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.)

Howard Alvin Coleman

Funeral services for Howard Alvin Coleman, 96, of Palestine, formerly of Frankston will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 6 at Thompson Funeral Home Chapel in Frankston with the Rev. George Folmar officiating.

Burial will be at Frankston City Cemetery.

Mr. Coleman died Monday, Oct. 1, 2007 at his residence.

He was born Feb. 17, 1911 in Urania, La. He was a retired production foreman of Placid Oil Co.

in Frankston where he worked for 42 years.

He was a founding member of the Eastern Star and was a member of the Masonic Lodge in Frankston.

Mr. Coleman was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, Myrtle Coleman, his daughter, Carolyn Coleman Dishman, five brothers and a sister.

He is survived by his daughters, Kathryn Bell and husband Clarence of Palestine and Glenda Frazier of Palestine; seven grandchildren, Rhonda Karen Bell of Palestine, Jerry Bell Wallace of Palestine, Terry Bell Pefuhl of Dallas, Don Russell Bell of Palestine, Kyle D. Frazier of Splendora, Debra Seacrist of Lubbock and Ernest Howard Dishman of Lubbock; several great grandchildren, several great great grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5 at Thompson Funeral Home in Frankston.

Elizabeth ‘Coot’ Cole

Services for Elizabeth “Coot” Pipes Cole of Arnold, Mo. were held Monday, Oct. 1 at Kutis South County Chapel.

Burial was in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, Mo.

Mrs. Cole died Sept. 26, 2007. She was born in Frankston on Sept. 9, 1923 to the late Tom and Luna Pipes of Frankston.

She was preceded in death by two brothers, Roy Lee Pipes, John T. “Buster” Pipes; two sisters, Alice “Sis” Pipes and Jackie Pipes Smith.

Survivors include her husband, Maj. Travis T. Cole, USAF (Ret.) of Arnold; daughter, Linda Cole of Kansas City; son, Thomas Cole of Fairbanks, Alaska; grandchildren, Bryan and Jamie Cole and three great grandchildren.

Jack Edward Smith, Jr.

Funeral services for Jack Edward Smith, Jr. 51, of Frankston were held on Friday, Oct. 5, 2007 at Assembly of God, Frankston with the Rev. J.A. Griffin officiating.

Burial will be at Liberty Hill Cemetery in Frankston.

Mr. Smith died Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2007 in Tyler.

He was born Oct. 13, 1955 in Jacksonville.

Mr. Smith worked as an electrician and lineman for 21 years.

He was a member of the Assembly of God Church in Frankston.

Mr. Smith is survived by his parents, Jack Edward Smith, Sr. and Bobbie Smith of Frankston; brother, Reggie Smith of Lake Palestine; sisters, Gloria Barnes of Frankston and Rebecca Brown of Frankston, Donna Townsend and Martha Lange both of Garland; nine nieces and nephews; and nine great nieces and nephews.

Pallbearers were Britt Bacon, Rhett Lange, Ted Wallace, Nathan Jones, Daryl Risley and Cameron Townsend.

Alma Jean ‘Jeannie’ Thornton

Memorial services for Alma Jean “Jeannie” Thornton, 82, will be held on Saturday, Oct. 20, at 11 a.m. at Victory Baptist Church in Seagoville.

Mrs. Thornton passed away on Oct. 8, 2007 after a long battle with cancer.

She was born on July 11, 1925 in Monongahela, Penn. and graduated from Trinity High School in Washington, Penn. in 1945.

She was a veteran of the Women’s Army Corp and retired from Lorain Products in Lorain, Ohio.

Mrs. Thornton is survived by her son, Phil DeChant and his wife, Barbara of Seagoville; her son, Sam DeChant and his wife, Chris of Poynor; her stepdaughter, Donna Noall and her husband, Gary of Eastlake, Ohio; her stepdaughter, Judy Nephan and her husband, Lou of Mayfield Heights, Ohio; her brother, Sam Cole and his wife, Judy of Avon Lake, Ohio; her sister, Teresa Cole of Texas; 10 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews and friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband of ten years, Bill Thornton; her parents, William Edgar and Sara Cole; brothers, Bob and Bill; and sisters Dolly and Bonnie.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Victory Baptist Church, 2200 Ferrell Drive, Seagoville, Texas 75159 or the American Cancer Society.

Robert Ellis Jones

Robert Ellis Jones, retired U.S. Army Colonel, 90, passed away Thursday, Sept. 13, 2007, at his home in Clarksville, Tenn.

A Celebration of Life memorial graveside service with military honors will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 27 at the Poynor Cemetery with the Rev. Roland Alsobrook officiating under direction of Thompson Funeral Home, Frankston.

Robert E. “Bob” Jones was born in Montreal, Canada July l9, 1917. Upon his parents’ deaths, he was adopted and reared by a military doctor’s family in Arizona. After graduating high school, Bob served with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) by surveying the wilderness areas of northern New Mexico on horseback. He began his military career that Fall as a private in a New Mexico National Guard cavalry unit. He credited his primary job of ‘mucking out’ the horse and mule stalls with motivating him to go to college. Bob graduated from New Mexico A & M (State College) in May of 1939 with a commission of 2nd Lieutenant of Infantry. He was now Lt. Robert E. Jones of the Reserve Forces of the United States, on the eve of World War II.

While at New Mexico State he met and married Dorothy Milner, daughter of T.O. and Flora Milner of Poynor. They came to Poynor in the summer of l939. Their daughter, Reta, was born that August and Bob became a teacher at LaPoynor School. Armed with advice from his father-in-law and a minor degree in animal husbandry, he decided to raise tomatoes. After planting the same crop three times (losing it to hail and etc.) he commented “Well...I didn’t like teaching and wasn’t any good at farming, so I decided I’d better go into the army!”

Robert E. “Bob” Jones served 33 years active duty in three wars and various assignments around the world, achieving the rank of colonel. He was decorated for valor, merit and service more than two dozen times by the United States and by five other nations. He made his first parachute jump in 1942 and his 200th (and last) parachute jump just prior to his retirement in 1973. Bob continued his public service through many military and community pursuits. Details of his illustrious military and civilian service may be found at www.memorialfuneralhomeandcemetery.com, where tributes may be left.

We who knew him as ‘family’ called him Bob, Daddy, Granddad, Uncle Bobby, Great Granddaddy (or Colonel Daddy Bob Sir!). We were blessed by his presence this past July at the annual Milner Reunion in Poynor and honored him for his 90th birthday. We thanked him for his influence in all our lives and thanked him also for his many years of service to our country. He seldom missed a reunion unless it was for a special reunion of his comrades- in-arms in Europe. He was a very quiet and modest man, a gentleman. He furnished the fireworks every year for our July 4th family reunion and then sat back and enjoyed watching others (especially the children) enjoy the light show. Being the soldier he was, he would gather the young people around afterward to ‘police’ the area.

In 2004, Bob donated land to the city of Poynor where the current VFD is now located and later he donated funds for a flagpole and beautiful landscaping to compliment the VFD. A monument was placed at the base of the flagpole to honor his father- and mother-in-law.

Bob is survived by his daughter, Reta Nicholson and husband Donald of Columbia, Mo.; stepson William N. Weems and companion Linda Bowles of Clarksville, Tenn.; sister Elisabeth Oakberg of Oak Ridge, Tenn.; and brother Raymond Peterson of Sequim, Wash.

Other survivors include grandchildren J.R. Robinson of Columbia, Mo.; Karen Robinson Rivera and husband Greg of Leavenworth, Kan.; Sonya Nicholson and husband David Adams, and Kurtis Nicholson of Columbia, Mo. Great-grandchildren surviving are Laura Talbert, husband Alonzo and their children Jonathan, Erin, Sydney and Andrew of Camp LeJeune, NC; Sarah Robinson, husband Scotty Kunefke and daughter Hattie of Kansas City, Mo.; Austin Robinson and Lauren Robinson of Merriam, Kan.; and Isaac Adams of Columbia, Mo., Greg and Chad Rivera of Leavenworth, Kan.

Also surviving are sister-in-law Ruby Grayson and her husband Lloyd of Poynor; sister-in-law Lois Atchison of Poynor; and sister-in-law Adelaide Milner of Frankston. Additional survivors include many loving nieces, nephews, their spouses and children in Texas, Tennessee and Washington, plus many friends and their families locally and across the world.

A very special survivor is Bob’s longtime companion Alice Goodrich of Clarksville, Tenn., whose loving family became his.

Bob was preceded in death by wife Dorothy Milner Jones of Poynor, in 1957, and wife Martha Edmondson Weems Jones of Clarksville, Tenn., in 1987; sisters Reta Johnston, Muriel Sipe and Lois Piazza, and brother Jack Peterson, all of California. He was also preceded by father- and motherin- law, T.O. and Flora Milner of Poynor; brother- and sister-in-law Darrel and Iris Milner of Hemphill; brother-in-law Raymond Milner of Frankston; brother-in-law Elzie Holliman of Houston; brother-in-law Chet Murray of Hemphill; brother-in-law Brewer Atchison of Houston; niece Robyn Milner Blain of Beaumont; nephew Joel Milner of Houston, and greatnephew Kevin Grayson of Poynor.

Visitation will be from 1:00 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. in the Annex Building at the LaPoynor Church of Christ prior to the 2:00 p.m. service at the Poynor Cemetery. The family would like to invite everyone who wishes to attend.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to FCHFWings of Liberty Military Museum, P.O. Box 2133, Fort Campbell, Ky., 42223.

T. L. Beard

Funeral services for T.L. Beard, 84, of Frankston were held Tuesday, Oct. 23, at the United Methodist Church of Frankston with Doug Howell, Grover Talbert and J.A. Griffin officiating.

Burial followed at the Frankston City Cemetery. Services were under direction of Thompson Funeral Home.

Mr. Beard died Oct. 20, 2007.

He was born March 30, 1923 in the Sand Flat Community in Anderson County. He was the first of eight children born to Alex and Winnie Beard. He attended Frankston High School where he was awarded the Jeff Austin Award.

Mr. Beard was the vice president of Reading and Bates. Following retirement, he served 16 years as County Commissioner of Precinct 3 in Anderson County.

He was a member of the United Methodist Church of Frankston.

Mr. Beard served in the U.S. Army and served in WW II where he earned a Purple Heart. After his military service, he married Billye Dove Moren in 1946, and they traveled the world with his career in the oil and pipeline industry.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Alex Beard, his wife of 52 years, Billye Dove Moren, brothers, Billy Jack (Blue) and T.E. (Pete).

Mr. Beard is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, Suzetta Beard Smith and David Smith; a brother and sister-in-law, D.A. (Doodle) and Betty Beard of Frankston; sisters, Novalene Burris, Betty Reese both of Dallas and Mary Randall of Cash; sister and brother-in-law, Gladys and Bill Overton of Bullard; sisters-in-law, Jenita Johnson, Beverly Beard and Frances Beard all of Frankston; granddaughters and grandsons-in-law, Missye and Lee Ward of Murphy and Nicci and Trent Cook of Frankston; great grandchildren, Kelsey, Brooke and Jackson Ward of Murphy and Emily and Jared Cook of Frankston.

Pallbearers were Mr. Beard’s nephews.

Honorary pallbearers were Billy Bacon, Jerry Beard, Jerry Boles, Mike Cook, Robert Loper, Joey Maxwell, Bo Ousley, Herbert Riley and Anderson County Precinct 3 employees during Mr. Beard’s term of service.

The family would like to thank Ms. Lita Cook for her friendship and support.

Mr. Beard will be missed by all who knew and loved him.

Wilburn B. Smith

Funeral services for Wilburn B. Smith, 81, of Frankston, were scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 23 at Hilltop Baptist Church with the Rev. George Folmar and the Rev. Shane Morgan officiating under direction of Thompson Funeral Home.

Burial was to follow in Wofford Cemetery.

Mr. Smith died Oct. 21, 2007 in Tyler.

He was born Jan. 19, 1926 in Chandler.

Mr. Smith worked as a set-up man for the box factory and was a member of Hilltop Baptist.

He is survived by his brothers, Farris Smith and O’Neal Smith of Frankston and James Robert Smith of Houston and numerous nieces and nephews.

Robert Ellis Jones

A Celebration of Life memorial graveside service with military honors will be held for Robert Ellis Jones at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, at the Poynor Cemetery with the Rev. Roland Alsobrook officiating.

Col. Jones passed away Thursday, Sept. 13 at his home in Clarksville, Tenn.

Visitation will be from 1 to 1:45 p.m. in the Annex Building at the LaPoynor Church of Christ prior to the 2 p.m. service at the cemetery.

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