Twila Savage Herring, age 92, longtime resident of Devine, went to be with the Lord on May 8, 2026. She was born on March 1, 1934 at Indiahoma, Oklahoma to her parents R. E. and Dollie Mae Savage.
She graduated high school in 1951 and then went to business school in Fort Worth, Tx before returning back to Devine. That is where she met the love of her life Lawrence Herring. They married on September 14, 1952 and were married for 53 years until Lawrence’s passing in 2005.
During their life together they loved to travel mostly with their camper to the Frio River with family and friends.
They had two sons – Scott Herring (Sherry) of Devine and Todd Herring (Jennifer) of Holliday, Texas. Grandchildren – Wes Herring, Nicole Herring Suhr (Johnny), Maeley Herring Stroupe (Cal), Jack Herring (Mallie). Great grandchildren – Karma Herring, Lennon Herring, Carson Suhr, Caroline Suhr, Hallie June Herring and Layton Avis Stroupe.
Twila is preceded in death by her husband Lawrence Herring, parents R. E. and Dollie Mae Savage and four brothers, Howell, Tharon, Don and R. E Savage, Jr. She is survived by her sister Beulah Anderson and many nieces and nephews whom she loved very much.
Twila was baptized at a young age at First Baptist Church and was a devout Christian all her life. She served as WMU President, GA Leader, Sunday school teacher, was in the choir and was soloist for her church, also for weddings and funerals.
Twila began her working career as a teller for Medina Valley State Bank in 1952 until 1969 when her husband, who worked for Shell Oil Company in Bigfoot, Tx, was transferred to Karnes City Texas during the oil boom in that area. Twila began working for Karnes County National Bank in Karnes City in 1969 until 1977 when they moved back to Devine. In 1978 they opened Sears Catalog Store in Devine and in 1979 their son Scott joined them in the business. It was open until 1993 when Sears closed their catalog division in the United States. Twila took a little time off, but became a little bored staying home, so she went back to her favorite job as a teller at Medina Valley State Bank until her retirement in 2005.
She was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease around 2010, and in 2015 she moved in with Bonnie and Beulah Anderson until 2021 when she moved into an assisted living facility in Lytle. In 2022, she moved to Argent Court Assisted Living Facility in Jourdanton, which she loved very much. To make matters even better, her sister Beulah moved into Argent Court in 2023 and made her life better with her sister close by.
She went to church service at Argent Court every Sunday and knew all the songs by memory, even with her mind beginning to fail. She loved living even in limited condition. Her life at Argent Court was happy times but that is no surprise, her whole life was happy times.
She was ready to participate whether it was riding a float at the Cowboy Homecoming Parade or posing for Glamour Photos. She was loved by the Hospice Nurses, administrators and residents of Argent Court. When they saw her, they just had to give her a hug. She will be deeply missed, but we know she is with her Lord and Savior and all her loved ones and friends.
Pallbearers are Wes Herring, Jack Herring, Johnny Suhr, Carson Suhr, Dal Anderson, Wayde Anderson, Cal Stroupe, and Bill Bain.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at First Baptist Church Fellowship Hall located at 308 W. Hondo Ave. in Devine with visitation at 10 am and funeral services at 11 am. Interment will follow in Devine Evergreen Cemetery.
If you would like t make a donation in her honor please send to one of the following: Devine Dollars for Scholars, PO Box 77, Devine, TX 78016 or First Baptist Church, 308 W. Hondo Ave., Devine, TX 78016.
My Front Page
Mary Rose Pell
Mary Rose Pell, of Natalia, Texas, peacefully entered into eternal rest on May 5, 2026, at the remarkable age of 96. Born on January 1, 1930, in Poth, Texas, she was the beloved daughter of Charlie and Anna Hosek.
Mary’s life was a tapestry woven with love and warmth, her passions abundant and her kindness felt by all who knew her. She found joy intending to her garden, where each bloom reflected her nurturing spirit. A devoted waitress during her working years, she served not just meals, but also the genuine smiles and laughter. Her heart was also deeply intertwined with the community, as she dedicated her time to the local thrift store, always eager to help those in need.
She is survived by her daughter Linda Pell; grandchildren Brandon Pell, Mary Randall Michael, and Sheldon Pell; and great-granddaughter Camryn Michael, who will carry her spirit forward, embodying the love that Mary so generously shared.
She is preceded in death by her beloved husband, Henry C. Pell; son Darrell Pell, whom she loved dearly. She would drive for 14 hours to visit him in Atlanta, GA; parents; siblings William Hosek, Edward Hosek, Eugene Hosek, Lee Hosek, Charlie Hosek Jr., Melvin Hosek, Lillie Magel, Bessie Green, and Adella Krebs.
Mary was a long-time, faithful member of the Country Baptist Church in Natalia, TX, where she regularly attended church, bible study, and Women’s gatherings. She was also a volunteer for Vacation Bible Study. Mary Pell was known for her scrumptious meals, desserts, and baked goods, which she prepared for church dinners, special events, and funeral services.
In honor of Mary’s life, a visitation will be held at Primrose Funeral Services in Devine, Texas, on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, from 9:00 AM until the time of service at 10:00 AM. Following the service, her family and friends will meet at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, shelter #3, for a committal service at 1:30 PM, 1520 Harry Wurzbach Rd., San Antonio, Texas 78209.
Mary will be dearly missed but remains forever embraced in the hearts of those she touched.
Anyone wishing to leave condolences, share memories, or sign the online guestbook may do so by visiting www.primrosefuneralservices.com Arrangements are under the direction of Primrose Funeral Services, 303 W. College Ave., Devine, Texas 78016, (830) 663-4445.
State Bound!
Devine will be sending eight athletes to the State Track and Field meet in Austin at Mike A. Meyers stadium on Thursday, May 14. The eight athletes heading to State are: Karter Brown, Rowdy Esparza, Bo Wheeler, Alex Garcia-Castillo, Zach Guerra, Mikey Rodriguez, Ryan Weinkam and Rylie Wells. Esparza, Rodriguez, Weinkam, Guerra and Garcia-Castillo (altername) will be competeing in the 4×400 relay. Esparza will also be competing in the Long Jump event. Wheeler will be in the High Jump event, Brown will compete in Shot Put and Wells will be in the Triple Jump event. Pictured above is Mikey Rodriguez(right) preparing to hand the baton to Ryan Weinkam (left). Photo by Moose Lopez.
Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
The 2026 UIL State Track and Field Meet for Class 4A is Thursday, May 14th in Austin at Mike A. Myers Stadium. Gates open for admission at 7:00am.
Devine High School sends eight student-athletes as seven from the Warhorse side of things make the trip as does one Arabian.
Representing the boys side is Karter Brown, Rowdy Esparza, Bo Wheeler, Alex Garcia-Castillo, Zach Guerra, Mikey Rodriguez, and Ryan Weinkam while Rylie Wells is the sole representative for the Arabians.
Best of luck to all participants and their coaches!
Class 4A
Session #1
9:00am High Jump-Bo Wheeler, High Jump-G, Shot Put-G
9:30am 3200m-G
9:45am 3200m-B
10:30am Shot Put-Karter Brown
10:45am Long Jump-Rowdy Esparza, Long Jump-G
1:00pm Discus-G, Pole Vault-B
2:45pm Triple Jump-Rylie Wells
3:00pm Discus-B, Pole Vault-G
Session #2
5:00pm 400m Relay
5:20pm 800m Run
5:45pm 100/110m Hurdles
6:05pm 100m Dash
6:40pm 800m Relay
7:00pm 400m Dash-Rowdy Esparza
7:35pm 300m Hurdles
7:55pm 200m Dash
8:15pm 1600m Run
8:45pm 1600m Relay-Rowdy Esparza, Ryan Weinkam, Zach Guerra, Mikey Rodriguez, Alex Garcia-Castillo
Back-to-back Area Champs! Pirates take down Poth in series sweep
Pirate Devin Cordova put on a stellar performance in game one of the Area championship. The pitcher threw a no hitter in their 7-0 victory over Poth while racking up one hit, 2 RBIs and one double at the plate. Photo by Moose Lopez.
Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports Editor
Lytle baseball continues its historic run by taking down the Poth Pirates in two games for the Area Championship. Game one was a defensive battle until the fourth inning where Lytle got on the board first after an error by Poth. Lytle would capitalize on that momentum and tack on six more runs to win 7-0. The next game brought out the best in Poth. Faced with elimination…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!
Local Sports pages!
LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!
Editorial…“Thirsty” infastructure: Edwards Aquifer AA calls for regulation of DATA CENTER avalanche
Texas can continue to be a leader in innovation with “the right guardrails” in place
A report issued by the Edward’s Aquifer Alliance doesn’t water down the reality of the strain data centers have put on water, one of our most valuable resources. The group decided it was time “to dive into the exploding phenomenon of data centers and their impact on our water supplies,” said Executive Director Annalisa Peace in her opening remarks. After sifting through what she describes as an “avalanche of new information”, the report was issued this April.
Authors describe the advancements of artificial intelligence as “both scary and wonderful” in various ways as real researched facts and figures leave little room for watering down the dire need for regulation, and fast.
The authors also acknowledged that Texas can continue to be a leader in innovation with “the right guardrails” in place, and hope this research will help as officials in the Texas House and Senate “have both pledged to study data center issues in preparation for the 90th Legislative Session in 2027.”
Some of the highlights of the report…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!
Statebound!
Maverick Beaty
UIL- Congratulations to Luke Brown, who placed 1st overall in Current Issues & Events and Maverick Beaty, who placed 6th in Copy Editing at the UIL Regional contest! Both students have qualified for the UIL State Meet.
Luke, a sophomore at Devine High School, was also the Current Issues & Events District champion in 2025, his first year ever competing. This year, he not only takes district again, but he won the Sweepstakes at District, won first place individual at Regionals and placed third as a team. Luke loves politics and has big plans to be President one day! When asked about his UIL experience and major achievement, Luke had the following to say…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!
Luke Brown
Data center & power plant proposal said to be “largest investment in South Texas”
The proposed data center site sits on a 525 acre ranch about a half-mile south of Devine’s city limits on Hwy 132 (just a little ways past Burnt Boot and San Francisco Perez Creeks). The sale of the property is out of local leader’s hands. However, some of the things the City of Devine has power to decide include: #1- Will Devine annex the property and provide water/sewer to the site?
#2-If annexed, will the city offer tax breaks/ incentives, and for what in return? #3- What ordinances or policies would Devine put in place for developments of this type? Photo by KK Calame
City of Devine to consider annex providing water/sewer, tax breaks in future
By Kayleen Holder
Editor
The proposed data center coming in just south of the City of Devine near I-35 will be an 800 MegaWatt, with half of that power generated by natural gas and half of the power coming from its own on-site power plant. (It’s a good thing as that’s enough electricity to power as many as 200,000 homes by comparison at any given moment). In an interview this Monday, we learned a few interesting things about this project, which is rather unique in a few ways.
“There is a lot that we don’t know ourselves,” Mayor Cook said. “We have some of the same questions you do.”
Developer representatives (who haven’t disclosed the company’s name) have stated “this is going to be the largest one, the largest private investment in South Texas”, not in size, but money-wise.
Mayor Cook and City Administrator David Jordan emphasized that the city wants to get the information out to the public as soon as they can. They also acknowledge that the City has no say on deciding if a data center gets built here, or not. The land is in Medina County and it was sold to a data center company by a private individual.
“It’s not in the city. They want to be annexed for the water and the sewer, and they asked if we have the capacity to provide it,” Jordan said. “They are asking for a 2 inch meter [compared to another large business which has an 8” meter].”
“By the time the company came to us, they already knew they had a gas line running through the property and a transfer station on the property. They came to us to ask if we can provide water/sewer.”
The City of Devine is allotted 911 acre-feet of water from the Edward’s Aquifer. Last year, the city of Devine used about 183 million gallons of water out of its 296 million gallons normally allotted by the Edward’s Aquifer during non-drought times.
However, the City has been under Stage 4 pumping restrictions all summer…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!
Alsatian Pioneers Children of the Republic of Texas is back!
The Forgotten History of Mother’s Day
“There’s no way to be a perfect mother, and a million ways to be a good one.”
Jill Churchill
Mother’s Day is important. Celebrated in the U.S. on the second Sunday in May, it’s a day when we honor those brave women who have born us and blessed us with love beyond measure. Most don’t know how we came to mark this special holiday. It’s forgotten history that we need to remember…
Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis was born in Culpepper, Virginia in 1832, the daughter of a Methodist minister. In 1850, at the age of 18, she married Granville Jarvis, a merchant. During the course of their marriage, Jarvis bore eleven children. Only four survived. The others succumbed to a laundry list of diseases, among them typhoid fever, diphtheria, and measles. Sadly, the infant mortality rate in the 19th century was nearly 30%. Throughout Appalachia, childhood illness and death was common.
Ann Maria Jarvis was a dynamic and determined woman who decided to channel her grief productively and meet the needs of her community. She had an idea and launched Mother’s Day Work Clubs in several neighboring towns to improve health and sanitary conditions. These became part of a growing public health movement in the U.S. The clubs provided assistance and education to families in Appalachia, with the goal of reducing disease and infant mortality.
These Mother’s Day Clubs provided vital services to their communities. Before there were state requirements, they developed programs to inspect bottled milk and food. They raised money to buy medicine and to aid families with health problems. Members offered home visits to educate mothers about health and sanitation.
During the Civil War, western Virginia became a hotbed for conflict, with both northern and southern sympathizers living in the region. Jarvis’ Mother’s Day Work Clubs altered their mission to meet new demands brought about by the war. Jarvis pledged neutrality, providing aid and comfort to both Union and Confederate soldiers. They fed and clothed soldiers stationed in the area from both the North and the South. When measles and typhoid fever epidemics broke out, Jarvis and her club members nursed suffering soldiers from both sides.
After the Civil War ended, Jarvis’ efforts to keep her community together continued. In 1868, with public officials in Taylor County seeking her help, she and her club members planned a Mother’s Friendship Day for soldiers and their families from both sides. They held the event on the grounds of the Taylor County Courthouse. Despite opposition, the event was a success. Jarvis shared a message of unity with the crowd. Bands played the Star-Spangled Banner and Dixie. The event ended with all singing Auld Lang Syne. Many in attendance were moved to tears.
Throughout her life, Jarvis continued her social activist work. She taught Sunday School and was very involved with her church. She gained popularity as a public speaker for audiences at schools, churches, and organizations, lecturing on subjects ranging from public health to literature to religion.
Throughout her life, Jarvis worked to honor and help mothers. After the death of her husband in 1902, she moved to Philadelphia to be near her two sons and two daughters. Her daughter Anna became her caretaker as her health declined. Ann Maria Jarvis died peacefully at home on May 8, 1905, surrounded by her four surviving children.
After Jarvis’ death, her daughter Anna recalled hearing her mother’s prayer during a Sunday School lesson in 1876, asking for someone to start a day to honor mothers.
On the first anniversary of her mother’s death, Anna announced plans for a memorial service the following year. On May 8, 1907, a private service was held in honor of Jarvis.
The following year, in 1908, Anna organized the first official observance of Mother’s Day. It was held on Sunday, May 10, 1908, at St. Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia. A donation of 500 white carnations, Jarvis’ favorite flower, was made for those in attendance. Another service was held that afternoon at the Wanamaker Store Auditorium in Philadelphia. 15,000 people attended.
In the years following the first celebrations, Anna’s Mother’s Day holiday gained recognition in several states and a few foreign countries. Intent on making Mother’s Day an official holiday in the U.S., Anna mounted a campaign to do just that. And she succeeded. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a congressional resolution making the second Sunday in May a national Mother’s Day. We love our moms – Happy Mother’s Day!