Obituaries

James LittleSun Jr., age 75, passed away on April 8 at his home in Plano. He was a full blood member of the Kitkehaki band of the Pawnee Tribe. He is survived by his third wife Cindy and his eight children Diane, Matt, Josh, Zack, Jeremiah, Neveah, Jaylah and Madison.

He is preceded in death by his first wife Janet, his second wife JoAnn and his seven adult siblings.

He graduated from Pawnee high school and attended OSU Institute of Technology at Okmulgee. He had a long career in the oil field and as a carpenter.

James (Jim) Rowland Laughlin III, age 83, of Graford, passed away peacefully on April 1,2020 at Elmcroft Memory Center, Graham. He was born on March 16, 1937 in Wichita, Kan.

Nell Wheat, 88, passed away Friday, April 10, 2020. A Graveside funeral will be 2 p.m. Monday, April 13, 2020 at Red Top Cemetery in Young County. The Family will be at Morrison Funeral Home Sunday from 5 to 7 p.m., you are encouraged and welcome to drive by the south side of the funeral home and greet the family from your automobile. Arrangements are under the direction of Morrison Funeral Home.

Tony Steele Wallace passed away peacefully on Monday, April 6, 2020, at his home at Possum Kingdom Lake. Tony was born on Dec. 5, 1948 in San Angelo, to the late E.S. “Cowboy” and Rozelle “Sonny” Wallace. Tony grew up in San Angelo and graduated from San Angelo Central High School in 1967. He attended SMU on a football scholarship and later attended Angelo State University. After several years in the car business, he moved to Possum Kingdom Lake where he started his irrigation and landscape maintenance business, The Wallace Company.

Rosanne Rippy Foster Albritton passed away peacefully Tuesday, March 31, 2020 in Graham at the age of 90. A family graveside ceremony will be held at a later date.

Rosanne was born in McCamey on Sept. 26, 1929 to Charles Calvin Rippy and Elva Trave Trant. Elva died soon after of tuberculosis and Rosanne was raised and adopted by her aunt and uncle, Lucille Trant Foster and George Giddings Foster in Bryan while her father struggled in the Great Depression, but they always stayed in touch during his lifetime.

Georgia Joyce Akers (she preferred to be called Joyce) passed away peacefully on Monday, April 6 at her home in Graham. Joyce was born on July 9, 1929 in Pampa, to the late Blanche Hamner Harrison and the late Richard Marion Harrison. Joyce and her family moved to Bryson where she grew up from the age of six onwards. In 1953, she married Graham’s Billy Fred Akers. Joyce and Billy Fred stayed in Graham to raise their family, run their oil field supply business, and otherwise enjoy small-town Texas life.

Larry D. Thetford, 73, passed away Thursday, March 26, 2020 at his residence in Graham. Graveside funeral will be 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 1, 2020 at Pioneer Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of Morrison Funeral Home.

Larry was born March 7, 1947 in Graham to the late Billie Marie (Graves) Thetford and L.D. Thetford. He married Linda Hopkins, March 30, 1973 in Dallas. Larry moved to Graham in 2014 from Dallas. He was retired from AAA Cooper Transportation in Dallas where he was a freight manager.

Karen Steward Norman, 73, passed away Friday, March 27, 2020 in Fort Worth. A Visitation will be Monday, March 30, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Morrison Funeral Home. Karen will be laid to rest in Pioneer Cemetery under the direction of Morrison Funeral Home.

Due to the current COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings the Norman family is limited to 10 or fewer people at each ceremony, so they ask for your understanding in these difficult times.

Joe Irven Shumate, 91, of Graham, Texas, passed away at his home Monday, March 23, 2020.

He was born in Red Springs, on Feb. 14, 1929 to Maude Tucker and Pete Shumate and was one of eight siblings. He met Joyce Ellen Nunn on “Fish Day” and married on Oct. 12, 1950 for a loving 66 years.

They had two children, Linda and Bryan, raising their family in Odessa. He worked for Dresser Atlas transferring to Graham, where he later retired.

He was a U.S. Army veteran who served overseas in Germany at the beginning of the Korean War-Post WWII. 

Donald Ray Williams went to be with the Lord on Friday, March 20, 2020 at his home in Graham. Graveside services were held Tuesday, March 24 at 11 a.m. in True Cemetery under the direction of Morrison Funeral Home.