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William
Eugene Bullard, 1947-2008, DHS Class of 1965
Gene Bullard, of North Hollywood, Calif., precious
only son of Bill and Birdie Bullard of Kerrville, passed suddenly
from this life on the evening of May 7 while jogging in Los Angeles.
He was 60.
Gene was the son of a career Air Force
officer and therefore grew up in various places during the postings
of his father, including two overseas assignments. He attended
Denison High School, graduating in the Class of '65. He then
completed the course of study at Grayson County Junior College and
attended North Texas State University, before choosing to join the
United States Air Force. He was sworn in by his father in early 1968
and served his country four years as a meteorologist in Germany and
in Spain, during which period he also participated in the Experiment
in International Living in Switzerland.
Following his tour of duty he studied music and
drama at the University of Texas. It was the call of a career in
music which led him to Los Angeles in 1978, but he subsequently made
his living there as a graphic artist and editor, working 27 years in
the financial assets management sector. Gene had a lifelong interest
in photography and produced an impressive body of work; in his last
year he also returned to his love of music and spent much of his
free time playing the piano. He is the author of one novel, "The
Innocent."
Gene's golden voice, wry sense of humor, astute
observations, infallible memory, gentle kindheartedness, his
uncompromising commitment to excellence, joy in making others happy,
and just plain goodness can never be replaced but will always light
the hearts of those whose lives he touched. Gene never married and
is survived by his parents and his sister, Linda Bullard.
Lilly
Naomi "Frosty" (Foster) Scarberry Frost, DHS Class of 1937
On April 3, 2008 Naomi Frost, known as "Frosty" to many friends and
gran-gran to her family, went to be with the Lord in heaven. Naomi
was born to Horace and Ona Johnson Foster on Sept. 9, 1920 in
Denison. She attended and graduated from Denison High School in
1937. In 1947 she married Doyle Frost; together they had two
children.
Naomi's career was always secretarial. She worked in the secretarial
pool at Perrin Air Force Base and retired civil service as wing
commander secretary. She served 30 years in civil service, ending
her career at Sheppard Air Force Base. She began another career at
Safeway Brookside Division where she retired as secretary. After two
retirements, she continued to work parttime for CPA Robert J. Dye.
Naomi became a devoted member of the Pythian Sisters in 1948, where
she served as Grand Chief 1975-1976; she was a member of Lily Temple
No. 3 in Denison; she was an original charter member of the National
Association Retired Federal Employees; served as a volunteer for
many years to Meals on Wheels, Denison SNAP Center; a member of the
American Legion Ladies Auxiliary and Eastern Star. Naomi was an
active volunteer at Texoma Medical Center, where she dedicated more
than 4,000 hours of time that she truly enjoyed and looked forward
to each week and she had many friends that watched over her that she
loved dearly.
She was a very proud member of Trinity United Methodist Church where
she was loved by many. But most of all she was a devoted mother and
very special, loving gran-gran.
Naomi was preceded in death by her husband, mother, father and
sister. She is survived by brother Earl Foster of Tulsa, Okla.; son,
Doyle H. Frost of Durham, N.C.; daughter, Gayle and son-in-law,
Claude Anderson of Denison; grandson, Sean Anderson and Carol
Rubenstein of Denison; granddaughter, Heather and husband Joel
Shilling of Denison; grandsons, Scotty and Steven Frost;
great-grandchildren, Justin Anderson, Trisha and Benny Rubenstein.
She was also survived by many cousins, nephews, nieces and dear
friends.
Jackie Ray Walton, DHS Graduate
Jackie Ray Walton, a loving husband, father, and
grandfather, and faithful friend to many, died peacefully at the age
of 75 on Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at Wilson N. Jones Medical
Center. He was born on May 22, 1932 and grew up in Denison, Texas, a
special place to him, where friendships were made that lasted a
lifetime.
After high school, Jackie served in the Navy during the Korean War,
as a crew member on the Destroyer USS Cunningham. In 1955, he
embarked on a 43 year long fire service career, starting with 29
years of service with the Dallas Fire Department, where he retired
as a high level chief. The final years of his career were spent as
Chief of the Duncanville Fire Department, and in 1999 he retired and
moved to a special home on Lake Texoma with his beloved wife, Sonja.
Jackie earned a BA degree from Abilene Christian College in 1975. He
was a member of the North Central Texas Fire Chiefs Association,
serving as their president from 1990 to 1992. Throughout his career
he was a strong supporter and frequent instructor at the Texas A & M
Fire Academy. He was a lifetime member of the American Legion
Missing in Action Post 231, and a member of the VFW, the Denison
Elks Lodge #238, and the George R. Reeves Masonic Lodge. During his
10 years in Duncanville, he supported the city in many ways through
involvement with the Chamber of Commerce, the Lions Club, and many
other organizations. For recognition of his exceptional service, the
City of Duncanville declared January 14, 1999 “Jackie Walton Day.”
Jackie was preceded in death by his mother, Pearl Seal Walton
Cowherd. He is survived by his loving wife, Sonja Gary Walton,
daughter, Dena and husband, Richard Martin; son, Gary Walton and
wife, Tamara; his grandchildren, whom he loved deeply, Kyle Martin
and wife Brooke, Katie Martin, Brianna Peirson, Jaclyn and Morgan
Walton; his brother Kenneth Walton; and sisters Bettie Walton Watson
and Betty Lou Cowherd Teachout.
In celebration of Jackie’s life, a service was held at 1:00 p.m.
Monday, March 24, 2008 at First Baptist Church in Denison. Retired
Chaplain of the Dallas Fire Department, Denny Burris,
officiated. Interment followed at Tioga Cemetery in Tioga.
Jerry L. Odell, DHS Class of
1958
Military graveside services for Jerry L. Odell, 68-year-old Mt.
Pleasant resident, was held at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17 at Georgetown
Cemetery conducted by the U.S. Navy Honor Guard. Officiating was
Ret. Col. Rev. Carl Bilderback.
He died Thursday, Feb.14, 2008 at Titus Regional Medical Center in
Mt. Pleasant.
Mr. Odell was born on Oct. 30, 1939 in Denison, son of Pierce F. and
Tennie Parker Odell. He graduated from Denison High School in 1958
and attended Southeastern Oklahoma State University. He married
Linda Eldredge on Oct. 3, 1964 in Denison.
Mr. Odell worked in the Airline Industry, as a city manager and was
a member of the Cookville First Baptist Church in Cookville. He was
in the U.S. Navy on the USS Swordfish (SSN-579) nuclear submarine.
Pallbearers were Mark Jones, Russell Parker, Steve Parker, Danny
Kiler, David Potts and Robert Stumpf.
Surviving are his wife, Linda Eldredge Odell of Omaha, Texas; son,
Jeffrey P. Odell and wife, Denise of Flower Mound; sister, Brenda
Carsrud of Housto; and grandchildren, triplets, Jameson Odell,
Gabrielle Odell and Madelyn Odell, all of Flower Mound.
He was preceded in death by his son, James F. Odell.
Melvin
L. Reddick , DHS Class of 1969
Melvin Reddick went home to be with our Lord on Wednesday, Jan. 30,
2008.
Mr. Reddick was born Aug. 9, 1951 in Rogers, Ark., the son of J.T.
and Virginia Reddick. He graduated from Denison High School in the
class of 1969. He later married Brenda Stewart from Whitewright n
1971. They had two children, Brandon and Jason, both of Denison.
Melvin worked at Denison Industries for 33 years
and was a member of Truth Tabernacle of Denison. He was a loving
husband, father and grandpa. Melvin was greatly loved and will be
dearly missed. We love you, Poppy.
Mr. Reddick is survived by his loving wife, Brenda
Reddick of Denison; sons, Brandon Reddick and wife Cherri, and Jason
Reddick and wife Shona, all of Denison; grandchildren, Josh and
Chris Armstrong, Justin Reddick, Taran Shelton, Robert Shelton and
Jada Shelton, all of Denison. He is also survived by his mother,
Virginia Reddick of Denison; brothers, Monty Reddick and wife Jima
of Denison, and Tony Reddick and wife Sandra of Mulvane, Kan. and
numerous nieces and nephews. Melvin was preceded in death by his
father, J.T. Reddick.
Joseph 'Tony' Anton Baecht,
DHS Graduate
Joseph "Tony" Anton Baecht passed away a little after 2 a.m. on Jan.
12, 2008, at Wilson N. Jones Hospital. He was born on Dec. 30, 1937,
in Grafton, Ill., to Myrl and Clarence Baecht. He graduated from
Denison High School and earned his undergraduate and graduate
degrees from Southeastern University. He married his true love,
Kawatha Sue Sweet, on June 3, 1966. They lived together on a farm
near Ravenna for most of their married life and had two daughters,
Katrina and Kathryn Baecht.
Tony dedicated more than 30 years of his life to teaching
mathematics everywhere from Beaver, Okla. to Denison. In Denison, he
taught at Golden Rule, McDaniel Junior High, and Denison High
School. Rarely, could Tony go anywhere in the Sherman-Denison area
without running into former students full of thanks and fond
memories. Tony also owned a motorcycle shop in Denison, a
continuation of his love for motorcycle racing. Tony began racing
motorcycles when he was 14 years old, racing all over the southwest
and collecting trophies with his brother Bobby. Shortly after the
birth of his first daughter, he turned to his other passion: raising
cattle and farming. He was proud of introducing a new breed of
cattle to Fannin County: Penzgauer. He was happiest on the farm with
his cows and in the house he and Kawatha built near Ravenna.
He imparted a love of nature to his two daughters, Katrina and
Kathryn, taking them all over the farm teaching them the secrets and
wonder of various plants and animals. He also blessed them with a
love of story, not only reading to them often as they grew up, but
also making up stories of his own. He always encouraged them in
their own writing and education impressing upon them the importance
of striving to be true to oneself.
After the death of Kawatha in June 2005, the last two years of
Tony's life were a struggle. He was beset with stroke, leukemia,
heart disease, and related complications. Despite his deep grief
over loss of his wife, he never completely lost his sense of humor
or his love for talking to others. He made friends easily wherever
he went.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Myrl and Clarence Baecht,
his sister, Alice Holcomb, as well as his wife, Kawatha Baecht. He
is survived by his daughter Katrina Baecht of Austin, her husband
Dustin Parks, his daughter Kathryn Baecht of New York, and her
husband Chris Voss. Also surviving are his siblings Clarence "Buddy"
Baecht, Rosie Dixon, Charles Baecht, Bobby Baecht, and Nancy
Richards.
John 'Jack' Burrows, DHS
Graduate
John "Jack" Burrows passed away Friday, Jan. 11, 2008 at his home.
He was born on Nov.11, 1927 and was married to his high school
sweetheart, Tees McMains Burrows for 53 wonderful years. He attended
Denison High School where he was a letterman with the Yellow
Jackets. He went on to obtain a bachelor of science degree in
geology in 1950 from the University of Houston.
Prior to college Mr. Burrows proudly served his country in World War
II and had been stationed in France and Germany. He was a member of
the U.S. Army-1st Infantry Division. He was especially proud of his
service during the Nuremberg War Trials where he served as a
military guard. Mr. Burrows served a second round of service during
the Korean War and returned home in 1953. Upon his return he entered
into the oil and gas industry as a petroleum engineer. After working
with the Phillips Petroleum company in Southern Oklahoma, Mr.
Burrows and his family moved to Salvadore, Brazil where he worked as
an exploratory geologist in the Reconcovo and Amazon Basin for a
couple of years. Moving back to the states in 1963, he then set up
as a geological consulting company and developed many oil operations
within Texas. The family moved to Gainesville in 1970 after Mrs.
Burrows had accepted a teaching position at the North Central Texas
College. Mr. Burrows was very active with the V.F.W. Post 1922 in
Gainesville and served as the Commander from 2000 to 2004.
He is survived by his wife and daughter, Nikki Sue
and husband, Tim Addison of Coppell, and his sister, Donna Waddelow
of Sherman. He had three grandchildren, Stacy Maxwell of
Gainesville, Dylan and husband Shannon Gotcher of Denison, and
Jordan Walker of Dallas. He had three great-grandchildren, Trace
Maxwell, Brandi Anderson and James Anderson. He was preceded in
death by his parents, Eunice and John A. Burrows and his sister,
Janie Yeargan.
Sylvia
Chloe Burgin, Class of 1944
Sylvia Chloe Burgin, 80, of Denison, music teacher, performer and
song writer, passed away Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008 at Texoma Medical
Center.
Stella was born on Feb. 27, 1927 in Denison, daughter of Homer and Stella
Combs Bothe Sr. and was a 1944 graduate of Denison High School. She
received her associate’s degree in music and elementary education
from Grayson County College and Southeastern Oklahoma State
University. On July 4, 1946, she married J.L. Burgin in Denison.
She was a well known music teacher, performer and song writer
throughout the North Texas area and Southern Oklahoma for a number
of years. She was a member of Harless Methodist Church in Denison,
and a lifelong member of the VFW Auxiliary Post 2773 and the
American Legion Post 62. Sylvia and J.L. were inducted into the
Texoma Music Association Hall of Fame in 1984-85. They gave numerous
performances and received awards from “That Country Music Place” in
Mead, Okla. In 1968-1969 they placed second in the national finals
in the “Ted Mack Amateur Hour.” They also made an appearance on the
“Merv Griffin Show” with their well known yodeling dog Hortense. J.L.
and Sylvia performed with well-known artists such as Ernest Tubb and
George Jones.
Surviving are her husband, J.L. Burgin of Denison; daughters, Kay
Raper of Denison and Jan Pannell and husband, Keith of Gordonville;
grandchildren, Clayton Cunningham, Holly Nunley and husband, Steve,
Shandi Morris and husband Kennon, Jihl Davee, Jacob Mathews and
wife, Mandi, all of Denison, Keith Pannell Jr. of Austin, Deidra
Pannell of Lewisville, Angela Williams and husband, Troy of Denton;
eight great-grandchildren, Asa Hall, Dylan Davee, Jada Mathews,
Zadrian Morris, Chris Nunley, Jesse Nunley, Jorja Pannell and Evan
Williams; numerous nieces and nephews; and two lifelong friends,
Mary Williams and Janiece Wilson.
She was preceded in death by two sisters, Bonnie Ainsworth and
Bernice Russell; one brother, H.E. “Buddy” Bothe Jr., and
son-in-law, Freddie Raper.
Michael
D. West , Class of 1972
Mike was born on June 1, 1954 in Denison. He passed away on
Thursday, Jan. 3, 2008, in Denison. He was the son of Aubrey and
Evie West. Mike attended Denison schools and graduated from Denison
High in 1972. He had been a truck driver for many years.
Mike loved fishing and hunting, being with family and visiting with
his friends. He was a very special person that was loved by everyone
and will be greatly missed. He is survived by sisters Teresa
Martinez and husband John of Denison, Shirley Malone and Brenda
Becknel of Denison, Barbara Grubbs and husband Bryan, Kensington,
Ohio; brothers Steve West and wife Mary, Sherman, Jimmie West and
wife Elizabeth, Denison; nieces Kelly Garrison, Kim Hudgins, Kathy
Haines, Stephanie Graham, Pam Clark, Becky Watkins, Marcella
Chapman, Mellissa Brown, Rhonda West, Brenda Robinson, Marsha
Rutledge, Melody Lowery; nephews John Martinez Jr., Kenny Spears,
David Spears, Terry Stowers, Rusty Grubbs, Michael Dean West and
numerous great nieces and nephews; special friend Kim Scott and lots
of good friends.
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