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Wednesday, December 10, 2008

My Momma and Daddy


Mom's Eulogy read at the service:

Lois Aliene Decker Fox was born and lived nearly all of her life in Harlingen. She was third child of Winnie Vaughan and S. A. Decker. Her brothers are S. A. (Alex) Decker, Jr. and Richard Decker. Her sisters living are Dorotha Compton and Jeanie Swanson. Those passed are Marge Moncus and Barbara McCutchen.

Lois went to school and graduated valedictorian of the 1941 class at Stuart Place High School. After graduation, she worked and helped her mother. One day a friend brought a young man from the Army Air Force Base by her home to “meet those Decker girls”. Charles, a young soldier, sat on his bike at the end of the sidewalk while they visited on the porch. Lois got up and went to talk to him and that began their more than 60 year love.

Lois told of one date where they were walking along a canal bank. Charles picked her up and pretended he was going to throw her in. Well, he slipped and dropped her in that canal! When she saw his face, she knew she loved him.

It was during WWII when Charles asked Lois to marry him. On June 26th, 1944, she became Mrs. Charles C. Fox. As Charlie turned to kiss his bride, she fainted in his arms.

A year later, June 23, 1945, Lois gave birth to their firstborn, Charles Ellis, in South Dakota where Charlie was stationed. Three years later, October 11, 1948, her baby boy, James Neal, joined the family. In the following years, they bought a home on Cragon Road and lived their nearly 50 years raising their boys, cotton, oranges and grapefruit and then, their daughter, Linda Sue was born July 22, 1959.

In 2002, they sold their family farm and moved to town. Charlie went to heaven in 2004 and Lois stayed with us nearly four more years quietly loving us, quietly teaching us and quietly praying for us. Over the past 14 years she had health challenges, but never dwelled on herself. She loved the simple life she lived and loved the Lord with all her heart. Her children were loved and taught about God's love and salvation. The only worries she had were when she worried about a loved one and she handled that with prayer.

Lois never liked anyone to make a fuss over her, so she would be making a face about this eulogy. We will choose not to mourn her death, but to rejoice and celebrate the everlasting life she now has through Jesus Christ.