Obituaries

Bobbye June Edmonds Ficke, age 76, of West, passed away early Saturday morning, Jan. 6, 2018, at Baylor Scott and White Hospital in Waco.

Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018, at Aderhold Funeral Home Chapel in West, with Pastor Ronny Robinson officiating. 

Bobbye was born Jan. 17, 1941, in Cameron, the daughter of Benjamin and Cora Mabry Edmonds. She was a 1959 graduate of C.H. Yoe High School in Cameron, and attended a business school in Austin. Bobbye worked for Texas Parks and Wildlife Region 2 for over 34 years. She enjoyed reading and watching baseball and basketball.  She especially loved playing with her grandchildren.

Bobbye is preceded in death by her parents and a brother-in-law, Robert Mercer of Waco.

Daniel “Danny” Minatrea passed away unexpectedly at his home in Howe, Texas, on Friday, Jan. 6, 2018, at the age of 70.

Danny was born Dec. 26, 1947, in Sherman to Bob and Ruby Minatrea. He graduated from Denison High School and also attended Texas A&M.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Bob and Ruby Minatrea of Denison; and brother-in-law, J.C. Walser of Denison.

Danny is survived by his wife, Mary Minatrea of Howe; son, J.D. and wife Micheale Minatrea of Cameron; and two grandchildren, J.W. and Emily Minatrea; one sister, Virginia Walser of Denison; and stepson, Billy Wardlow of Austin.

Ladislav “Ladis” George Mayer, 80, of Rogers died Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018, at his home. 

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018, from 6-8 p.m. at Marek-Burns-Laywell Funeral Home in Cameron. Memorial services and private interment will be at a later date.

Mr. Mayer was born Dec. 2, 1937, in Cameron to Vince and Agnes (Pavelek) Mayer.  He served in the U. S. Navy.  After receiving his discharge, he married Geraldine “Gerry” Schneider and settled in Temple.  He worked as manager for Safeway Grocery for many years, owned a grocery store in Rogers, and had also driven a school bus for Rogers ISD for many years. 

He was preceded in death by his brother, Anton Mayer. 

Doris A. Campbell, 93, of Marlin passed away on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2017, in Marlin.

Visitation was held Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2018, from 5-7 p.m. at Phillips and Luckey Funeral Home with graveside services on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2018, at the Pleasant Retreat Cemetery in Thorndale, with Pastor Ray Prince officiating. 

She was born Aug. 12, 1924, to Homer Grubbs and Lovie Lee (Locklin) Grubbs in Milam County and was a former resident of Thorndale. Mrs. Campbell and her husband Pete Campbell were married on March 26, 1954. She was a bookkeeper for Cotton Oil Mill for over 30 years

Mrs. Campbell was preceded in death by her husband, Pete Campbell, on Feb. 11, 1998; her parents; and her brothers, Bert Shavers, Henry Shavers and Louie Shavers.

Betty (Holtkamp) Bartlett, 77, of Cameron passed away on Dec. 16, 2017, in Washington state with her daughter by her side after a year-long battle with cancer.

Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018, at Abiding Savior Lutheran Church in Cameron with Rev. Fred Hill officiating.

Betty was born June 23, 1940, on the family farm in Oenaville to Adolf and Hertha (Mesecke) Holtkamp. In April 1974, she was united in marriage to Army Veteran Joe Bartlett of Rockdale. They shared one daughter, Lisa (Bartlett) Klekar of Richland, Wash. She worked many years at local insurance agencies in Cameron and Rockdale. In her and Joe’s retirement years, they owned and operated Skeezix’s bar in Cameron where her fun and witty personality shined.

She is survived by her daughter, Lisa Klekar; sister, Patsy Tepe of Rosebud-Lott; and many cousins, nieces and nephews. 

She was preceded by her husband, Joe Bartlett, in 2009. 

Charles Robert Uecker, 84, of Cameron died Sunday, Dec. 24, 2017, at his home.  Graveside services will be at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 30, at Oak Hill Pavilion.

Mr. Uecker, a retired civil service worker, was born May 8, 1933, in San Antonio.  He served in U.S. Army. 

He was preceded in death by his wife Edith in January of this year. 

He is survived by: sons, Charles R. Uecker Jr. of Spring and Rollin Hutton of Marlin; three grandchildren; and numerous great-grandchildren.

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

James Edward Vessell, 78, of Shore Acres and formerly of Cameron, died Sunday, Dec. 24, 2017, at his home. 

Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 30, at Marek-Burns-Laywell Funeral Home in Cameron with Rev. Tim Cheatham officiating. Burial will follow in the Oak Hill Cemetery. Visitation will be Saturday from 11 a.m. until service time at the funeral home.

Mr. Vessell, a retired pipefitter, was born Sept. 25, 1939, in Waco to Joseph Elton and Margaret Fern (Widner) Vessell. He married Juanita Hutto on July 23, 1981.  He is survived by: sons, Joe Ray Vessell of Huntsville, Phillip Milstead of Boyd, and James Ernest Vessell of Decatur; daughter, Frances Vessell of Shore Acres; sister, Louise Bradley of Cameron; 11 grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren

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

Peggy Smith, devoted wife, loving mother and grandmother, passed away peacefully on Dec. 22, 2017, at Baylor Scott & White hospital in Grapevine, surrounded by her family. She was unable to recover from an injury she sustained in a fall on Dec. 3.

Memorial services will be held on Dec. 30, 2017, at First United Methodist Church in Rosebud at 1 p.m.

Peggy was born in Rosebud on Aug. 28, 1924, the first child of Joe H. and Kathleen Souther Smilie. After graduating from Rosebud High School in 1941, she attended TSCW (now Texas Women’s University) and the University of Texas at Austin. She was a member of the Alpha Delta Pi Sorority at UT and it was there that she met her future husband, Owen R. Smith, at a sorority party. They were married for 66 years until his death in 2010.

Bentley Lee Hause, 90, of Cameron, died Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017, in a Temple hospital. 

Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Friday, at Abiding Savior Lutheran Church in Cameron with Rev. Fred Hill officiating. Burial will follow in the Hope Lutheran Memorial Park in Buckholts. Visitation will be Thursday from 6-8 p.m. at Marek-Burns-Laywell Funeral Home.

Mr. Hause was born Nov. 16, 1927, in the Hoyt Community of Milam County to Gene and Martha “Dollie” (Springer) Hause. He married Gloria Jungmann on Nov. 20, 1955, and she preceded him in death in 2003. 

Mr. Hause retired from Alcoa as a crane operator in 1990.  He was a U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War. He was a charter member of the Abiding Savior Lutheran Church. He had served on the Cameron ISD School Board. 

The Rev. Don Edward Legge passed away peacefully in his home on Dec. 14, 2017, in Georgetown.

Don was born in Paducah, Texas, in the summer of 1931 to Margaret and Eudell Legge. His young parents welcomed into their modest home Margaret’s widowed mother, Julia Moore, and her two young children, Jeanette and Betty Jo, who became his older “sisters.”

Don graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio. He graduated from the University of Texas in Austin with a Bachelor of Architecture degree. He participated in Student Government, was a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, and other honorary organizations.

After serving in the US Army, he returned to Austin and established a small general architectural practice. He was the Executive Director of the Texas Society of Architects for a time and returned to private practice in 1972.