Obituaries

Rev. Dr. Henry H. Biar Sr., age 81, passed away Sunday, March 12, in San Antonio. 

He was born Sept. 8, 1935, to Henry H. and Hannah (Simank) Biar and grew up in Thorndale.

His service was held Friday, March 17, at King of Kings Lutheran Church in San Antonio where served as pastor for over 30 years. 

He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Shirley Biar; sons Rev. Henry H. Biar Jr. and wife Kris of Skokie, Ill., and Andrew Biar and wife Elizabeth of Houston; daughters, Karisa Schepmann and husband Daniel of Friendswood, and Kathryn Schweninger and husband Ed of San Antonio. Thirteen grandchildren and a brother, Howard Biar and wife Sammie of Pflugerville also survive. He was the nephew of Harold Biar of Thorndale.

Ida Faye Eaton, 76, of Rogers, died Saturday, March 18, 2017, in a Temple nursing facility.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday, March 22, at 11 a.m. at the Kathryn W. Green Chapel of Green-Patterson Funeral Home in Cameron. Burial will follow in the Marak Methodist Cemetery.

Ms. Eaton was born April 12, 1940, in Cameron to Jessie and Katy Russell Eaton. She was a homemaker and a member of Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Rogers.

Survivors include: her daughters, Rita Spacek of Rogers and Shirley Sullivan of Temple; brothers, Gerald Eaton and Jesse Eaton of Buckholts; and a sister, Shirley Jurca of Buckholts. Also surviving are eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by one son, Johnny Ray Seaton.

Visitation for the family will be held Tuesday, March 21, from 5-7 p.m. at the funeral home.

Arrangements are under the direction of Green-Patterson Funeral Home of Cameron. 

Minnie Marie Vogelsang Kuzel, 87, of Buckholts, died Monday, March 6, 2017, in a Temple hospital. 

Memorial services were held Saturday, March 11, at Sts. Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church in Marak. A rosary was recited prior to services at the church.

Mrs. Kuzel, a retired homemaker, was born February 1, 1930, in Milam County to Will and Ida (Laake) Vogelsang. She graduated from C. H. Yoe High School. Mrs. Kuzel married Emil John (E.J.) Kuzel and he preceded her in death in 1990. She was a member of Sts. Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church. 

She was also preceded in death by a sister and two brothers. 

She is survived by: sons, Emil John Kuzel Jr. (Bo) of Ashburn, Va., Mike Boedeker of Plano, and David Boedeker of Plano; daughters, Laura Ann Vaculin of Marak and Deborah Marie Pollard of San Antonio; brother, Iven Vogelsang of Ben Arnold; three grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Wilma Louise McCall Dycus, 89, of Cameron died Saturday, March 11, 2017, in a Cameron nursing and rehab center. 

Graveside services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 18, at Walkers Creek Cemetery Pavilion. Visitation will be Friday from 6-8 p.m. in the Chapel.

Mrs. Dycus, a retired school cafeteria manager for the Corpus Christi School District, was born Nov. 9, 1927, in Cameron to Clarence David and Stella (Hightower) McCall. She married James Denson Dycus and he preceded her in death. She was a member of the First Baptist Church in Cameron. 

Clarence Larmon Cheshier, 86 years young, went to be with his Heavenly Father Saturday, March 11, 2017.

Born April 17, 1930, in Ft. Worth, Texas, to Horace Burns and Juanita Ethetton Cheshier.

Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 15, at Marek-Burns-Laywell Funeral Home in Cameron. Burial will be 3 p.m. at Laurel Land Cemetery in Fort Worth. Visitation will be 9:30 a.m. until service time at the funeral home.

He was a Godly, passionate and caring man. And, dedicated his life to his faith, family and friends.

He graduated from Technical High School in 1948 where he was Class President and Captain of the football team. After graduation he attended TCU and served in the Naval Reserve. 

In the early 50’s, he began a career spanning over 45 years, in the telecommunication industry. 

Rosie Lee Mowdy, 83, of Cameron died Friday, March 10, 2017, in a Temple hospital. 

Graveside funeral services were held at 10 a.m. Monday, March 13, at the Liberty Community Cemetery near Hanover.

Mrs. Mowdy, a homemaker, was born March 18, 1933, in Thorndale to Hughie and Sally Smith. She married E. C. Mowdy and he preceded her in death in 1996.

She was also preceded in death by a son, Edward Mowdy; a brother, Hughie W. Smith; and sister, Juanita Mowdy. 

She is survived by: son, Homer Lee Mowdy of Hanover; daughter          , Frances Yount of Minerva; sister, Annie Mae Holland of Somerville; and numerous nieces and nephews

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

Peggy Artie Belle Becker Caffey, 83, a lifelong resident of Thorndale, was welcomed to heaven by her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on Thursday, March 9, 2017. A celebration of life will be held Sunday, March 12, at 2 p.m., at Providence Funeral Home in Taylor with Pastor Walter J. Miller officiating. Burial will follow at Thorndale City Cemetery.
Peggy was born January 11, 1934, to Alfred E. and Minnie (Moerbe) Becker. She became a Child of God through Holy Baptism on Jan. 21, 1934, at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Thorndale and received the Rite of Confirmation there in 1946.
Peggy graduated as salutatorian of the Class of 1950 at Thorndale High School. She then attended Durham’s Business College in Austin. On Jan. 9, 1953, Peggy married Hugh Caffey Jr. with whom she enjoyed the next 60 years. Junior preceded her in death in 2013.

Albina “Bennie” Mayer, 96, of Buckholts, died Tuesday, March 7, 2017, in a Cameron nursing and rehab center. 

Funeral services will be at 3 p.m. Thursday at Marek-Burns-Laywell Funeral Home in Cameron. Entombment will be in the St. Monica’s Mausoleum. Visitation will be Wednesday from 6-8 p.m. at the funeral home.

Mrs. Mayer, a homemaker, was born Dec. 1, 1920, in Cameron to Charlie and Pearl Helen (Chernosky) Porubsky. 

She was preceded in death by five siblings. 

Mrs. Mayer is survived by: daughters, Margie Kraemer of Rogers and Rebecca Mayer of Buckholts; five grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; and several great-great-grandchildren.

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

Ella Lorene Bergeron, of Sealy, passed peacefully to her eternal rest on March 6, 2017, serving Our Lord, her family, and the communities in which she lived for over 99 years. Ella was born on Feb. 13, 1918, near Cameron. She attended Cameron schools and spent most of her youth helping with family chores and farming the land. 

Ella was joined in holy matrimony to Clement Wohleb II in 1936.  They started their family and farmed land in nearby Cameron. Ella was a homemaker and mother, with a contagious smile and an uplifting spirit.

In late 1946, she transplanted the household to Texas City, where Clem had already taken a new job at the refinery docks. The Texas City Disaster of April 16, 1947, changed the family’s life forever, leaving Ella a widow with four young children. She lived on Thirteenth Avenue until 1952, when Ella married Louis Drozd.

Gertrude Ima Ida Hinze Miller, 97, of Houston and formerly of Ben Arnold, died Monday, March 6, 2017, in a Houston nursing facility.

Visitation and viewing will be Friday, March 10, 2017, beginning at 10 a.m. with funeral services following at 11 a.m. at the Christian Fellowship Church in Ben Arnold. Burial will follow in the Ben Arnold Cemetery.

Mrs. Miller, a homemaker, was born April 30, 1919, to Gustav and Annie (Moeller) Hinze in the Walker’s Creek community of Milam County.  She married Hugo Miller on Sept. 24, 1940, and he preceded her in death in 1969.  She was a member of the Christian Fellowship Church in Ben Arnold.