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.)

Bryan H. “Hobbs” Atwood

Funeral services for Bryan H. “Hobbs” Atwood, 91, of Frankston were held Friday, December 22 at First Baptist Church, Frankston with Rev. Curtis Crofton officiating under direction of Autry Funeral Home, Jacksonville. Burial was in Frankston City Cemetery.

Mr. Atwood passed away Wednesday, December 20.

He was born February 4, 1915 in New York, Texas. He was the former owner of Frankston Reliance Gas Co. He was a member of First Baptist Church, Frankston and the William Foster Masonic Lodge.

Mr. Atwood was preceded in death by his wife Bobbe Atwood.

Survivors include his son and daughter-in-law Bryan and Penny Atwood of Ennis; grandson Trey Atwood; granddaughter and her husband Amy and Brad Barton; great-grandchildren Blake, Brant and Bailey, and several nieces and nephews.

Pallbearers were Johnny Burks, Mike Cook, Larry Weesner, Don Fitzgerald, John Dunklin and George Cox.

Honorary pallbearers were Herbert Riley, Thomas Cook and Jimmy Reynolds.

Memorials may be made to First Baptist Church, Frankston or First Presbyterian Church Bell Choir of Ennis.

Juanita Ward

Graveside services for Juanita Ward, 90, of Chandler were held Thursday, December 28 at the Neches Cemetery with Charles Ray Parton officiating under direction of Thompson Funeral Home, Frankston.

Mrs. Ward passed away Tuesday, December 26.

She was born February 26, 1916 in Canton. She was a seamstress and a homemaker. She was a Baptist.

Mrs. Ward was preceded in death by sons Charles “Chuck” D. Couey, Albert Mack Couey and Ralph Andrew Couey.

Survivors include sons Teraga A. Couey of Brownsboro and James Danny Couey of Van; daughters Gloria D. Chapman of Chandler and Nyoka Berry of Wills Point; 25 grandsons, 14 granddaughters, 46 great-grandchildren and 13 greatgreat grandchildren.

Grandsons served as honorary pallbearers.

Roy M ‘Hoppy’ Hopkins

Longtime Louisiana State Rep. Roy M. “Hoppy” Hopkins, whose sister lives in Frankston, died Nov. 23, 2006, after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Mr. Hopkins visited his sister, Bonnie Ruth Holsonback, in Frankston many times. Mr. Hopkins began first grade in Frankston before moving to Athens where he graduated from high school.

He had been a Louisiana state representative since 1987 and missed few sessions despite his cancer.

Services were at United Pentecostal Church in Oil City, La., on Nov. 28. Officiating were Rev. Johnny Peden, Rev. Gerald Trammell, and Rev. H. A. McFarland. Burial was in Lakeview Memorial Gardens in Oil City.

At his funeral, tributes to Mr. Hopkins were delivered by Kathleen Blanco, governor of Louisiana; Joe Salter, speaker of the House of Representatives; Billy Montgomery, state representative; and Todd Hopkins, his son.

Mr. Hopkins had been a resident of Oil City for 40 years. His sister’s husband, Jack Holsonback, died in the street in front of Mr. Hopkins’ Oil City home after being hit by a car.

Mr. Hopkins was born on June 10, 1943, in Murchison, Tx. He was a U.S. Army veteran serving in Germany. He was an auto dealer and had served as mayor and alderman of Oil City. He had served on the Caddo Parish Police Jury and was the first president of the Caddo Parish Commission.

Survivors include his wife, Rosemarie Hopkins of Oil City; two sons, Todd Hopkins and wife Karen of Oil City, and Garry Hopkins of Oil City; four sisters, Alma Lee Thompson and Opal McCool of Fort Worth, Fayreen Tiner of Tyler, and Bonnie Ruth Holsonback of Frankston; one brother, Joe Dan Hopkins of Jacksonville; three grandchildren, Brandon Hopkins, Rachel Garlington, and Merideth LeBlanc; and two great-grandchildren.

Pallbearers were Wayne Taylor, Patrick Woolridge, Judge Roy Brun, Dan Turner, Dr. John Haynes, and Charlie Alexander.

Honorary pallbearers were state legislators Gary Hendricks and Ray Haygood.

Memorials may be made to the Louisiana State Oil and Gas Museum in Oil City.

Nola Benjamin

Nola Mae Benjamin, 77, of Frankston passed away Monday, January 8. No services will be held. Arrangements are under direction of Thompson Funeral Home, Frankston.

She was born August 15, 1929 in Toledo, Ohio. She was a self employed chef.

Mrs. Benjamin was preceded in death by her husband Howard Benjamin and son James Benjamin.

Survivors include sons Duane Benjamin of Frankston, and Dennis Benjamin of Rebera, New Mexico; daughters Diane Hoffman of Temperance, Michigan, Linda Wright of Frankston, Dorothy Magee of Nampa, Idaho, Sue Hunt of Barr Nunn, Wisconsin, and Alice Chambless of Canton; brothers Herman Budd of Brownsboro, Ed Budd and Donald Budd, both of Toledo, Ohio; sister Mary Evans of Toledo, Ohio; many grandchildren and greatgrandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Nelda Wilbanks

Funeral services fo Nelda Jewel Hudson Wilbanks, 76, of Tennessee Colony were held Monday, January 1 at Tennessee Colony Church with Pastor Ken Dodson and Pastor Kevin Wilmont officiating under direction of Herrington/Land of Memory Funeral Home, Palestine.

Mrs. Wilbanks passed away Saturday, December 30.

Survivors include her husband of 48 years, W.L. Wilbanks of Tennessee Colony; daughters Kay Wilbanks and Karen Klein, both of Tennessee Colony; brother and sisters-inlaw Harold and Helen Hudson of Tennessee Colony, and LaVeda Norris of Longview; grandson Erich Klein II of Tennessee Colony; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Herman L. Glass

Funeral services for Herman L. Glass, 90, of Jacksonville were held Wednesday, January 10 in Autry Funeral Home Chapel with Dr. Harold Brunson and Jeff Hancock officiating under direction of Autry Funeral Home, Jacksonville. Burial was at Cedar Hill Cemetery, Rusk.

Mr. Glass passed away at his home on Saturday, January 6.

He was born September 19, 1916 in Dialville. He graduated from high school in 1934. After college, he taught school and served as principal in Afton Grove before becoming a highway patrolman in 1941. He entered the U.S. Army in 1942. Just before he left for combat in the European Theater, he married Berniece Pryor of Rusk on December 17, 1942. In the service, Glass became a Battalion Motor Officer with the 117th infantry, landing in Normandy on D-Day plus 6. During his three and a half years in the Army, he was awarded five Battle Stars, a Bronze Star and a Cluster.

After his military service, Glass rejoined the Highway Patrol in Beaumont and later returned to Jacksonville, where he became a Texaco service station operator and Firestone tire salesman, along with brothers Moody and Orland Glass. Then, in 1968 he was called into public service when at the recommendation of local civic leaders Emerson Stone Sr. and Barney Broiles and Senators John Tower and Ralph Yarbrough, President Lyndon Johnson appointed him Postmaster of Jacksonville, a position which he held until his retirement in 2004.

In addition to his commitment to the United States Post Office, Glass continued his affiliation with Texaco, operating service stations and a petroleum-products distributorship, Glass Oil Company, which he continued to run until his death.

Mr. Glass was a long-time member of First Baptist Church of Jacksonville and participated in the Rotary Club. He was also a Mason.

Mr. Glass was preceded in death by siblings Elmo Glass, W.W. (Webster) Glass, Everett Glass, Hassie Gresham, Moody Glass, Dan Glass, Hubert Glass, Orland Glass, Becky Mayfield and J.M. Glass.

Survivors include his wife Berniece; son and daughterin-law Jerry and Vicki Glass of Ft. Worth; daughters and sons-in-law Judy and Byron Moore of Tyler, Terri and Royce Fletcher of Jacksonville, Jill and Edward Starling of Rusk; grandchildren Amanda Glass-D’Oro, Jason Glass, Byron Brandon Moore, Nicole Fletcher and Austin Moore; and surviving siblings Ernest Glass and wife Alice, Beulah Creekmur and husband Cruz, Paul Glass and wife Margaret, Jimmy Glass and wife Frances, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Pallbearers were Jason Glass, Byron Brandon Moore, Austin Moore, Brent Glass, Paul Glass, Butch Bateman, Ricardo D’Oro and Cody Smith.

Memorials may be made to Jacksonville College (Mr. Glass’ alma mater), 105 B.J. Albritton Dr., Jacksonville, TX 75766, First Baptist Church, 210 Philips St., Jacksonville, TX 75766 or to the charity of one’s choice.

John Henry Baker

Pastor John Henry Baker, 76, Frankston entrepreneur and long-time minister at Spiritual Temple Church of God in Christ, died Tuesday, Jan. 16, in a Jacksonville Nursing Home.

Services were scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 20, at the Faith Temple Pentecostal Church at Highway 155 and Anderson Country Road 3115 in Frankston. Officiating were to be Bishop David R. Houston of Tyler and his son, Pastor Johnny Baker of Frankston. Burial was to be in Mount Olive Sandflat Cemetery in Frankston.

Mr. Baker was a life-long resident of Frankston who served 30 years as a local minister. He was a plumbing contractor who built and worked on many of the homes in the Frankston community.

Survivors include five sons, Rev. Bennie Baker of Tyler, Rev. Johnny Baker of Frankston, Joe Baker of Jacksonville, Thomas Baker of Tyler and Samuel Baker of Jacksonville; three daughters, Pamela Dennis, Rhonda Coleman and Pauline Baker, all of Jacksonville; 36 grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Johnnie Fay Baker, and one son, Larry Charles Baker.

Lela Hines

Funeral services for Lela Terry Hines, 89, of Lubbock were held Monday, January 22 at Resthaven Abbey Chapel, Lubbock with Dale Mannon and Fred Maxcey offi ciating under direction of Resthaven Funeral Home, Lubbock. Burial was in Resthaven Memorial Park, Lubbock.

Mrs. Hines was born April 21, 1917 in Anderson County to the late William and Rosie (Beard) Rogers. She married Howard Hines on September 1, 1932 in Tyler. He preceded her in death August 24, 1995. They made their home in Frankston until Mr. Hines’ retirement in 1985. At that time, they moved to Lubbock to be near their children.

She was a member of the Church of Christ and taught Sunday School classes in her younger years. Currently, she was a member of Greenlawn Church of Christ and the Ladies’ Bible Class there.

Survivors include sons and daughter-in-law Terry and Jean Hines, and Steve Hines, all of Lubbock; grandchildren Kenneth Hines and his wife Angie, Tammy Brookover and Kerri Greer, and a number of local relatives.

Memorials may be made to Greenlawn Church of Christ or the American Diabetes Association, 8008 Slide Road, Lubbock, TX 79242.

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