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Zella Maye Thomas
LAKESIDE -- Zella Maye Thomas, 82, a retired bookkeeper, died Saturday, June 7, 1997, in Fort Worth.
Funeral:10 a.m. Tuesday at Saint Elisabeth Episcopal Church, 5910 Black Oak Lane, River Oaks. Burial: Azleland Cemetery.
Zella Maye Thomas was born July 18, 1914, in Fort Worth to J. Elmer and Zella Lee Allen Helm. She grew up on the city's north side, and graduated from North Side High School in 1932. Mrs. Thomas worked as a bookkeeper for 30 years with medical doctors, Roger Moore, Walter Geyer and Harold Schilling. Mrs. Thomas was a longtime member of the Saint Elisabeth Episcopal Church, and was very active in church activities, including participation in the altar guild.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Earl Talmadge Thomas, and her sister, Evelyn.
Survivors: Son, Robert Alan Thomas of Azle; daughters, Jo Lind Weaver of Saginaw and Lynda Lee Hill of Arlington; eight grandchildren; and three great- grandchildren.
Shannon North Funeral Chapel
111 W. Northside Drive, 624-2191
Ray Williams
JUSTIN -- Ray Williams, 88, a retired educator and farmer, died Sunday, June 8, 1997, at a Denton hospital.
Funeral: 10 a.m. Tuesday at First Baptist Church in Ponder. Burial: Eakins Cemetery in Ponder. Visitation: 7 to 8 p.m. Monday at DeBerry Funeral Directors in Denton.
Ray Williams was born Nov. 17, 1908, in Wichita Falls. He received his Masters from the University of North Texas in 1932. He taught, and served as principal, at Drop Community School from 1931 to 1935. He was superintendent of Alvord schools. He retired in 1952 to become a full-time farmer.
Survivors: Sons, Steven Moncrief Williams and Stanley Moncrief Williams, both of Justin, and Jimmy Luther Williams of Denton; daughters, Dru Myrl Pockrus of Justin and Shirley Ray Slimp of Denton; sisters, Audie Sumner of Grand Prairie and Whynama Taylor of Fort Worth; sister-in-laws, Emma May Moncrief of Justin and Alma Swafford of Ponder; 11 grandchildren and 19 great- grandchildren.
DeBerry Funeral Directors
Denton, (940) 383-4200
Alma "Bobbie" Amerson
FORT WORTH -- Alma "Bobbie" Amerson, 72, a retired domestic worker, died Friday, June 6, 1997, in Fort Worth.
Funeral: 11 a.m. Wednesday at Johnson Chapel AME, 5235 Bonnell. Burial: Skyvue Memorial Garden. Wake: 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Ferguson Como Funeral Home.
Alma "Bobbie" Amerson was born April 17, 1925, in Centerville.
Survivors: Daughter, Gloria Amerson Cummings; son-in-law, Eugene Cummings Jr.; aunt, Coque Campbell; two great-grandchildren; grandchildren, Wendall Cummings, Eugene Cummings III, Angela Cummings and Christopher Cummings.
Ferguson Como Funeral Home
5301 Wellesley Ave., 738-0131
Betty Andujar
FORT WORTH -- Betty Andujar, 84, who made political history here when she was elected the first woman and first Republican since Reconstruction to the Texas Senate, died Sunday, June 8, 1997, in her sleep.
Memorial service: 1 p.m. Saturday at First Presbyterian Church. Private burial: State Cemetery in Austin.
Memorials: Salvation Army, 1955 E. Lancaster; The Women's Center, 1723 Hemphill; Presbyterian Night Shelter, 2400 Cypress; or a charity of choice.
Betty Andujar was the wife of retired pathologist Dr. John J. Andujar, former president of the World Association of Pathology Societies. They had been married 62 years.
Mrs. Andujar was born Nov. 6, 1912, in Harrisburg, Pa., where her father was chief justice of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. She was a graduate of Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pa. She came to Texas in 1937 when Dr. Andujar was appointed laboratory director at Harris Hospital.
Mrs. Andujar was elected to the Senate in 1972 and served until a heart attack forced her retirement in 1982. With her husband, she continued to be active in Republican politics and medical associations until a few weeks before her death.
The late senator had many firsts to her credit. She was the first Republican to occupy the Governor's Chair since the days of the carpetbaggers after the Civil War. Elected president pro tempore of the Senate, she acted as governor when Gov. Dolph Briscoe and Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby were out of Austin at the same time. She was also the first senator to have a husband, the others having been spinsters or widows. With the Senate Wives Club closed to him, Dr. Andujar established and served as the president and only member of the Senate Husbands Club.
In 1996 she was the first layperson to receive the Citation of Merit Award from the Texas Society of Pathologists. The award honored her for legislation she carried during her three terms in the Senate. One bill established today's medical examiner system, putting a qualified patholgist in charge instead of a justice of the peace serving as coroner. Campaigning for its passage, her husband said the coroner system in use then was so inefficient that "it is easier to kill a Texan than to steal his horse."
For her successful efforts to permit doctors to remove corneas, she was honored by the Lions Club. She also was honored for carrying bills to help women collect child support.
In 1992 she became the first physician's wife to have her portrait hung in the Texas Medical Association headquarters in Austin -- a tribute to the Andujar partnership of physician and politician.
She was a delegate to GOP national conventions in 1972 and 1976 and served as Republican national committeewoman for Texas.
The Andujars' early leadership of the Republican Party here caused one politician to quip: "They have made being a Republican respectable in Texas." Many credit them with the Republican sweep of the courthouse where almost every elected office is now held by Republicans.
Together, the Andujars in 1988 established the first permanent chair of pathology at Southwestern Medical Center. She was active in the Texas and Tarrant County Medical Association auxiliaries and founded and served as first president of the auxiliary to the international pathology association.
She served on the boards of the Medical College of Pennsylvania, Texas Rape Prevention and Control Project, National Order of Women Legislators, Association for the Prevention of Blindness and the Tarrant Unit of the American Cancer Society.
Among her many honors, she was named a Newsmaker by the Headliners Club of Fort Worth and the Zonta Club's Woman of the Year. She was a past president of Club Fidelite of the Woman's Club of Fort Worth.
Survivors: Besides her husband, Mrs. Andujar is survived by two daughters, Linda Lee Andujar of Irving and Betty Jo Andujar of Arlington; three grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. One of the grandchildren, Dr. Lisa Meyer, at Baylor Medical Center in Dallas, is a pathologist like her grandfather and, having recently completed her residency, begins a fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. She and her brother, Michael of Euless, a pilot with Conquest Airlines, are the children of Linda Lee Andujar. Tracy Lee Elmore of San Antonio, daughter of Betty Jo Andujar, and her husband Neil are parents of the four great-grandchildren.
Thompson's Harveson & Cole
702 Eighth Ave., 336-0345
Harold C. Bater
ARLINGTON -- Harold C. Bater, 72, a retired transportation industry salesman, died Sunday, June 8, 1997, in Arlington.
Funeral: 1 p.m. Wednesday at Arlington Funeral Home. Entombment: Greenwood Memorial Park Mausoleum. Visitation: 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at Arlington Funeral Home.
Harold C. Bater was born Feb. 6, 1925, in Litchfield, Mich. He had lived in Michigan for a number of years and moved to Arlington in 1982. He retired from Nationswide Broker in 1995.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Lily, in 1993 and daughter, Judy McCullen, in 1995.
Survivors: Sons, Douglas Bater of Virginia Beach, Va.; daughter, Sharon McGrath of Westland, Mich.; four grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and son- in-law, Tom McCullen of Arlington.
Arlington Funeral Home
1221 E. Division, 548-1791
Lyndon Berry
BURLESON -- Lyndon Berry, 53, died Sunday, June 8, 1997, at his home.
Funeral: 11 a.m. Wednesday at Retta Bapist Church. Burial: Cope Cemetery.
Lyndon Berry was born Nov. 23, 1943, near Mansfield. He was a machinist and owned his own business for a while. He later was a jewelry designer.
Survivors: Wife, Ronda Berry of Burleson; son, Robert Berry of Burleson; daughters, Jeannie Berry of Carrollton and Andrea Berry of Fort Worth; parents, Lewis and Atha Lee Berry of Retta; brother, Roger Berry of Retta; and sisters, Joyce Morris of Bilbert, Ariz., and Sandra Callahan of Carlsbad, N.M.
Laurel Land Funeral Home of Burleson
Burleson, 295-5211
Laura Lee Bible
ARLINGTON -- Laura Lee Bible, 68, a teacher, died Sunday, June 8, 1997, in Arlington.
Funeral: 1 p.m. Wednesday at Fielder Road Baptist Church in Arlington. Entombment: Moore Memorial Gardens Mausoleum in Arlington. Visitation: 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Arlington Funeral Home.
Laura Lee Bible was born Sept. 16, 1928, in Pine Bluff, Ark. She had been an Arlington resident since 1955 and was a former resident of Sherman. She was a member of Fielder Road Baptist Church, a teacher for 32 years with the Arlington School District, and was with the Jefferson School District for one year.
Survivors: Husband, Justin Bible of Arlington; son, David Bible and daughter-in-law, Carol Williams, of Fort Worth; daughter, Ouida Ruff of Arlington; brother, Raymond York of Georgetown, Texas; and grandchild, Justin Ruff.
Arlington Funeral Home
1221 E. Division, 548-1791
O.B. Bush
FORT WORTH -- O.B. Bush, 81, a retired laborer for Swift and Co. packing house, died Friday, June 5, 1997, at home.
Funeral: 1 p.m. Thursday at the Kingdom of God's Son Missionary Baptist Church. Burial: Cedar Hill Memorial Park. Visitation: 1 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Baker Funeral Home. Wake: 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.
O.B. Bush was born May 9, 1916, in Longview. He was the son of Alex and Mattie Dawson Bush. O.B. grew up in Longview and attended the public schools. Early in life he was converted and baptized and became a member of Jerusalem Baptist Church.
O.B. came to Fort Worth in the early 1940s and settled. He united in marriage with Corine. They shared many happy years until parted by her death in 1973.
O.B. loved traveling and was aboard nearly every tour bus that departed Fort Worth in recent years. He was a friendly and sociable man and affiliated with the Yogi Club here in Fort Worth.
Survivors: Brother, Roy Bush of Fort Worth; special nieces and nephews, Helen Williams and Betty Smith of Houston, Mattie Lee of San Bernadino, Calif., Larry Basheer and Margaret Fontenot of Fort Worth; and several generations of other nieces, nephews, cousins, family members and friends.
Baker Funeral Home
301 E. Rosedale St., 332-4468
Ashley Miriam Byron
WEATHERFORD -- Ashley Miriam Byron, 100, a retired teacher, died Monday, June 9, 1997, in Weatherford.
Funeral: private.
Memorials: Wilson-Byron Outreach Fund, Grace First Presbyterian Church, 606 Mockingbird Lane, Weatherford, Texas 76086.
Ashley Miriam Byron was born Jan. 6, 1897, in Fort Worth. She moved to Keeneland in July of 1996 from her family log cabin east of Weatherford where her parents bought land in 1902. Charles Witte Byron, her father, was a circuit preacher for the Methodist Church in west Texas. Her education was in Parker County and at Sul Ross, Alpine and what is now Texas Women's University in Denton.
Miss Byron taught the first grade for 47 years, beginning her career in Franklin, Texas, and in Weatherford. Her first assignment in Fort Worth was at W.J. Turner Elementary School in the North Side after which she helped open North Hi-mount Elementary School. Her retirement was in 1963. A devoted gardner, her specialties were iris in the spring and chrysanthemums in the fall. She was the oldest member of Grace First Presbyterian Church in Weatherford.
Survivors: Niece, Mrs. Patricia Nielson of Weatherford; nephew, The Right Rev. Sam B. Hulsey of Lubbock; and four great-nieces and nephews.
Thompson's Harveson & Cole
702 Eighth Ave., 336-0345
Elmer E. Campbell
SOUTHLAKE -- Elmer E. Campbell, 74, a retired miller, passed away Monday, June 9, 1997, in Southlake.
Funeral: 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at Mount Olivet Funeral Home. Burial: Bluebonnet Hills Memorial Park. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Elmer Campbell was born Oct. 30, 1922, in Weatherford.
Elmer Campbell, a devoted, loving husband, father and grandfather, passed away on June 9, 1997, after a long, courageous battle with cancer. He had lived in Southlake the last 20 years. He served in the armed forces and overseas during World War II. He retired from General Portland Cement Plant after 30 years of service.
Survivors: Wife of 49 years, Genice Campbell of Southlake; sons and daughters-in-law, Danny and Janis Campbell of Keller and Johnny and Paula Campbell of Colleyville; brother, Clarence Campbell of Fort Worth; sister, Daisy Pratchel of Fort Worth; grandchildren, Chad Campbell, Andrew Campbell, Amy Robinson and Kenyan Campbell; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Mount Olivet Funeral Home
2301 N. Sylvania Ave., 831-0511
Ala Marie Craver
MIDLAND -- Ala Marie Craver, 91, a retired beauty operator, died Sunday, June 8, 1997, at a local hospital.
Graveside service: 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in Bluebonnet Hills Cemetery. Visitation: open.
Ala Marie Craver was born March 3, 1906, in Water Valley, Miss. She was a member of Oakwood Baptist Church of Weatherford.
Survivors: Son, H. Jim Barron of Midland; daughter, Molly Niblett of Midland; grandsons, Steve Niblett of Midland and Jamie Larson; granddaughter, D'Aun Groves; and nine grandchildren.
Shannon North Funeral Chapel
111 W. Northside Drive, 624-2191
