Obituaries

Mr. Shelby Clark Strickland, 94, of Houston, passed away Tuesday, Jan. 23, in a Houston nursing facility. Graveside services will be held Friday, Jan. 26 at 11 a.m. at Walkers Creek Cemetery near Cameron, with Rev. Billy Crow officiating.

Mr. Strickland was born Feb. 12, 1923, in Waco to Leo and Lucy (Sparks) Strickland. Mr. Strickland was a veteran, serving his country in the United States Navy during WWII. He graduated from Baylor University with a Business Administration degree. He worked for Exxon Pipeline in Houston for more than 35 years. Mr. Strickland was a member of the Exxon Annuitant Club and a member of St. John’s Presbyterian Church in Houston.

Hilry Nabours, 94, passed away on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2017, in Abilene.

Funeral services were held on Nov. 28, 2017, at Elliott-Hamil Funeral Home Chapel of Faith with Guy Irvin and Jud Powell officiating. Burial followed in Elmwood Memorial Park Cemetery. Visitation was held at the funeral home on Nov. 27.

Hilry was born Nov. 9. 1923, in Cameron to Jerry and Annie Green Nabours. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army and Air Force and a survivor of World War II. Hilry married Betty Jean Pechacek in 1963 and she passed away in 2009 after 46 years of marriage. Hilry was skilled at woodworking and was a machinist at Herman’s Tool & Machine for over 20 years. He was a Mason and member of the Masonic Lodge for 50 plus years as well as a member of First Methodist Church for 60 years. Hilry was a large contributor to the Methodist Children’s Home in Waco.

Preceding him in death were his parents; and his wife, Betty Jean.

Mae Ellen Eisfeldt Mays, 80, of Cameron and formerly of Schertz passed away Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018, in a Cameron nursing facility.

She was born in Cameron on Nov. 22, 1937, to John and Alice Eisfeldt. She married Arthur Mays on August 16, 1958 in the Battetown Baptist Church in Cameron. Mae was a 1957 Graduate of C.H. Yoe High School.  She graduated from Nixon-Clay Business School in Austin and worked for T.E.C. for a short time until she joined her husband in England.  After three years in England she moved to Omaha, Neb., and in 1964 she went to work for the U.S. Government, first as a secretary and retiring in 1994 as a G.S.-11, item manager at Kelly AFB. Mae was a graduate from Southwest Texas State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business and a Bachelor’s degree from Texas Lutheran University in Accounting.

Mae was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers, Johnnie and William; and by a sister, Gloria Ann. 

LaVerne Riley, 93, of Cameron died Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018, in a Cameron nursing and rehab center. 

Funeral services were held Jan. 20 at Marek-Burns-Laywell Funeral Home with Rev. Tim Cheatham officiating. Burial followed in the Oak Hill Cemetery.  Visitation was held before service time on Saturday.

Mrs. Riley, a retired homemaker, was born May 24, 1924, in Bell County to Wes and Nellie (Whitley) Lindsey.  She married James Riley on Dec. 18, 1998, and he preceded her in death in 2016. She was a member of Battetown Baptist Church in Cameron.

She is survived by: step-son, Joe Riley of Leonard; step-daughter, Melva Wyatt of Fort Worth; and three nieces, Karen Cryer of Cameron, Lorri Laywell of Cameron, and Donna Trubee of Leander.

Marek-Burns-Laywell Funeral Home of Cameron is in charge of arrangements.

Alice Whitmire, 100, of Cameron and formerly of Barnesville, Ga., came face to face with her Lord and Savior on Friday, Jan. 19, 2018, in a Temple hospital, when her faith became sight.

Mrs. Whitmire, a retired registered nurse, was born Jan. 5, 1918, in Stockbridge, Ga., to Walter Raleigh and Annie Lou (Flake) Henry. She married Sam Loyd Whitmire on Aug. 29, 1942. After 60 marvelous years of marriage, Sam preceded her in death in 2002.  Mrs. Whitmire was a member of the Marlow Baptist Church.

She is survived by: sons, John Whitmire and wife Stella of Cameron, and Henry Whitmire and wife Maggie of LaVernia; daughters, Jane Roney and husband Fred of Griffin, Ga., and Ruth McGaha and husband Wade of Cameron; brother, Harold Henry of Travelers Rest, S.C.; sisters, Rachel Hurst of Americus, Ga., and Annie Lou Clay of Woodstock, Ga.; 18 grandchildren; 32 great-grandchildren; and six great-great-grandchildren.

Dennis Doyle Cloven, 71, of Buckholts, died Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018, in a Temple hospital.  Private family services will be held at a later date.

Mr. Cloven, a retired service manager for Friend Tire, was born on April 11, 1946, in Jasper County, Mo., to Charles T. and Mary F. (East) Cloven. He married Alexis Kruithof on Dec. 26, 1991. 

He was preceded in death by his son, Andrew Kruithof.

He is survived by his wife, Alexis Cloven of Buckholts; sons, Jeffery Cloven of Missouri, Robert Kruithof of Louisiana, and Jerry Kruithof of Temple; daughters, Angie Cloven of Missouri, Christine Springer of Buckholts, and Samantha Kruithof of Burnett; sister, Janice Rowe of Temple; 13 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Marek-Burns-Laywell Funeral Home of Cameron is in charge of arrangements.

Services for Rosalie Turner, age 80, of Thorndale, will be at 1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 15, 2018, at Phillips & Luckey Funeral Home in Rockdale with Pastor James Mann and Rev. James Brymer officiating. Burial will be in the Salty Cemetery. Public visitation will be Sunday from 4-6 p.m. at the funeral home.

Cameron businessman Luther Dale Hodge, 76, passed away Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018, in a Cameron nursing center.

Services for Mr. Hodge will be held Monday, Jan. 15, at 10:30 a.m. in the Kathryn W. Green Chapel of Green-Patterson Funeral Home in Cameron, with O. E. Davidson officiating. Interment will follow in Oak Hill Cemetery.  

Ann Dealvia Lorenz, 83, of Cameron, died Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018, at her home.

Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 13, at Grace Church in Cameron.  Burial will follow in the Burlington Cemetery. Visitation will be Friday from 6-8 p.m. at Marek-Burns-Laywell Funeral Home.

Mrs. Lorenz was born March 20, 1934, in Wellington, to Carter and Gertrude (Harvey) Slaton. At 3 months of age, her family moved to Texas City where she was raised and went to school. On Jan. 30, 1959, she married Alvin “Jack” Lorenz and he preceded her in death Sept. 23, 1998. Raised in the church, Mrs. Lorenz was a member of Grace Church. She had worked as a waitress for many years and then she worked for La Marque Junior High cafeteria for 16 years. When she moved to Cameron, she worked for home health care for 15 years. She loved to play “42,” crochet and was a good cook. 

She was also preceded in death by her parents, sisters and brothers. 

Memorial services for Vernell Ruth (Luedke) Kuehn, of Caldwell, will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 13, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Deanville. She died Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018, in a Caldwell assisted living facility. 

She was born in Deanville on July 11, 1936, to John (J.B.) and Ella Blinka Luedke. She was the fourth of five children. She attended grade school in Deanville and graduated from Caldwell High School in 1954.

During her early years she worked in the fields along with the men as was the custom in those days. She especially enjoyed being able to outperform any of her brothers at any field task.