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.)

Maxine Hill Bingham

Funeral services for Maxine Hill Bingham, 80, of Jacksonville were held Friday, May 27, at 10 a.m. at Autry Funeral Home Chapel in Jacksonville with Rev. Bruce Webb and Rev. Vinson Roberts officiating, under the direction of Autry Funeral Home.

Burial was Friday, May 27, at 2 p.m. in Lee Cemetery in Winnsboro.

She died Wednesday, May 25, in Palestine.

Mrs. Bingham was born July 7, 1924 in Scroggins.

She was a secretary and a Baptist.

Survivors include her husband, Robert W. “Bob” Bingham of Jacksonville; sons and daughters-in-law, Barry and Karen Bingham, Brent and Charlotte Bingham, all of Jacksonville; two grandsons, one granddaughter and one great-granddaughter; and a sister, June Hill McClain of Lake Palestine.

Pallbearers were Dr. Jim Adams, Hugh Goodpasture, Jeff Bingham, Chris Bingham, Larry Shank, Tim Gillespie, Jerry Stevens and Jeff Sudduth.

Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer Association, 3613 S. Broadway, Tyler, TX 75701, or charity of choice.

Troy Travis McGehee

Graveside services for Troy Travis McGehee, 90, of Frankston were held at 11 a.m. Thursday, June 2, at Frankston City Cemetery with Rev. J.A. Griffin officiating, with arrangements under the direction of Bailey & Foster, Palestine.

Mr. McGehee died Monday, May 30, in Elkhart.

He was born July 22, 1914 in Canton to Jerry McGehee and Agnes Sweeney McGehee. Mr. McGehee was a member of the First Baptist Church of Frankston. He was a farmer.

Mr. McGehee was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Margurite McGehee; sisters, Ruth Matlock, Evelyn James; brothers, J.W. McGehee, Woodrow McGehee and Walter McGehee.

Survivors include daughters, Joy Caveness and Mary Rogers, both of Frankston; sons, Jerry H. McGehee of Willis, Troy D. McGehee of Mt. Vernon and Tommy J. McGehee of Jones Creek; 10 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren.

Earl Vick Sr.

Funeral services for Earl Lee “Bub” Vick Sr., 78, of Frankston were held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 31, at Frankston Assembly of God with Rev. J.A. Griffin officiating.

Burial was in Olive Branch Cemetery under direction of Thompson Funeral Home, Frankston.

Mr. Vick died Saturday, May 28, in a Palestine hospital.

He was born Sept 28, 1926 in Fosterville.

Mr. Vick worked for Continental Baking Co.

He was preceded in death by a son, Ricky Glenn Vick; a brother, J.T. Vick; and a sister, Edith Lorene Vick.

Survivors include his wife, Lela Mae Vick of Frankston; a son and daughter-in-law, Earl Lee Jr. and Rhonda Lynn Vick of Columbus; daughters and sons-in-law, Edith Lucille and Billy Riddle of Arlington, Doris Jean Vick, Kathy Elaine and Troy Armke, Mona Janeen McClain and Danny Cummings of Athens; a sister-in-law, Sue Vick of Poynor; 10 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

Pallbearers were Billy Riddle Jr., Richard Riddle, Jody Vick, Monte Vick, Ryan Sikes and Jasun Bradshaw.

Honorary pallbearers were Tory Armke, Tracie Armke, Terresa McDonald and Jennifer Sikes.

Robert Dean ‘Rob’ Grubbs

Funeral services for Robert Dean “Rob” Grubbs, 45, of Frankston were held at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 5, at Thompson Funeral Home Chapel in Frankston with Rev. J.A. Griffin and Don Stanaland officiating.

Burial was at Liberty Hill Cemetery in Frankston.

Mr. Grubbs died Thursday, June 2, at his residence.

He was born Sept. 19, 1959 in Lincoln, Neb.

Mr. Grubbs was a self-employed landscaper and a member of HillTop Baptist Church, Berryville.

Survivors include his wife, Anita Grubbs of Flint; a daughter, Brandi Grubbs of Flint; parents R.J. and Hazel Grubbs of Frankston; his grandmother, Lorena Jones of Frankston; brothers and sister-in-law, Dennis Grubbs of Frankston; David and Carolyn Grubbs of Poynor; sisters and brothers-in-law, Glenda and David Dixon, and Mary and Billy Hokit, all of Frankston; Sue and Mike Reeves of Austin, and Lori Grubbs of Tyler; 18 nieces and nephews, 34 great nieces and nephews and numerous aunts and uncles.

Pallbearers were nephews John Rupert, Billy Hokit, Josh Hokit, Jeff Grubbs, Cody Grubbs and Jason Levassar.

Honorary pallbearers were Max Beard, Phil Parks, Gary Williams and R.J. Davis

.

Mitsu Walker

Mitsu Walker, 73, of Troup died Wednesday, June 1.

Interment was held Saturday, June 4, at Wofford Cemetery near Frankston, with arrangements by Thompson Funeral Home.

Mrs. Walker was born Feb. 5, 1932 in Akita, Japan. She was a homemaker and a Buddhist.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Benjamin Henry Walker.

Survivors include sons and daughters-in-law, Mike and Patty Walker of Troup, Kenneth and Laura Walker of Scottsdale, Ariz.; sisters, Hesa Sato of Araya City, Japan, Aki Chichibu of Osaka City, Japan and Yuki Kiso of Norshiro City, Japan; and numerous nieces and nephews.

James W. 'Jimmy' Lade

Funeral services for James W. “Jimmy” Lade, Sr., 79, of Frankston were held at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 12, at the United Methodist Church of Frankston with Rev. Bob Waldman and Rev. Doug Howell officiating.

Burial was in the Frankston City Cemetery under the direction of Thompson Funeral Home of Frankston.

Mr. Lade died Friday, June 10, in Tyler.

He was born May 5, 1926, the son of the late William F. Lade and Clara Ellen Elrod Lade.

Mr. Lade was a former mail carrier for 30 years and a Ford Dealer in Frankston. He served on the Frankston City Council in the 1970s and early 1980s and was one of the organizers of the present Frankston Volunteer Fire Department and its first chief.

He served in the U.S. Army and was a member of the United Methodist Church.

Survivors include his wife, Louise Lade of Frankston; sons, James Lade Jr. and wife Cherylyn of Frankston, Dan Lade and wife Melody of Tyler; sisters, Mary Jane Herrington and husband Tony of Frankston, and Evanel McGraw of Pasadena; seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Pallbearers were Johnny Simmons, Jim Sutton, Jerry Beard, Jamey Lade, Bill Hudson, Don Beddingfield, Frank Petri and Mark Bostick.

Honorary pallbearers were members of the Fellowship Sunday School Class, Tony Herrington, Bob Phillips, Murray Baker, Marshall Ellis, Bob Maupin and Ken Locke.

John Robert Gillespie

Funeral arrangements pending with Thompson Funeral Home, Frankston. (See June 23 edition of the newspaper at the library for complete obituary.)

Leona Bowling

Graveside services for Leona Bowling, 91, of Noble, formerly of Frankston, are scheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday, June 23, at Restland Memorial Park in Dallas, with arrangements by Wilson-Little Funeral Home in Purcell, Okla.

She died Monday, June 20, at Noble Health Care Center.

Mrs. Bowling was born Dec. 4, 1913 in Cleveland County, Okla. She was one of four children born to Elmer Shaw and Lula Fullbright Shaw.

Mrs. Bowling grew up in the New Hope and Tecumseh areas and graduated from Tecumseh High School in 1931. She married Claude Branson in 1934 and they lived on a farm east of Tecumseh for 26 years. Two years after Mr. Branson died, she married Elden Bowling of Dallas. They lived in Dallas until he retired from the post office and then they moved to Frankston near Lake Palestine. They lived near the lake for 29 years before Mr. Bowling died in June of 2003. On March of this year, Mrs. Bowling moved to Noble to be near her daughter, Betty.

In her younger years, Mrs. Bowling worked at Wards and Penney’s, but most of her life she was a homemaker. While living in Frankston she had attended the Senior Citizens Center and the Baptist Church.

She was preceded in death by her parents; two husbands; a sister, Mildred; two brothers, Ralph and Bill; a son, Richard Branson; and a grandson, Allen Branson.

Survivors include a daughter, Betty Tompkins and her husband Travis of Noble; a step daughter, Barbara Rasberry and her husband Ramos of Dallas; a step-son, James Bowling and his wife Margaret of New Braunfels; three grandchildren, six step grandchildren, several great grandchildren and other relatives and friends.

Virginia Louise (Dunmore) Garland

Virginia Louise (Dunmore) Garland, 89, of Madison, Ind., formerly of Frankston, died Saturday, June 18, in a Madison, Ind. hospital.

Burial was to be in the Frankston Cemetery at a later date, with arrangements under the direction of Thompson Funeral Home, Frankston.

She was born May 24, 1916 in Grand Haven, Mich., the daughter of Glenn Brune and Lois Cornue Dunmore.

Mrs. Garland was raised in Sycamore, Ill. and was a graduate of Sycamore High School. She received her teaching certificate from Northern Illinois University and her master’s degree in counseling from Western Illinois University in McComb. She married Linwood Garland on Oct. 15, 1955 in Durant, Okla. They were married nearly 30 years until he died on April 21, 1985.

Mrs. Garland was employed for 30 years as an educator with Sycamore High School in Sycamore, Ill. and Elgin High School in Elgin, Ill. She also had served as a high school guidance counselor.

She resided in Frankston for 19 years, moving 11 years ago to Madison to be near her sister and her family.

Mrs. Garland was a member of the North Madison United Methodist Church in Madison and also attended the Madison Presbyterian Church.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; a brother, Brune Dunmore; and a nephew, John Brune Dunmore.

Survivors include a sister, Dorothy Boyer of Madison, Ind.; two nieces, one nephew, six great nieces, one great nephew, six great-great-nieces and three great-great nephews.

The family requests memorials to the Hospice of King’s Daughters Hospital in Madison, Ind.

John Robert Gillespie

Memorial services for John Robert Gillespie, 83, of Frankston, were held at 10 a.m. Friday, June 17, at James Crowder Funeral Home in LaMarque with Pastor Bruce Frazier officiating.

Interment was at Galveston Memorial Park Cemetery in Hitchcock.

Mr. Gillespie died Monday, June 13, at his retirement home in Berryville.

He was born July 6, 1921 in Kaufman to Thomas Jefferson and Essie Gillespie.

Mr. Gillespie was a veteran of World War II and he retired from Texas City Refinery in 1986, after 35 years of service.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Wilma Jo Gillespie; sister, Frances Greene; a niece, Rita Starpattern, as well as his sister-in-law, Bernice Kitchens Decou.

Survivors include his daughter and son-in-law, Frances and Perry Fontenot of Berryville; a son and daughter-in-law, Joe Robert and Diane Gillespie of Clear Lake and son, James “Tommy” Gillespie of Texas City; sister and brother-in-law, Lillian and Wesley Truitt Murphey of Waco; a brother-in-law, E.L. Decou; a sister-in-law, Corine Huber of Balch Springs; three grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Pallbearers were Lee Clark, Eric Fontenot, Charles Gilman, Danny Staggs, Justin Tippett and Johnny Wheeler.

Honorary pallbearers were John Colvin, Christopher Cervantes, Mike Duke and Dudley Warrington.

Vernon Grace Newman

Funeral services for Vernon Grace Newman, 85 of Katy, formerly of Jacksonville, Houston and Frankston, were held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 22, at Thompson Funeral Home Chapel in Jacksonville with Brother Calvin Gould officiating.

Burial was in Resthaven Memorial Park in Jacksonville.

Mrs. Newman died Sunday, June 19, in a Katy hospital.

She was born Dec. 21, 1919 in Frankston to Daniel Webster and Laura Emma Cook.

Mrs. Newman was a member of the Ladies Auxiliary Post 3984 of Jacksonville. She married Clifford Royal Newman in 1942 and they made their home in Houston until 1981 when they retired to Jacksonville. In 1996 Mrs. Newman moved to Katy.

Mrs. Newman was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; and six brothers, Alton Cook, Ted Cook, Bud Cook, Quinton Cook, Honey Cook and Rudy Cook.

Survivors include a daughter, Sandra Petty and husband Curtis of Katy; grandchildren, Joel Stell and Stacey Stell of Katy; three nephews, Frank Cook of Anacoco, La., Walter Cook of Grapeland, Kevin Cook of Teague; and two nieces, Carolyn Lindsey of Brownsboro and Kela Lefevre of Robinson.

Pallbearers were Frank Cook, Walter Cook, Kevin Cook and James Lefevre.

Roger Dale Hiser

Funeral services for Roger Dale Hiser, 53, of Mabank, formerly of Frankston , were held at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 26, at Thompson Funeral Home, Frankston with Rev. J.A. Griffin officiating.

Interment was at the Wofford Cemetery.

Mr. Hiser died Friday, June 24, in Mabank.

He was born Jan. 7, 1952 in Grand Prairie.

Mr. Hiser was in the U.S. Air Force and was a member of the Assembly of God.

Survivors include a son, William Ray Hiser of Tyler; a daughter and son-in-law, Suzetta and David Nichols of Mooresville, N.C.; his mother, Ruby Tarlton of Mabank; sisters and brothers in Law, Patricia E. and Charles Parrott of Frankston, Edith M. and Paul Underwood of Healdton, Okla.; two grandchildren, several nieces and nephews.

Pallbearers were Jason Parrott, Jim Hobbs, Floyd Tarlton, Eric Tarlton, Kenneth Oliver and Wesley Fritz.

Timothey William Jones Sr.

Funeral services for Timothey William Jones Sr., 65, of Lake Cherokee were held Friday, June 24, at Northside Christian Center in Carthage with Rev. Betty Wills and Rev. Billy Shoffner officiating.

Burial was in Chalkhill Cemetery under the direction of Hawthorn Funeral Home in Carthage.

Mr. Jones was born May 2, 1940 in Lassiter, son of Boyd and Jewel Edwards Jones. He attended Longview schools.

Mr. Jones married Rena Freeman and they celebrated 18 years of marriage before her death in 1980.

He was a master plumber for 49 years and at one time owned and operated T.W. Jones Plumbing Co.

He married Peggy Garner in 1981.

He was preceded in death by his first wife; and one brother, Gary Jones.

Survivors include his wife, Peggy Jones of Lake Cherokee; three sons, Timothey William Jones Jr. and wife Kristy of Poynor, Joey Garner and wife Jill of Lake Cherokee and Jason Mark Jones and wife Christi of Tatum; a daughter, Kelly Lynn Peden of Diana; five brothers, Jack Jones and wife Charlotta of Jefferson, Bonnie Jones and wife Dorothy of Longview, Ronnie Jones and wife Mary of Hughes Springs, Chester Jones and wife Margaret of Tatum, and Charles Jones of Longview; several grandchildren, including Ashley Adair of Poynor; sister in Christ, Becky Garner of Goldonna, La.; numerous nieces, nephews and a host of friends and family.

Pallbearers were Mark Seelbeck, Landon Dixon, Robbie Freeman, Kevin Freeman, Wayne Summers, Johnny Fountain and David Garner.

Honorary pallbearers were Vernon Garner and Andy Parks.

The family suggests donations be made to Texas Heart Exchange, 6720 Bertner, MC 4-129, Houston, Texas 77030.

Nola Early Whitesides

Funeral services for Nola Early Whitesides, 97, of Frankston, retired teacher and civic and church leader, were held at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 25, at the United Methodist Church of Frankston with Rev. Doug Howell and Rev. Bob Waldman officiating.

Burial was at Athens City Cemetery under the direction of Thompson Funeral Home in Frankston.

She died Wednesday, June 22, in a Tyler hospital.

Mrs. Whitesides was born Nov. 11, 1907 in Axtel, Tex. and was married in May 1929 to W.E. (Blue) Whitesides, longtime manager of K. Wolens in Frankston, who preceded her in death in 1980. She is also preceded in death by a daughter, Evelyn Ann.

Mrs. Whitesides graduated from Mabank High School and attended Lon Morris College. She received a B.S. degree and a Master of Education degree from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches. She was a teacher for 27 years and retired from Athens ISD in 1973.

Mrs. Whitesides received an Honorary Scholarship for college graduate study from Delta Kappa Gamma. She was past president of Delta Kappa Gamma-Epsilon Epsilon Chapter. She served as president of Classroom Teachers in Athens, and worked on the state level in the Texas State Teachers Assn.

She also served as Worthy Matron of the Frankston Order of Eastern Star, Chapter No. 1113. She served as an organist for five years and was president of the United Methodist Women and the Kickapoo Story League. She was district officer of United Methodist Women of Palestine, and charter member and past president of the Frankston Garden Club.

Mrs. Whitesides served in the United Methodist Church on the Administrative Board and as a trustee as well as on the finance committee. She was church historian, served on the parsonage committee, and was the Sunday School secretary for many years. She taught Sunday School classes for many years for both children and adults. Students she taught in Vacation Bible School spanned three generations.

Mrs. Whitesides was a member of the Henderson County Retired School Personnel Assn. and the Henderson County Literary Club. She also served as president of the Henderson County Art Club and was a member of the Frankston Depot Library and Museum Board of Directors for many years.

Mrs. Whitesides is survived by two sons and their wives, Edward Whitesides Jr. and wife Yvonne of Memphis, Tenn., and Early Whitesides and wife Elen of Los Angeles, Calif. She is also survived by 10 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, three great-great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

Pallbearers were Troy House, Mike Dennis, Carl Kisamore, Joe Tindel, Dan Wicker and Jerry Beard.

Honorary pallbearers were Howard Wegmet, Jeff Austin III and Bob Maupin.

The family suggested that memorials be made to the United Methodist Church of Frankston.

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