his parents; son, Jerry Michael; and four brothers, Ray, Dan, Jimmie and Lewis.
He is survived by his loving wife, Jerry of Odessa; son, Bennie Ellis Jr. and wife Dendy of Midland; daughter, Elaine Dickman and husband Michael of Odessa; brother, Gene Ellis and wife Zelma of McDonald, N.M.; sisters, Wilma Priddy of Littlefield and Iris Matthews of Eunice, N.M.; 10 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Graveside services are set for 10 a.m. Friday, April 20, 2001, at Sunset Memorial Gardens with the Rev. Clydell Chapman officiating.
Services entrusted to Sunset Memorial Funeral Home.
