The Eulogies

Good morning. Uncle Larry prepared a few thoughts and asked me to share them with you.

Letitia and I have lived and loved with so many special moments in our love of more than 44 years since July 11, 1961. She was such a special gift from God to me that I want to praise His name through her while I share just a smidgeon of those highlights—love that we talked and prayed about in our final hours of special time together; we then prayed together of God’s boundless gifts to us as man and wife and the release of her earthly body to join her heavenly friends and receive the rapture of God’s open arms.

One of those special memories track to high school days—holding hands every morning in the bleachers and avoiding the scrutiny of watchful eyes. I told her that these minutes are etched in my mind forever because I was the proudest person on earth. I had touched the top of the world just to be with her.

I remember well the time I called her for our first date, and I was so shy that I hid in a friend’s closet. All I could hear from my end was Letitia asking her Mom about a date to the movies and her Mom asking back, “Is he one of those boys from Boling?” I knew I was in for trouble.

On another occasion we had decided that the time was at hand for a marriage arrangement, so we approached Pa and Ma about their permission. Her Mom spoke to her directly, “Are you pregnant?” And I told her that Letitia was God’s Angel and of Pure Gold—I would never violate her sanctity. She was worth more to me than money and jewels could ever buy, nor any earthly wealth.

We then promised to join hands again when God decided that the time is right for us to rejoin our hands together once more.

PRAISE BE TO GOD for her boundless love for me, her family, and her friends, and the many lives she touched through her 32 years as an English teacher.

Now I’d like to close with a few of my favorite memories.

“Aunt Tisha is here! Aunt Tisha is here!” I announced as soon as she and Uncle Larry pulled into our driveway each Christmas morning, their arms filled with goodies. We pigged out on Mom’s seafood feast, all the while jockeying for the two coveted seats next to Aunt Tisha. Two sides, three kids, you do the math! We opened gifts and enjoyed whatever amazing dessert she brought that year. Her chocolate covered peanuts were the best!

Aunt Tisha spent the afternoon shooting or riding with Matthew and Mark. BB guns, to .22s, to .410s; go-carts, to four-wheelers, to four-wheel drives. She was always willing to join in the fun. Anytime she visited we showed her everything from awards, to report cards, to a newly pulled tooth. She listened with utmost patience, and I talked her ear off that’s for sure! The best was the year Dad and the boys were all packed to leave to go hunting and Matthew and Mark informed her, “As soon as you leave we can go to the deer lease!”

The most special times were visiting them in Sugar Land, especially at Christmastime, packing two weeks in advance. We’d go to Astroworld in the summers, listening to 104 KRBE on the way. That made her the coolest aunt in the world in my book. I saw my first naked statue at a Houston museum thanks to them. That was an experience! They exposed me to cultural experiences not available in tiny Van Vleck. She helped me see that there was a world beyond my front door.

We grew up getting souvenirs and looking at pictures from their European trips, which inspired me to see it for myself. She and I exchanged tons of e-mails and phone calls before we left, helping me get organized so that Lorne and I could get the most out of our adventure. We shared a love of planning and list making and this was a perfect time for both. She bought me a blank journal (always the English teacher) and I cherish the memories. She said she felt like she’d gone on our trip with us. We, and especially our backs, thank her since we only had two carry-ons for our two-week trip. She was so proud. When we returned she looked at all of OUR pictures and never let on that she’d been to those same places dozens of times.

She may have never had children of her own, but she devoted her life to the students of Fort Bend ISD. She lived a life in service to others. Her influence will be felt for generations to come. She also fostered education’s importance in all three of us. Because of her, I also became an English teacher. I never saw myself in education, but she encouraged me.

One of her happiest moments was when our son Sawyer was born. I named her an honorary grandmother and she took her title very seriously. She signed her e-mails “GAT” for Great-Aunt Tisha. She shopped for months prior to his arrival, snatching up everything relating to jungle animals, the theme of his nursery.

I brought Sawyer in to see her Thursday afternoon. Her face lit up with recognition as she said, “There he is! Hi, Sawyer!” It was as if she were waiting to see him. He touched her face with his chubby baby hands. It was a miraculous sight and a memory I will forever cherish. Rest assured that little boy will know just how much she loved him, as should everyone here this morning. I am at peace knowing God himself is now announcing, “Aunt Tisha is here! Aunt Tisha is here!”