Jessie Etheredge
1912-2017
Jessie K. Etheredge, 105, of Sweetwater and formerly of Snyder, died Thursday, July 13, 2017 in Sweetwater.
Memorial service for Mrs. Etheredge will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Colonial Hill Baptist Church with Dr. Tommy Culwell officiating. The service will be under the direction of Bell-Cypert-Seale Funeral Home.
Mrs. Etheredge was born on April 21, 1912 in Richland Springs to Lewis and Helen (Bush) Knutson. She married W.B. Etheredge on Jan. 10, 1934 in Roby. He preceded her in death on Jan. 14, 1976.
She was also preceded in death by her husband.
Survivors include four daughters, Helen Mock of Snyder, Jean Daniel of Little River, Judy Carter of Las Cruces, N.M. and Betty Widener of Ellinwood, Kan.; four sons, Dick Etheredge, of Hugo, Okla., Jim Etheredge of Liberty Hill, W.B. Etheredge of O’Brien and Ray Etheredge of Abilene; 26 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Online condolences may be posted at www.bellcypertseale.com.
Esthalee Haney
1916-2017
Esthalee Haney, 100, of Burnet and formerly of Snyder, died Thursday, July 13, 2017 in Burnet.
Graveside service for Mrs. Haney will be held at 1 p.m. Monday at Hillside Memorial Gardens. The service will be under the direction of Bell-Cypert-Seale Funeral Home.
Forest Hess
1926-2017
Forest Hess, 90, of Roscoe, died Wednesday, July 12, 2017 at the Lynn County Hospital in Tahoka.
Funeral service for Mr. Hess will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the First Baptist Church in Roscoe. Burial will follow at Hillside Memorial Gardens in Snyder under the direction of McCoy Funeral Home.
Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. until time of service Saturday at the church.
Forest was born on July 22, 1926 in Inadale to the late David and Bernice (Simmons) Hess. He married Norma Lacy on Dec. 26, 1946 in Lubbock.
Survivors include his wife, Norma Hess of Roscoe; two sons, Jimmy Hess and his wife, Vickie, of Lubbock and Bruce Hess and his wife, Maureen, of Slater, Mo.; two daughters, Cathy Mitchell and her husband, Byron, of Ropesville and Lois Chambliss and her husband, Terry, of San Angelo; 10 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to the Benevolent Fund at First Baptist Church of Roscoe, 401 Main St., Roscoe, TX 79545 or a charity of choice.
Online condolences may be posted at www.mccoyfh.com.
Merle Miller
1927-2017
Geneva Merle Stansell Miller had a change of address recently. She now resides in her new home as of June 21, 2017, when she left this earthly home in Midland to be with her Lord. She died at the age of 90 years, one month and 21 days.
A grand home-going celebration and memorial service for Geneva Merle Miller was held at Kelview Heights Baptist Church with the Rev. Jeff Franklin officiating.
Merle was born on May 1, 1927 near Paris to Charles and Ruby Stansell, and was one of two children. Her family moved to Snyder at age five, where she graduated high school in 1944. Times were hard then, so she began working at the Ben Franklin Five and Dime store at the age of 13. Merle was later employed as a legal secretary by Judge H.J. Brice, geologist. From there, she came to Midland in 1945 to marry her husband of 59 years, Robert Leslie Miller. Robert was stationed at Midland Army Air Field Bombardier School, where he served until being honorably discharged in 1946. It was during this time that Merle was employed as a secretary by Robert Impt, geologist, until the birth of her first child, Merlene.
Merle had several hobbies that she enjoyed through the years, one of which was a ceramic shop, which she ran for 10 years. She then opened Porcelain Treasures, a doll shop, for another 10 years, through which she made numerous friends. Those who knew her said you couldn’t be around her very long before she began telling about her Lord and her love for Him.
Merle enjoyed raising flowers and fruit trees. She thanked God for His beautiful creations and the plentiful baskets of fruit she reaped. She always shared with any and everyone who wanted her produce.
Her latest passion was creating and decorating Christmas ornaments for her daughter, granddaughter and a few special friends. Merle eventually decorated more than 800 beautiful ornaments encrusted with beads, sequins and jewels, to be shared and remembered for years to come.
The family began attending church in 1948. Merle accepted Christ as her Savior in 1949. They became members of Kelview Heights Baptist Church on Easter Sunday of 1964, where they served faithfully for many years. She was the original Sunday school superintendent and enjoyed and appreciated all the teachers who worked with her. She also conducted the first vacation Bible school held there.
Merle’s second family came into her life in 1942. Louise Stansell was her stepmother who was much loved because she loved Merle unconditionally. Thelma Garner and husband, Eugene, of Waco, and David Stansell were all a part of this extended family.
Merle was preceded in death by her loving grandparents, Grandpa and her sweet, loving grandmother, Sarah Elizabeth Simpson of Snyder. Her parents were Charles and Ruby Simpson Stansell of Midland. Merle’s sweet, beautiful daughter, Merlene Miller Vines of San Angelo left this life at age 32, leaving her husband, Lonnie Vines, and children, Carrie and Michael.
Merle Leaves to cherish her memory, her daughter, Christy Miller Smith of Midland. In Merle’s own words, “She’s a sweet, most caring person and beautiful inside and out. She loves the Lord and has served Him faithfully. I could not expect anything more from her than that which she has given, as she cared for me the last years of my life. She always looked for ways to help and to show her love for me. Christy’s husband, Sidney K. Smith, has been a true friend and ‘son.’ He has been most considerate of me and has loved me through these years. Christy and Sid’s ‘dog-child,’ my ‘canine grandson,’ Webster J. has been loyal and loving to me. He loved his “Grandmama.’”
Other surviving family is a sister, Edith Clonts and her husband, Jim, of Henderson, Nev. and their sons, Gerry Gill and his wife, Cheryl, and Jimmy Clonts and his wife, Michelle.
Merle has two precious grandchildren, one of whom is Carrie Vines Beamer, and her husband, Russ, of Leander. She gave Merle her first great-grandchild, Derek Swanson of Austin. In Merle’s own words, “Carrie has been a blessing, always caring for me, even though she did not live nearby. She has shown me love continually and came to visit whenever she was able. She always remembered special occasions with a surprise gift in the mail.”
Merle said, “My grandson, Michael Lon Vines, has made me proud of his accomplishments in the business world. This is because he has always honored the Lord and served Him faithfully.” Michael’s wife, Dana, and their children, Merle’s great-grandchildren, are Emily, Jonathan and Katherine, all of Charlotte, N.C.
The family wishes to thank Merle’s kind and caring physicians who did all they could to help her through this hard time in her life. Thank you to Dr. Michael Miller for going above and beyond to not only help her and make it easier, but for being there to support Sid and Christy in difficult decisions. Many thanks to Dr. David Ferguson for his gracious care, support and many difficult explanations and to Dr. Robert Vogel for his kind care. They gave their best through this stage of her life and supported us both physically and spiritually.
We could never express our sincere gratitude adequately to Merle’s many caregivers at ContinueCare Hospital-West Campus. We have never experienced such love, care, loyalty and complete compassion. These loving people met her every need and beyond. Some sang to her, played Christian music for her and prayed with her and for us. Others read Scripture to her and cried with us. We are proud and honored to call them family. Just a few of these precious heroes who have traveled this long journey with us are Amber, Carol, Lacy, Charles, Justin, Phoebe, Tammy, Esther, Annie, Lorene, Sharena, Keith, Denise, Dennis, Raul, Crystal, Melinda, Christi, Joey, Ubaldo, DeAnn, Eddie, Robyn, Sandy, Toya, Deanna, Mayra, and Reuben.
The family also wishes to extend a special heartfelt thanks to all those who stood in the gap and lifted us up in prayer through this long and difficult time.
Online condolences may be posted at www.ellisfunerals.com.