James Dorval Beaty, age 72 of McKinney, Texas passed away on March 2, 2023. James was born in Ralls, Texas August 21, 1950 to Dorval and Virginia (Mae) Beaty. James grew up in Lorenzo, Texas where he graduated high school in 1968. He moved to Ft. Walton Beach, Florida and attended Okaloosa Walton Jr. College. James was preceded in death by his father and son, Christen. He was the oldest of eight brothers and sisters, Jerry, Julie, Jeana, Janet, Joann, Jalyn, and Jerel. He is survived by granddaughters Aurora and Ceci of Alaska. As an adolescent, James worked on the family farm where the irrigation ditch doubled as a swimming pool, played high school basketball, and had an infectious laughter that brought a lot of joy to those around him. While in Clearwater, Florida, James was a manager in the thriving hospitality industry and enjoyed boating with friends. Upon returning to Texas, he continued working in the hotel business and enjoyed spending quality time with family and friends. James’ final contribution was donating his remains to UT Southwestern Medical Center, where donations can be made in his name. A family graveside memorial service will be held at a later date.
Carlos Rodriguez, age 69, of Devine, Texas, went to be with his Lord and Savior on Friday, March 3, 2023, in San Antonio, Texas. He was born on November 4, 1953, to parents Jesus and Lidia C. Rodriguez in Devine, Texas. Carlos is preceded in death by his parents, brother Jesus Rodriguez, Jr. He is survived by his sons, Johnny Rodriguez and wife, Michelle, Jimmy Rodriguez, and Mary; grandchildren, Samantha, Isabella, Christian, Christopher, Ellena, and Sebastian; sisters, Eluteria Rivera, Demetria Sosa; numerous nephews, nieces, and friends. Visitation will be held Thursday, March 9, 2023, from 5:00 P.M. until 9:00 P.M. with a Rosary to be recited at 7:00 P.M. Primrose Funeral Services Chapel, Devine, Texas. Funeral Service will be held on Friday, March 10, 2023, at 10:00 A.M. Primrose Funeral Services Chapel, Devine, Texas, with interment to follow at St. Joseph’s Catholic cemetery. If you wish to offer a word of condolences to the family or share a memory you may do so by visiting www.primrosefuneralservices.com. Arrangements are under the direction of Primrose Funeral Services in Devine, Texas.
Steve Jett, October 7, 1934 – February 21, 2023, passed away on February 21, 2023, at the age of 88. He was born in San Antonio, Texas, on October 7, 1934, to parents John Jett and Matiana Casias. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Barbara Ann Jett, brothers John Jett and Alfred Jett, sisters Cora Mc Colley, Esther Cavazos and Hazel Ochs. He is survived by son Steven Jett, nieces Ella Gatchell, Laura Ochs, Sandra Ochs, Cathy Ochs, Patricia Rose, nephew Ben Cass and numerous other relatives and friends. Steve joined the Air Force at the age of 17 and served in Korea. Upon leaving the Air Force, he worked in civil service at Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio until his retirement in 1987. His late wife Barbara was an avid equestrian, and he joined her for trail drives until her death in 1981. He enjoyed fishing as well as deer hunting in south Texas brush country. He also enjoyed living and working on his small ranch near Devine. Services will be held on March 16, 2023, at Primrose Funeral Services in Devine, Texas. Visitation will begin at 2:00 P.M., followed by a memorial service at 3:00 P.M. There will be a reception following the memorial service at a nearby venue. The location will be announced at the service. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to a charity of your choice or the Optimist Service Fund care of the Optimist Club of San Antonio.
Ronald Domingo Rodriguez, Sr., born November 15, 1959 went to be with the Lord on February 14, 2023. Ronnie “Freebird” was a beloved father, brother, grandfather, uncle and friend to everyone. He was survived by his 3 sons Ronnie Rodriquez, Rudy Rodriguez, and Jesse Rodriguez, 8 grandchildren, and a million brothers and a million sisters. Ronnie was from Natalia but raised his family in Devine, Texas. He was an Army veteran (served overseas), Dallas Cowboys fan, free spirited & loved by all his family and friends. He also enjoyed a cold Busch at the end of the day. He will be proceeded to death with a Military Honors Burial at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, 1520 Harry Wurzbach Rd, San Antonio, Texas 78201, Shelter #1 on Friday, March 3rd, 2023 at 10 am.
Linda Ann (Wingate) Stanton, 76, of Devine, Texas, passed away February 26, 2023, surrounded by her family. She was born in Pearsall, Texas, to JW and Delma (Perry) Wingate on January 3, 1947, and was the oldest of four sisters. Linda met her husband, Robert Stanton, when they were juniors in high school and were married on May 31, 1968, in Devine. Linda graduated from Devine High School in 1965 then proceeded to work and put herself through college over the next few years. She began teaching in Devine on an emergency certification in 1968. Linda graduated from Southwest Texas State University in 1972 with a BS in Education and went on to earn her Master’s in Education from Sul Ross University in 1980. Linda began her career teaching 8th grade English in 1968. In 1984, she started in administration, becoming the assistant principal for both the elementary and junior high schools in Devine. She soon found her home as principal of Devine Elementary where she served for over 20 years. When Linda “retired”, she had served over 40 years as an educator. Consequently, Linda was only able to stay retired for about a year or two, returning to substitute for several years before taking a position as an assistant at DEAP until the summer of 2020. She was a woman of tremendous impact who touched thousands of lives. Linda was born to teach, and then lead and mentor teachers. She was a fierce advocate for education and educators, and a tireless voice for the voiceless. She was often known to buy shoes for her students or give away her own children’s clothes to her school’s families in need. Linda was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. She was proud of her children and delighted in her grandchildren, who affectionately called her ‘Honey’. She tried to be present for every event she possibly could be for those she loved. Linda loved to travel, and she and Robert traveled all over the US, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, the Caribbean and much of Europe, but her favorite place in the whole world was Port Aransas, Texas. She wasn’t a swimmer, but she loved to be near the water and would spend her beach days reading. Linda is preceded in death by her parents JW and Delma Wingate and her youngest sister, Frances Durisseau. She is survived by her loving husband of nearly 55 years, Robert, and her children, daughters Pagette Callender (husband, Wayne) and Blythe Cone (husband, Jerome), and sons Shane and Ronnie. She will be forever remembered by her grandchildren Hudson (23), Carson (20), Jakob (18), Braylon (17), Sasha (17), Skylar (12), and Elliot (11), and her sisters Mildred Jemeyson and Phyllis Cowherd. Linda will be remembered with a celebration of life/memorial service on Saturday, March 11 at 10:30am at First Baptist Church in Devine, Texas. All are welcome to attend. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Devine Dollars for Scholars: 2330 St. HWY. 173, Devine, TX 78016.
Ronald Domingo Rodriguez Sr. Born November 15, 1959 went to be with the Lord on February 14, 2023. Ronnie “Freebird” was a beloved father, brother, grandfather, uncle and friend to everyone.
He is survived by his three sons Ronnie Rodriquez, Rudy Rodriguez, and Jesse Rodriguez, 8 grandchildren, and a million brothers and a million sisters.
Ronnie was from Natalia but raised his family in Devine, Texas. He was an Army veteran ( served overseas) , Dallas Cowboys fan, free spirited & loved by all his family and friends. He also enjoyed a cold drink at the end of the day!
His life will be celebrated with a Military Honors Burial at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery , 1520 Harry Wurzbach Rd, San Antonio, Texas 78201, Shelter #1 on Friday March 3rd, 2023 at 10 am.
Two months into 2023 and no rain to speak of…only 1.5 inches and only 1.8 inches since November 25, 2022. Seems we also had a shortage of good winter weather. My lone mesquite tree (that Mike Barrera wondered why I kept) has green buds on it now. Usually, this means that winter is over but, according to Phil McAnelly, they been wrong before. Spoke with an old-school, retired DPS Trooper (Nap Herrera) the other day and the word “reform” came up. But not in the way that today’s liberal lead society uses the word. I remember the term “Reform School” referring to a place to send kids that refused to abide by society’s rules and laws. Never wanted to go there even though me and a couple others danced close to the edge a lot. Had enough common sense to know that if you do A, then you get B. Found that out with the Mailbox crew and Judge Oak Williams. Now we have students running the schools and their parents defending their belligerent, borderline criminal actions because the schools have no right to discipline their little angels. They have reformed the Public School System but, not in a good way. I remember that teachers could fail students for not making the required grade to proceed to the next level. Not now…the problems are just “placed” through the system whether they learn anything or not. I recall that once upon a time, if a student failed to make the grades in High School and they were of age, the Principal would send their names to the Draft Board. When a teacher screws up, rather than proceed with criminal charges or other disciplinary actions, said teacher goes to another school but does not have to reveal their past nor can the school tell the new school the reasons that they left. I know of one instance and that is too many. I have 4 family members in the Education field and am told that this happens frequently. (We have some excellent educators in our school system.) Parents should be responsible for basic education such as manners, respect for others, hygiene, the need to follow rules and the consequences for not complying with rules. Let the teachers teach and discipline when needed. Right now, seems that School is a baby-sitting service. Enough ranting about our Public Education System. I’ll save Law Enforcement for later. Pct 4 Commissioner Lawler and crew are in the process of re-constructing CR 777 from IH 35 to CR 7711…looks great and well needed. Pray a little harder for rain…Medina Lake is way down and seems the rivers and creeks have quit flowing.
Lytle P.D. activity from last week …. Officers responded to 60 calls for police service and conducted 85 traffic stops. Those traffic stops resulted in 73 citations and 12 warnings. We had only one incident that resulted in arrests; A traffic stop on Main St. by Ofc. John Cortez (assisted by Ofc. S. Pena) sent one person to the Atascosa Co. Jail for possession of cocaine and unlawfully carrying a weapon, and two other occupants received citations for possession of drug paraphernalia. Officers responded to three reports of property crimes: #1 – The Stripes C-Store construction site was the location of a burglary. A total of 8 large televisions, which were to be used as menu boards, were taken. A value hasn’t been provided. #2 – Two units at the Lytle Loft Storage Units (FM 2790E) were broken into. An assortment of items was taken, including various appliances. The value of the loss on one unit was approx. $13,000. We don’t have details on the second unit yet. #3 – A complainant reported that their vehicle was “keyed” at H.E.B. Congratulations are for the Lady Pirates being named Regional Semi-final Champs for this year’s basketball season. I know we have a good team when we do a lot of escorting them in and out of town and we did a lot of escorting this year! The city currently is accepting applications for an Animal Control Officer and a Public Works Water Laborer. Applications will be accepted up until 5 PM on March 6. Check out our website (www.lytletx.org) for more information. Now is a great time to join our team of dedicated public servants, which include people like me. I haven’t been around the office much the last three weeks; I took some vacation. I didn’t travel extremely far, I signed on to work as an off-duty peace officer at the rodeo in San Antonio. Every year they hire several hundred off-duty peace officers from all over the area to provide police service to their awesome event. I worked the night shift (Mid-8 AM) for 20 days straight and avoided all the big crowds. I did see trailer after trailer of pigs, goats, cattle, etc. I was impressed by all the Ag Mechanic projects too. I was told I would get to meet a lot of people and it would be a lot of fun. Well, mostly I met Mr. Cold almost every night and Mrs. Rain was there for a few days too. I wouldn’t say it was “fun”, but it was better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.
Marlene Dyer Wells, 85 of Austin Texas, went to be with the Lord, joining her husband, Fred, February 24, 2023, after a short but fierce battle with Leukemia. Marlene lived a beautiful and robust life. An independent woman of faith, she provided guidance, care, and love to her children and grandchildren; and a life of love to her husband and friendship with those close to her. Her husband Fred adored her and together they taught their children, Sharon and Cindy, integrity, loyalty and compassion, encouraging them with the confidence necessary to pursue life with passion. Marlene was born May 29, 1937, in Bellville, Yell County, Arkansas to Gibbs Marvin Dyer and Edna Palestine Buckman Dyer. The family moved to Carlsbad, New Mexico in 1943 where her father found employment in the potash mines. Marlene’s zest for life, friendly and engaging nature resulted in forming many childhood friends that ended up being lifelong friends. Growing up with three brothers and a sister, her life was somewhat modest but full of faith and love of her family. After high school, Marlene married the love of her life, Fred Wells, on September 3, 1955, and started their life together in Texas. They welcomed daughters Sharon and Cindy, and eventually four grandchildren in whom they took great pride and spent time with whenever possible. Marlene always relied on her faith in Christ to see her way through life’s obstacles including polio, two bouts of cancer, and a debilitating stroke. This positive approach to life became the setting to provide an example for her daughters and grandchildren. To no surprise, she recently said, “I’ve had a happy life”. Her grandchildren will tell you she was the “best grandmother” who supplied all the sugar cereals a child could consume! She leaves behind a legacy with her family on how to live life. Marlene is survived by her daughters Sharon Wells Lott and husband Jerry Lott, and Cindy Wells McCarthy and husband Mitch McCarthy, grandchildren: Rachel Guevara and husband Henry Guevara, Allyson Lutz, Colter Lutz and Jacob McCarthy, her brothers: Tommy Dyer and Don Dyer, and many loving nieces, nephews, extended family, and friends. She will be greatly missed, but as she recently told us, “you’ll get over it”. We won’t get over it, but we choose to move on with her positive outlook. She is preceded in death by her loving husband, Fred, parents Marvin & Pally Dyer, a brother, Joe Dyer and her sister, Rebecca Stringer. The family would like to extend our deepest thanks and gratitude to the compassionate care providers who were wonderful and attentive to our mom from Cedar Pointe Health and Wellness in Cedar Park and Altus Hospice. A celebration of life is scheduled for March 25, 2023, 11:00 am at Walnut Creek Baptist Church at 12062 N. Lamar, Austin, TX. Marlene will be laid to rest next to her husband at the Montell Cemetery, Montell, TX at a later date in a private service. In lieu of flowers, Marlene suggested memorial donations be made to any of the following: Swan Songs Musical Last Wishes: https://www.swansongs.org/; Walnut Creek Baptist Church, https://www.walnutcreekbc.org; Texas Choral Directors Association: https://www.tcda.net; The Carrie Tingley Hospital Foundation: https://carrietingleyhospitalfoundation.org.
Sandra Martinez Alvarez age 52 of Devine, Texas entered eternal rest on Thursday, February 23, 2023, in San Antonio, Texas. She was born on March 16, 1970, to parents, Ramiro and Anna Martinez in Pearsall, Texas. She is preceded in death by her stepfather Lazaro Martinez, Aunt Isabell Esquibel, Uncle Lupe Martinez, and Grandparents Juan and Lucia Chapa, Lupe and Maria Martinez. Sandra is survived by her father Ramiro Martinez, Mother Anna M. Martinez; first husband, Mariano Alvarez; partner Bernard Garcia; sons, Jose Rizo, Mariano T. Alvarez, Charles Alvarez; granddaughter Sophia Rizo; sisters April Casas and July Martinez; brothers Joey Martinez, Jason Martinez, Josh Martinez, Jonathan Martinez, Gabriel Martinez Enrique Martinez; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, 5:00 P.M. until 9:00 P.M. with a Rosary recited at 7:00 P.M. Primrose Funeral Services Chapel, Devine, Texas. Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, 10:00 A.M. St. Joseph’s Catholic Church with interment to follow at St. Joseph’s Catholic cemetery. Anyone wishing to leave condolences, share memories, or sign the online guestbook may do so at www.primrosefuneralservices.com
