George Merritt
1926-2019
George Delbert Merritt, 92, of Lubbock, died Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019 at his home in Lubbock.
Funeral service for Mr. Merritt will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at Bell-Cypert-Seale Funeral Home with the Rev. Clay Giddens officiating. Burial will follow at Snyder Cemetery.
Born on Dec. 21, 1926 in Snyder to Edwin and Ruby (Lee) Merritt, he married Letha Orea Woodard on June 11, 1949 in Snyder. George was a U.S. Army veteran and Merchant Marine. He has a brick at the Veteran’s Memorial in Lubbock. He loved to fish and hunt and the great outdoors. He had his own rose garden and was always planting fruit trees.
He was preceded in death by one son, Randy Merritt; one grandson, Robby Merritt; and one son-in-law, Larry Gafford.
Survivors include his wife, Letha Merritt of Lubbock; two sons, Gary Merritt and his wife, Carolyn, of Granbury and Ricky Merritt and his wife, Jerian, of Frisco; one daughter, Debbie Gafford of Granbury; six grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
Online condolences may be posted at www.bellcypertseale.com.
Dr. Robert Rakov
1957-2019
Dr. Robert Daniel Rakov died Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019.
A celebration of life service for Dr. Rakov will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Funeral Chapel in College Station.
Visitation will be held from 2:30 p.m. until time of service Saturday at the funeral home.
LaJuana Robison
1934-2019
LaJuana Zoe Robison, 84, of Vinita, Okla. and formerly of Snyder, died Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019 at the Heartsworth Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Vinita.
A celebration of life service for Mrs. Robison will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at the First Baptist Church in Vinita with Pastor Skip McClain officiating. Burial will follow at Fairview Cemetery in Vinita under the direction of Burckhalter-Highsmith Funeral and Cremation Services in Vinita.
Visitation will be held from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.
Doug Smith
1968-2019
Doug Smith passed away Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019.
Family and friends will gather to celebrate his life of 50 years at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Green Lawn Church of Christ in Lubbock. The service will be under the direction of Lake Ridge Chapel and Memorial Designers in Lubbock.
A time of fellowship and remembrance will be held from 6-8 p.m. today at the funeral home.
Arthur Douglas Smith, known as Doug to all, was born on March 21, 1968 to Terry Smith and Jane “Jani” Kownslar Gogan in Snyder. Doug married Katrina Byrd Smith on March 14, 1992 in Midlothian. Doug was born and raised in Snyder. He graduated from Snyder High School in 1987. After attending Western Texas College for a semester, he transferred to Abilene Christian University. When Desert Storm broke, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve.
In January 1993, he started Lubbock Christian University to finish his degree in education. In the fall of that year, he was awarded the honor of 1994 fall LCU student-teacher of the year and completed his bachelor’s degree in education from LCU.
He began his teaching career in January 1995 at Parkway Elementary School. In August 1997, he became an instructional facilitator at Parkway Elementary School and the following year he became an instructional specialist at Parkway.
In May 1999, he received his master’s degree in educational leadership. In August 2001 Doug became the assistant principal of Bennett Intermediate School. In the fall of 2002, he became the principal of Crestview Elementary School.
In January 2003, he was activated for duty in Iraq with the U.S. Marine Corps as a sergeant. He spent seven months overseas before returning in July 2003.
In the fall of 2009, he had the distinct honor of opening Oak Ridge Elementary School as its first principal. He was very active in TEPSA, an educational organization for principals and administrators. He served as the treasurer, secretary, vice president and finally president of the local TEPSA chapter. In 2015, he was selected as the TEPSAN of the year. Also in 2015, he became the director of special education for Frenship ISD. He was working on his superintendent’s certification at LCU at the time of his death.
Doug was first and foremost a man of God. His faith was the only thing he cherished more than his family. Doug was very proud to be a Marine, and serve his country. Being a Marine was a big part of who he was. Doug loved being a Frenship Tiger. He worked with the radio crew keeping stats for the varsity football games from 2010-16, and he loved his Frenship family. He was so proud of his two daughters and son. He would have moved Heaven and Earth for them. He was a loving husband to Katrina for almost 27 years.
He was preceded in death by his son, Isaac Thomas Smith in 2000; his paternal grandparents, A.P. Smith and his wife, Virginia, in 2005; and his father-in-law, Robert Byrd, who died in 2009.
Survivors include his wife, Katrina Smith; their children, Kirsten Grace Smith, Reagan Alexandra Smith and Luke Arden Smith; his father, Terry Lee Smith and his wife, Billie; his mother, Jani Gogan; his siblings, Linda Wells and her husband, Earnest, Anna Villarreal and Tonya Gentry and her husband, Robert; his best friend, Brad Holcomb and his wife, Heather; and his mother-in-law, Shirley Byrd.
Online condolences may be posted at www.memorialdesigners.net.
Roy Stewart Jr.
1944-2019
Roy Stewart Jr., 74, of Snyder, died Friday, Jan. 18, 2019.
Funeral service for Mr. Stewart will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday in the Miller Family Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will follow at Hermleigh Cemetery.
Visitation will be held from 1 p.m. until time of service Wednesday at the funeral home.
Born on Oct. 20, 1944 in Snyder to Roy and Edna (Green) Stewart Sr., he married Patsy Adams on March 31, 1978 in Snyder. He was a veteran of the United States Army. Mr. Stewart worked for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for more than 18 years. He also retired from the state highway department.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife; one brother, E.L. Green; two sisters, Delores Henderson and Linda Stewart; and two stepbrothers-in-law, Max Griffin Phipps and Warren Badger.
Survivors include his stepsister, Sue Badger of Snyder; one niece, Brenda Burns of Midland; two nephews, Doyle and Roy Phipps, both of Midland; and one step-niece, Mariles Pethel and her husband, John, of Snyder.
Online condolences may be posted at www.millerfamilyfuneralhome.com.
E.D. Walton
1926-2019
E.D. Walton passed peacefully on Jan. 21, 2019 in Lubbock at the age of 92.
A Masonic graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at Hillside Memorial Gardens with the Rev. Kinney Robinson officiating. The service will be under the direction of Bell-Cypert-Seale Funeral Home.
E.D. was born on June 16, 1926 in Electra and graduated from Electra High School. He married Wanda Lee Powell in Oklahoma on Jan. 8, 1942 and they were married until her death on Oct. 7, 2002.
He was in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1944-46. By his early 20s, he owned a Mobil gas station in Electra. In 1951, he sold the station and moved to Snyder with his wife, Wanda, where they raised their son, Dalton.
In 1957, E.D. founded E.D. Walton Construction Company, starting with only one gang truck purchased with money borrowed from a friend. He was a hard-working, do-it-yourself, dedicated, honest businessman, and, after 33 years in business, he retired in 1990. He was a board member of Snyder National Bank, Cogdell Memorial Hospital and Martha Ann Woman’s Club. He also was president of the Snyder Country Club and a member of the Friends of the Snyder Mafia.
He was a member of the Scottish Rite Masonic Order for more than 70 years, as well as a Shriner and a longtime member of Colonial Hill Baptist Church.
E.D. was a classic man. He had an unmatched work ethic, unwavering integrity, a dry sense of humor and he said it like it was.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Fred and Skeet; his wife, Wanda; two sisters, Deana Joyce and Paulette; and one brother, Weldon.
He is survived by his son, Dalton; two grandchildren, Kristen Kendrick and Cade Walton; seven great-grandchildren, Natalie, Nathan and Nicholas Kendrick, Lynsey and Ryann Walton and Yanci and Blaze Yeater; one sister, Sally Beth Givens; a special friend, Earlene Gray; his former daughter-in-law, Sally Walton; and several nieces and nephews.
Memorials may be made to the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, 2222 Welborn Street, Dallas, TX 75219 or a charity of choice.
Online condolences may be posted at www.bellcypertseale.com.