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.)

Barbara Gatlin Farrow

A funeral service for Barbara Gatlin Farrow, 72, of Tyler, was held Monday, May 2, 2016, at Autry Funeral Chapel in Frankston with the Rev. Joe Siman officiating.

Barbara passed away Saturday, April 30, 2016, in Tyler.

She was born December 31, 1943, in Palestine, Texas, to Jessie and W.H. Gatlin.

Barbara was a Baptist and was a recruiter for At Home Health Agency.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her brother and his wife, Dub and Joann Gatlin.

Left to cherish her memory is her husband of 21 years, David Farrow of Tyler; sons Ray Harmon and Shane Vest both of Grapeland, Jason Farrow and wife Mary Jane of Terrell; twin daughters Lyna Benton and husband James, and Anna Bice both of Palestine; Michelle Kloster and husband Tom of Mississippi, Tammy Gray of Palestine, Jayna Bartles and husband Tom of Houston; sisters Veda Ashby and husband Ray of Tyler, Bonnie Siman and husband Joe of Vidalia, Ga, and Ruth Shipper of Tyler.

There are eighteen grandchildren, eleven great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

Pallbearers were her grandsons.

Charles Gene ‘Nap’ Campbell

A funeral service for Charles Gene “Nap” Campbell, 85, of Frankston, will be at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 14, 2016, at Autry Funeral Home Chapel in Frankston.

He will be laid to rest at Liberty Hill Cemetery in Frankston. The Rev. J.A. Griffin will officiate.

Mr. Campbell passed away Monday, May 9, 2016, in Tyler with his family by his side.

He was born July 8, 1930, in Frankston to the late Will Alexander Campbell and Jewel Bell (Cook) Campbell.

Mr. Campbell was a member of Frankston Assembly of God. He was a retired machinist, former Marine and former Frankston ISD and LaPoynor ISD bus driver.

He was an avid fisherman, gardener and domino player, for which he always had time for, “just one game.”

He is preceded in death by his parents; wife Sylvia (Carrington) Campbell; brothers Walter Wilburn Campbell, Will Earl “Buck” Campbell and Durwood Campbell; and sisters Bernice Ruff and Margie Haynes.

Left to cherish his memory is a son and daughter-in-law, Keith and Kay Campbell of Frankston; daughters and sons-in-law, Darlene Vaughn of Irving, Renee and Larry Hall of Grand Prairie, and Angela and David Brown of Frankston.

His grandchildren include Brittany Beaton and husband Ryan, Bradley Campbell and wife BreeAnn, Daniel Vaughn, Zachary Vaughn, Sara Hall, Jacob Hall, Amber Brown and Emily Brown; two great-grandsons, Dustin Beaton and Caleb Beaton; sisters Eva Alice Rann, JoAnn Ivie, Betty Irvin, and Linda Warkentin; aunt, Vivian Cook; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Honored to serve as pallbearers are grandsons Bradley Campbell, Daniel Vaughn, Zachary Vaughn and Jacob Hall; nephews Dean Campbell, Harry Burt, Larry Burt, and Kirk Shackelford.

Presenting the flag will be Ryan Beaton.

Visitation will begin on Friday, May 13, 2016, with the Campbell family receiving friends from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the funeral home in Frankston.

Elbridge Carlisle Dearing Jr.

Elbridge Carlisle Dearing Jr. passed away peacefully at home with his wife and family by his side on April 25, 2016, at the age of 90.

Dearing was born in Dennison, Texas, in 1926 to Lola and Elbridge Carlisle Dearing Sr.

He was a maintenance supervisor for the Shamrock Hilton in Houston, Texas, and Driscoll Hotel in Corpus Christi, Texas.

He supervised the construction of the east building of Memorial Hospital and continued as chief maintenance engineer.

Later he worked alongside his wife Ruth at her real estate business. After retirement the Dearings moved to East Texas and Carl kept busy repairing antique clocks and phonographs eventually, moving back to Corpus Christi due to health reasons.

Dearing is preceded in death by his parents, one sister Wanda Metje and daughter Gail Dearing Neet.

He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Ruth Birdwell Dearing; son Michael Dearing (Katherine); son-in-law John Neet and Rene C. Ferrell; two grandsons Rene Ferrell (Diana), Charles Dearing (Stacy); one granddaughter Julianna Dearing; four great grandchildren Victoria, Isaiah, Piper and Carlie; and one great great granddaughter.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 14, 2016 at 10:30 a.m. at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church at 5101 Saratoga Blvd. in Corpus Christi, Texas.

The family would like to thank Dearing’s caregivers Patsy Mitchell and Julianna Dearing. A special thanks to all the nurses from

Nurses on Wheels Home Health and Hospice.

Donationrs can be made to the Alzheimer’s foundation or to Mt. Olive Lutheran Church.

Alton Lee Gracey

A funeral service for Alton Lee Gracey, 70, of LaRue, was held Saturday, May 7, 2016, at Autry Funeral Home Chapel in Frankston with Chaplain Vic Willman officiating. Services were under direction of Autry Funeral Home in Frankston.

He was laid to rest at LaRue Cemetery.

Alton passed away Tuesday May 3, 2016, in Tyler.

He was born April 25, 1946, in Henderson County to Tommie and Willie (Browning) Gracey.

Mr. Gracey was an air condition repairman and a member of Hilltop Baptist Church in Berryville.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

He is survived by his wife Dena Gracey of LaRue; son Jimmey Lee Gracey and wife Alice of Poynor; daughters Jennifer Ann Gracey of LaRue, Jill Rena Wiggins of Frankston; brother Elton Larry Gracey and wife Betty Jean of LaRue; grandchildren Jessica Lee Wiggins, Gunner Thomas Gracey, Julie Ann Wiggins, Hannah Lee Gracey and Cooper Lane Gracey.

Pallbearers were Gordon Folmar, Delbert Crawford, Karl Artmire, John Montrose, Josh Brown and Sonny Strippling.

Honorary pallbearers were Bill Hardin, Danny Lafayette and James Clark.

Mickye Joyce Walding Fletcher

Devoted wife, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother “Gran” and great grandmother, Mickye passed from glory to Glory on May 7, 2016.

Mickye was born Sept. 6, 1928, in Frankston to Alton and Minnie “Ramsey” Walding.

Mickye shared a childhood with her sister, Mary Ann Dickerson.

Mickye married Allen “Sonny” Fletcher, who preceded her in death in 2007, on Jan. 1, 1947.

She attended business college where she studied bookkeeping. Her employers until retirement included People’s National Bank in Tyler and Arentco Rentals in Dallas.

Mickye is survived by daughters Linda Denmon-Elphick and Donna Will; five grandchildren Brandon Denmon and wife Mary Elisabeth, Jeffrey Denmon, Lauren Burris, Nathan Will and wife, Kelly, and Nicholas Will; six great-grandchildren Austin, Colton, Logan Elisabeth, Bryant, Emma and Brooks. She also will be missed by sons-in-law Clark Will and Jim Elphick.

Services and interment were at Frankston City Cemetery on Monday, May 9, 2016. Services were under direction of Autry Funeral Home in Frankston.

The family asks everyone to celebrate mom’s life by doing an unexpected and unsolicited act of kindness for someone in need and/or make donations to: Second Chance Baptist Church, 13370 Branch View Ste. 110, Farmers Branch, Texas 76234.

Kistal ‘Mrs. B’ Bergstrom

A graveside service for Kistal “Mrs. B.” Bergstrom, 53, of Frankston, was held Saturday, May 14, 2016, at Frankston City Cemetery.

The Rev. Tommy Payne, Michael Peterson and Dennis Bergstrom officiated. Services were under the direction of Autry Funeral Home in Frankston.

Mrs. Bergstrom passed away Wednesday, May 11, 2016, in Dallas.

She was born December 26, 1962 in Heidelberg, Germany.

Mrs. B was a very supportive “Soccer Mom” for her sons. She was the ultimate giver always giving of her time and resources and never expecting anything in return.

She loved her family first and her clients through her business. Mrs. B sent numerous packages to men and women serving in the military. She had a deep passion for all types of animals and loved the sport of fishing.

She was preceded in death by her father, Morris Baker.

Left to cherish her memory is her husband Jon Bergstrom of Frankston; mother Loretta Baker of Kaiser, MO; twin sons Justin Ray Bergstrom and Tyler Ellis Bergstrom of Frankston; sister Kara Baker Thomas of Kaiser, MO; and nieces and nephews, Serenity Marlett, Jeramiah Groll, Kyle Groll and Maurissa Lines.

Honored to serve as pallbearers were her twin sons; Tyler Bergstrom and Justin Bergstrom, Mason Ballard, David Hernandez, Codey Rodgers and Dennis Bergstrom.

Lynn Howard

Lynn Howard, 83, of Tyler, Texas, passed away on May 12, 2016, at Frankston Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Frankston, Texas.

Lynn Howard was born in Winter Haven, Florida, to Frank Liddon Howard and Elizabeth Metzger Howard on October 8, 1932. After high school, Mr. Howard earned a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from Princeton University in 1955.

When his country called in 1956, he was inducted into the United States Air Force and received primary and basic pilot training at Webb AFB in Texas and advanced flight training in Luke AFB in Arizona.

The country was not at war, and he was released from active duty and retained in the Air Force Reserves, where he made the rank of Captain before his honorable discharge in 1963 from Bergstrom AFB in Austin. After serving in the Air Force, Lynn worked for Texas Instruments and other notable employers and went back to school at SMU University and earned his master’s degree in mechanical engineering in May of 1967. In 1970 Lynn studied for and passed the exam to become a Certified Public Accountant at the encouragement of one of his bosses.

His constant thirst for knowledge kept him busy with several pursuits and the arrival of the computer age was right up Lynn’s alley. Mostly self-taught, he began to write the software codes to accomplish work projects for employers and then as a business. He sold his first technology firm and moved to the Lake Frankston community to pursue his next endeavor, a membership program, Linked Software. He operated Linked Software to the very end of his life, still handling customer support and keeping his product compatible with each operating system introduced by Windows and Apple.

In 2002, Lynn married his long-time friend Beth Johnston at a beach-side wedding in Maui, Hawaii, and they made their home at Lake Palestine until moving to Tyler in 2010. She preceded him in death by only a few months. Their favorite son “Boudreaux” a Rottweiler with a loving disposition that Lynn called a “Wimpweiler” preceded both of them in death.

Lynn is survived by sons John F. Howard, Jr. and Robert A. Howard from a prior marriage; step sons Mike and Gary Johnston and their wives April and Deannette; and step grandchildren Crystal Forrest, Courtney Young, Casey Johnston and Mark Freeman. He is also survived by several great grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews and a host of wonderful neighbors, friends and acquaintances.

A Celebration of the Life of Lynn Howard was held at the home of Wesley Vernon and Robin Wynne-Lloyd on Sunday, May 22.

Memorial donations may be made to BARC – The Humance Society, PO Box 63 Palestine, TX 75802 in memory of Boudreaux.

Edna McCollum

A memorial will be held at the Athens First Baptist Church, 105 S. Carroll Street, at 2 p.m. on Friday, June 10.

Edna McCollum was born Jan. 26, 1924, in Tacoma, Washington.

She and her husband, Gerald McCollum, moved the family to Irving, Texas, in the summer of 1953.

After the passing of her husband in September of 1981, she eventually moved to Anderson County in 1986 to live with her son Ronald (Ron) 3.5 miles South of Poynor.

She passed away May 2, 2016, at the age of 92 in Tyler, Texas.

She is survived by her two sons Ronald (Ron) of Anderson County and Phillip (Pete) of Frankston and one daughter, Cheri Cahoon of South Carolina; six grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.

Rather than customary condolences, donations in memory of Edna may be made to Hospice of East Texas, 4111 University Blvd., Tyler, Texas 75701.

Beverly Ann Osborne

Beverly Ann Osborne, 62, of Alvin, Texas passed away Tuesday, May 17, 2016, at Clear Lake Regional Hospital in Webster, Texas.

Beverly was born Nov. 18, 1953, in Athens to James and Darlene Turlington and was a resident of Alvin for the last 20 years.

She worked hard at taking care of her family and will be dearly missed by of those who knew her. Beverly is preceded in death by her father, James Turlington.

Beverly is survived by her long-time partner, Ruben Quroz; sons Michael House, James Tompkins and Dustin Tompkins; mother Darlene Turlington; sister Brenda Justice; 10 grandchildren and numerous other relatives and friends.

A Memorial Visitation will be held Thursday, May 26, 2016, at Scott Funeral Home.

Arrangements under the direction of the Scott Family, 1421 East Hwy 6, Alvin, Texas 77511. (281) 585-1000. www.scottfuneralhome.net

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