Frankston Area Obituaries — 1999-Present

Here are the obituaries posted for the current month from information provided courtesy of local and area funeral homes and published on their websites or those submitted by families. If an obituary is overlooked and it is desired that it be posted, please inform us at frankstondepotlibrary@gmail.com . Families may request changes or additions, if required. If you have an obituary for a person who has connections with someone or some family in the Frankston-Poynor-LaRue or Lake Palestine area that you want posted to this month or to the archives, and is not currently posted, please let us know at frankstondepotlibrary@gmail.com . Obituaries selected or submitted should follow a format which is essentially consistent with other obituaries posted here or by funeral homes and follow standard grammatical style. Through arrangements with funeral homes and/or the families, we will publish pictures with current obituaries. We will add pictures to archived obituaries from the print version of The Citizen newspaper prior to September 2019 when available. Pictures with archived obituaries posted after that will be added in cooperation with funeral homes or on requests from families.  As was the tradition of the Citizen newspaper, obituaries are published at no charge.

(Obituaries listed chronologically by date of death or funeral service.)

Sara Jane Berry Goode

Sara Jane Berry Goode was born Aug. 12, 1938 and entered eternal life on April 3, 2021. She was 82 years old.

A funeral service is scheduled at 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 7, 2021 at Autry Funeral Home Chapel in Frankston. Pastor Wade Eitel will officiate. She will be laid to rest at Berry Family Cemetery in Berryville.

Visitation will begin on Tuesday, April 6, 2021 from 6 p.m.to 8 p.m. at Autry Funeral Home, Frankston.

Sara was a member of the Power Praise Tabernacle in Frankston.

She was preceded in death by her parents, James and Agnes (Hearne) Berry; brother, James Norman Berry; and grandson, Chris Johnson.

Left to cherish Sara’s memory are her children Gay Tolentino of Berryville, Jerry Moss and wife Cathy of Frankston and Robbie Moss and wife Debra of LaRue; and brother, Erwin Hearn Berry and wife Debbie of Berryville. She is also survived by six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Lt. Col. Grace Elizabeth Donnelly, U.S. Air Force (Retired)

Lt. Col. Grace Elizabeth Donnelly, U.S. Air Force (Retired), Age 90, of Tyler, formally of Berryville, and New York State, passed away quietly on Friday, April 16, 2021. She was born July 1, 1930 in Johnson City, New York to Grace and Robert Donnelly.

A Graveside Service will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 22, 2021 at Garden Oaks Cemetery, Berryville.

Grace graduated from Wilson Memorial Hospital School of Nursing. She served 20 years as a Nurse and Nurse Anesthetist in the U.S Air Force, retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Upon retirement from the Air Force she worked as a Nurse Anesthetist in Bossier City, LA. She served her community of Berryville for 20 years as a Council Woman. She loved serving the Lord as she attended the Chandler Adventist Fellowship.

She is survived by her bother Robert Donnelly of New York; nephews Archer Macy of Virginia, Robert Macy of Massachusetts, William Macy of California, Gene Macy of Connecticut; many other nephews and nieces, and her good friends and neighbors, Roy and Molly Brown and their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents; sisters Catherine D. Macy, Dolores A. Donnelly, and a nephew John Macy.

Memorial donations may be made to the Wounded Warriors, St. Jude Hospital for Children or do something for someone who needs a little love or help in Grace’s name.

Boren Conner Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Dorothy Sue Anna Aalfs

Dorothy Sue Anna Aalfs, known to friends as "Dottie," passed away on April 16, 2021, at the age of 84 years.

A native of Texas, Dottie attended Southern Methodist University, graduated with a nursing degree and served as a registered nurse until she retired. In 1958, she began her career in Dallas and moved to California where she started a family. Dottie returned to Texas and finished her career working for the state prison system.

Always quick with a smile and welcoming words, Dottie is remembered as caring for those in need. She was a loving mom and proud grandma. In retirement she served as a passionate volunteer at the Rainbow House Food Pantry, part of The United Methodist Church of Frankston and cherished her friendships, and luncheons with the Red Hat Society.

She is survived by sons Jacob (Kimberly) and David (Marisa), and five grandchildren, Michael, Lauren, Jonathan, Alexander, and Jacob.

Memorial donations in memory of Dottie can be made to the Animal Defense League of Texas at https://adltexas.org/ .

Sharon Carol Milham

Memorial services for Sharon Carol Milham, 68, of Arlington, are scheduled at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 1, 2021, at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Tyler with Reverend Ben Wheeler of Tyler and Glenn Cato, Chaplain of the Grand Prairie Police Department, officiating.

A memorial service is also scheduled at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 8, 2021, at First Baptist Church, Grand Prairie.

Ms. Milham went to be with her Lord and Savior on Wednesday, April 21, 2021 in Tyler.

She was born Oct. 7, 1952 in Tyler to Glen E. and Jamie Sanders Milham. After completing her high school education in Tyler, Sharon graduated from Stephen F. Austin State College in Nacogdoches, and moved to Arlington where she began a 37-year educational career with the Grand Prairie Independent School District. During that career she earned her Master’s Degree and served as elementary teacher, assistant principal, and principal. She completed her career as Executive Director of Elementary Education.

Sharon poured her life into her school children and staff. She made indelible marks on the lives of thousands of children and demonstrated effective leadership, earning the respect and admiration of parents, teachers, and administrators. Active in educational issues, she was a strong advocate in state leadership of TRTA.

When not in school she loved to travel, attend the symphony, and visit with friends. In retirement she volunteered for and loved Crisis Response Ministry, and gave generously to those in need, organizations she supported, and her church. Most of all Sharon dearly loved her family and was dedicated to them as a daughter, sister, niece, granddaughter, cousin, and aunt.

Sharon was preceded in death by her father Glen E. Milham, grandparents Ode and Della Milham of Mena, Arkansas and Elmer and Velma Sanders of Tyler.

She is survived by her loving family: mother Jamie Sanders Milham of Tyler; two brothers and spouses Kerry and Karen Milham of Winona and Eddie and Mary Milham of Frankston; two nieces and spouses Elizabeth and David Thornton, Margaret and Jonathan Golembiewski; great-niece and nephew Lyla Thornton and Reed Thornton; and numerous cousins.

Memorials may be made to Crisis Response Ministry, Grand Prairie Chapter, 4101 Green Oaks Blvd, #305-223, Arlington, Texas 76016.

William Edward Whitesides Jr.

William Edward Whitesides Jr. passed away at the Tennessee Veteran’s Home in Murfreesboro, TN on April 24, 2021 at the age of 91.

Edward was born in Athens on Feb. 28, 1930 to the late William Edward Whitesides, Sr., and the late Nola Early Whitesides, longtime residents of Frankston.

Edward served in the U.S. Navy as an Aviation Electronics Technician, 3rd Class Petty Officer during the Korean War. During his service he was stationed aboard the Naval aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea, and cruised the Mediterranean and Caribbean. He was a true patriot who loved his country and was proud to serve. He enjoyed sharing stories of the people and experiences from those years throughout his life.

Before the Navy, Edward had attended Lon Morris College in Jacksonville. After the Navy, he married Yvonne Baugh of Kilgore and they moved to Memphis, TN where he continued his education at Memphis State University. They spent most of the remainder of their lives in Memphis where they raised their family of six children.

Edward was an enterprising entrepreneur and was self-employed most of his life. He particularly enjoyed his years as a wholesale jeweler and collector, and he travelled and developed relationships with people throughout the Southeast. He loved meeting people and always took the time to visit with them and learn about them, their businesses and their families. Many of the people he met through his business dealings became life-long friends.

Edward also had a passion for swimming and scuba diving, and worked part-time for many years as a scuba instructor for the Dive Shop in Memphis. He loved teaching and training others to give them the confidence and expertise they needed to enjoy this sport that he loved.

Having a conversation with Edward was pleasant and entertaining for everyone, especially for his family. He was knowledgeable about almost any subject you wanted to discuss, and he rarely forgot anything he had ever learned. His grandchildren joked that he was their own personal encyclopedia, long before the Internet came along.

Edward was a devoted son, brother, husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather who loved his family and took pride in each of them and in their accomplishments.

Although his family will miss him greatly, they all rejoice because they know he loved the Lord, and they know that the Lord called him home.

He is survived by his brother, Early Whitesides of Los Angeles, CA. and his dear cousin, Margaret Ann Blitch, who was like a sister to him.

He had three sons: Edward Whitesides III of Santa Fe, NM, John Whitesides and Frank Whitesides, both of Olive Branch, MS and three daughters: Gina Smith of Denton, TX and Geri Cox and Michelle Tribull, both of Columbia, TN.

He had six grandchildren: Christina Smith, Holly Freeman, Jack Fletcher, Cheryl Howell, Jeanne Whitesides, Charlie Whitesides, 10 great-grandchildren, and numerous loving nieces, nephews and cousins.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Yvonne Whitesides, a sister, Evelyn Ann Dandois, and a daughter, Lula Renee Whitesides.

Funeral Services and a celebration of Edward’s life will be held on June 5, 2021 at Autry’s Carroll-Lehr Funeral Home in Athens, Texas

(Obituaries posted contain information posted by funeral homes and/or families. Families may request changes or additions, if appropriate or required.)