I thought this obituary contained a story worthy of passing on to you.
Willie Elkins-Harrison was born in Limestone Co to Phillip Elkins and Betty
Parker (Dau of Peyton Parker). The obit is about her daughter who tells a story.
Billie H. Andrews -
Dallas
Morning News, The - (Apr/9/2004)
Obituary
ANDREWS, BILLIE H., September 24,
1908 - April 7, 2004 passed away at the
age of 95 on April 7, 2004 in
Dallas.
She was preceded in death by her husband
of over 60 years, Reagan "Red" Andrews,
in March, 1992. A resident of
Dallas
for 67 years, Billie is survived by a
daughter, Bettie Sarrafian of
Palestine,
Texas,
and a son, Reagan Andrews, Jr., and his
wife Connie Andrews of
Dallas.
She was a long-time friend and associate
of Ebby Halliday. A member of the
Lovers Lane United Methodist Church, Billie Andrews had been active in
a number of professional auxiliaries and
floral organizations until recent years
following her retirement.
She was born September 24, 1908 in
Pecos,
Texas,
toward the end of the "Wild West" in
Texas
and
New Mexico.
It wasn't until her children were adults
that they learned the location of her
birth - the Reeves County Jail in
Pecos
where her father, Thomas Harrison, was
sheriff - with several local "working
women" assisting the birth. She came
from a long line of strong,
Texas
women. Billie remembered as a young girl
that her mother, Willie Elkins Harrison,
stood off a lynch gang in the absence of
her sheriff husband by loading a shotgun
and confronting members of the unruly
mob outside of the jail, several of whom
she knew. Billie and her siblings were
sent with the family cook to stay in "Mexican Town" in Pecos until any danger had passed before
their return to their home above the
County Jail. Billie's great grandmother was a
Parker, and packed up her children and
moved by wagon train to
Fort Parker in the early 1800's. Although
Billie's mother swore she was not
related to Cynthia Ann Parker, mother of
the great Comanche War Chief, Quanah
Parker, until her dying day, she was
related to two
Harrison's
who were generals in her family. Billie
attended school in
Pecos,
Texas, and
Clovis,
New Mexico
where she graduated from high school
before attending
Business College
and entering the work force in
Pecos
as a secretary. She met her future
husband, Reagan "Red" Andrews in
Pecos
and after a brief courtship the pair
were married. Shortly afterward, she
followed her husband to
Cuba where they lived from 1931 -
1933 while he worked for an American oil
company doing geophysical exploration
for oil. During this period, the
government of
Cuba
was somewhat unstable and both she and
her husband described frequent
overthrows of the provincial leaders and
resulting periodic executions by firing
squads in the town squares where they
were staying. Following the birth of her
son, Reagan, the couple moved to a
residence in
North Dallas
where she resided until the recent
hospitalization leading to her death.
Memorial service for Billie will be held
at 3:00 p.m., Thursday April 8, 2004 in
the Wesley Chapel of the
Lovers Lane United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may
be made to the
Lovers Lane United Methodist Church at
9200 Inwood Road
and
Northwest Highway,
Dallas,
Texas 75220-3999.
Restland 972-238-7111
restlandfuneralhome.com
Published in the Dallas Morning News on 4/8/2004.
Name: Willie A. Elkins
Home in 1880: Groesbeck, Limestone,
Texas
Age: 7
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1873
Birthplace:
Texas
Relation to Head of Household: Daughter
Father's Name: Phillip
Father's birthplace:
Tennessee
Mother's Name: Bettie
Mother's birthplace:
Texas
Neighbors: View others on page
Marital Status: Single
Race: White
Gender: Female
Household Members: Name Age
Phillip Elkins 33
Bettie Elkins 28 f born abt 1852
TX
TN TN (Father was
Peyton Parker)
Willie A. Elkins 7 f TX TN TX
Claudie Elkins 4
Dan Demc Nulty 22
Regards
Jim
Yarbrough
3/7/2008 |