Thelma Luvenia “Lu” Whitsett, 95, most recently of Dallas, TX passed away peacefully, attended by family on the afternoon of August 25, 2016.
A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on September 16 at Davis-Morris Funeral Home in Brownwood, TX.
Lu was born to Paul Andrew and Susan Amanda Hale in Alex, Oklahoma on April 6, 1921. The family later moved to Chickasha, Oklahoma where she graduated from high school.
Lu noticed the handsome produce man at the local Safeway store and married Ben Whitsett (after a long engagement of 6 weeks) on June 2, 1940. They were married 70 years.In 1941Ben went to work for Haliburton as a well logger. Their annual moves over the next several years made her job as a homemaker quite challenging. During the Haliburton years they lived in Huntsville (where oldest son Dwight was born in 1942), Houston, Crocket, LaGrange, Colulla, Lafayette Louisiana and Bakersfield California. Number two son, Paul (deceased) was born back in Chickasha in 1945 between moves. Upon resigning from Haliburton, Ben and Lu moved to Davis, Oklahoma and opened a radio repair shop. In 1951, Ben got a job with Stanolind Oil (later Amoco, later BP) and moved to Odessa where number three son Kevin was born in 1955. They lived in Odessa for the next 29 years. Upon retirement they moved to Brownwood, TX where they lived for more than 20 years before health issues required Ben and Lu to move to Abilene. After Ben’s passing, Lu was moved to Dallas.
Lu was actively involved in church all her life. She taught Bible classes for many years and also was active with the World Bible School program. In Brownwood she attended Austin Ave. Church of Christ and most recently 4th and Stewart Church of Christ where she attended for many years. She enjoyed a number of hobbies including gardening, painting, playing the organ, quilting and sewing.
Lu is survived by sister Pauline Hubbard; son Dwight and wife Brenda and son Kevin and wife Debbie; grandchildren Amy Hopkins, Tim, Justin, Nathan and Paul Whitsett; great-grandchildren Heather Kelley, Graeme Hopkins and Addy Hopkins, Mira, Ian, Sophia, Gray, Liam and Leo Whitsett; nieces Kristina Hale and Linda Glenn; nephews Donald Moore, Andrew, Glen and Kim Hale, Ronald and Kenneth Nippert.
Lu was preceded in death by husband Ben, son Paul, sisters Margaret Alexander and Laverne Nippert and brother Donald Hale.
In lieu of flowers memorial gifts can be made to Cherokee Children’s Home, Cherokee Texas.
