Frankston Area Obituaries — 1999-Present

Here are the obituaries posted for the current month from information provided courtesy of local and area funeral homes and published on their websites or those submitted by families. If an obituary is overlooked and it is desired that it be posted, please inform us at frankstondepotlibrary@gmail.com . Families may request changes or additions, if required. If you have an obituary for a person who has connections with someone or some family in the Frankston-Poynor-LaRue or Lake Palestine area that you want posted to this month or to the archives, and is not currently posted, please let us know at frankstondepotlibrary@gmail.com . Obituaries selected or submitted should follow a format which is essentially consistent with other obituaries posted here or by funeral homes and follow standard grammatical style. Through arrangements with funeral homes and/or the families, we will publish pictures with current obituaries. We will add pictures to archived obituaries from the print version of The Citizen newspaper prior to September 2019 when available. Pictures with archived obituaries posted after that will be added in cooperation with funeral homes or on requests from families.  As was the tradition of the Citizen newspaper, obituaries are published at no charge.

(Obituaries listed chronologically by date of death or funeral service.)

Ruth Brown

Ruth Brown of Silsbee, Texas, passed away on March 28, 2009, at a hospice house in Beaumont.

She was 89 and was preceded in death by her husband and two sons.

She is survived by her daughters, Rita Pannell of Frankston and Estelle Marble of Silsbee, and by her son, Wesley Brown.

The funeral was to have been at 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, at St. Mark Catholic Church in Silsbee with Msgr. Zacharias Kunnakkattuthara of Palestine presiding.

Her family said that Ruth was "always very happy to visit the St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Frankston. She enjoyed the friendly people and the meals after Mass."

The family thanks everyone for welcoming Ruth and bringing her so much joy.

Ruth met Msgr. Zach during the time he was conducting services at the St. Charles Catholic Church and continued visiting him when she could at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Palestine.

The family is most grateful for the time, attention and help that Msgr. Zach provided for Ruth.

Makaylie Driggers

Graveside services for baby Makaylie Driggers, daughter of Darrell Ray Driggers and Katie Colleen Baker of Frankston, were held Saturday, April 4, 2009 at Frankston City Cemetery with the Rev. Ron Ivey officiating.

Services were under the direction of Autry Funeral Home, Frankston.

Makaylie passed away Wednesday, April 1, 2009 in Jacksonville.

She was born April 1, 2009 in Jacksonville.

Survivors include her father, Darrell Ray Driggers of Frankston; mother Katie Colleen Baker of Frankston; grandparents Omega Thiel of Enloe, Texas and Barbara Devlin of Las Vegas, Nev.; godparents Patty Haney and Marvin Ray of Frankston; and several aunts, uncles and cousins.

Joe Michael Jones

Funeral services for Joe Michael Jones, 58, of Frankston, were to be held Wednesday, April 15, at Frankston Assembly Of God Church with the Rev. J.A. Griffin and the Rev. David Dixon, Jr. officiating.

Burial was to be held at Liberty Hill Cemetery in Frankston.

Mr. Jones passed away Saturday, April 11, 2009 in Poynor.

He was born March 16, 1951, in Frankston.

Mr. Jones was a self-employed auto mechanic.

He attended Frankston Assembly Of God Church in Frankston, and was an avid fisherman.

He is preceded in death by his father, Buster Jones, and brothers Johnny Jones and Melvin Bizzell.

Survivors include his mother, Lorena Jones of Frankston; brothers, Jerry and wife Joni Jones, Steve and wife Gail Jones; and sisters, Hazel and husband R.J. Grubbs, Linda and husband Rex Terrell, Pat and husband Ronnie Henderson all of Frankston as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Visitation was held Tuesday at Autry Funeral Home in Frankston.

Van Pinson

Memorial services for Van Pinson, 55, of Muleshoe, formerly of Abilene and Frankston, were held Wednesday, March 25 at Highland Church of Christ in Abilene.

Pinson died Sunday, March 22, in Muleshoe.

He was born Nov. 19, 1953 to Oles V. and Bernice K. Pinson in Victoria.

Van had moved to Muleshoe in 2005 from Abilene. He was a member of the Muleshoe Church of Christ and worked as a social worker.

Pinson was once the pastor of the Frankston Church of Christ.

He is survived by his parents, Oles and Bernice Pinson of Comanche; sister, Bernita Sheets of Muleshoe; three brothers, Keith of Cokeville, Tenn., Foy of Abilene and Paul Pinson of Fort Worth and 18 nieces and nephews.

Memorials may be sent to Physicians Aiding Physicians Abroad, P.O. Box 489, Muleshoe, Texas 79347.

James ‘Jim’ Allen Creel

Jim was born on May 18, 1923 in Nacogdoches, Texas to Isaiah and Essie Creel. He died on April 15, 2009 in Palestine, Texas.

He spent his childhood in Rusk and Georgetown, La.

He joined the Navy during World War II serving in the South Pacific.

He was a member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

Memorial services were held Monday, April 20, at Midway Baptist Church in LaRue.

Mr. Creel was preceded in death by a son, James Creel Jr. and his wife, Donna of Karnack; two brothers, George of Georgetown, La. and Edward of Shreveport, La.; and one great grandson, Robert James Stevens of Shreveport, La.

He is survived by his wife, Barbara Green Creel of Palestine; one sister, Lena Mae Henby of Shreveport, La.; three sons, Kenneth and wife Cindy of Shreveport; John of Texarkana, and Terry and wife Martha of Palestine; three daughters, Linda Cabrerra and husband Procoro, Edith Johnson and husband Denny Wayne of Waskom, and Brenda LaDue and husband Larry of Palestine; five grandsons, John and wife Laura, James and wife Tracy and Joel Creel of Palestine, Jim Stevens of Waskom, and Christopher Creel of Monroe, La.; eight granddaughters, Debbie Hancock of Marshall, Ashley Riley and Cheryl Sutherland of Waskom, Candice and Laura Creel of Shreveport, Stephanie Sermon of Karnack, Christina Creel of Irving, and Rhonda Creel of Balingreen, Kentucky; sixteen great grandchildren and three great great grandchildren.

Kenneth Ray Ellis

Memorial services for Kenneth Ray Ellis, 73, of Gladewater, and formerly of Frankston, are scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday, April 26, at Bethel Cemetery near Frankston.

Jimmy Clark will be the officiant for the service.

Services are under the direction of Autry Funeral Home in Frankston.

Mr. Ellis passed away Wednesday, April 15, 2009 in Tyler.

He was born August 14, 1935 in Frankston to Levi Ellis and Zeliah Cole Ellis.

Mr. Ellis was a Baptist and a retired welder.

He is preceded in death by his parents Levi and Zeliah Ellis; sisters, Marie Thomas and Veda Harvey; brothers, Frank Ellis and Joe Ellis; and daughter Holly Gay Ellis.

Survivors include sons, Glenn Ellis of Corpus Christi, Mark Ellis and Donald Ray Ellis, both of Conroe, and Chad Ellis of Gladewater; daughters, Jeanie Hudson of Gilmer and Brenda McFarland of Tyler; sisters, Darlene of Frankston, Norene Hubert of Arlington and Dorothy Hunter of California; and numerous grandchildren.

No visitation is scheduled.

Sherry Parker

Funeral services for Sherry Parker, 55, of Tyler, were scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 29, at Autry Funeral Home Chapel in Frankston with the Rev. Tommy Hardin officiating.

Mrs. Parker passed away Saturday, April 25, 2009 in Tyler.

She was born February 7, 1954 in Dallas to John L. Rigdon and Opal Juanez Smith Rigdon.

She was a Baptist.

Mrs. Parker is preceded in death by her father John L. Rigdon.

Survivors include her husband, David Tremper of Tyler son, Shawn Rigdon and wife Brandy of Bullard; step daughter, Sandy Tremper of Tyler; mother, Juanez Rigdon of Frankston; brothers, Jack Rigdon and wife Mona of Midlothian and Jerry Rigdon and wife Yvonne of Ozone, Ariz.; grandson, Atom Rigdon of Bullard; and several nieces and nephews.

(Obituaries posted contain information posted by funeral homes and/or families. Families may request changes or additions, if appropriate or required.)