Lillian
Elizabeth Whitman, 95, of Vidor, died Sunday, August 30, 2015. In her 95 years
with us, Lillian touched many hearts and lives. She was born to Lena Mott Wright
and Oscar Wright of Port Barre, Louisiana, and later moved to Vidor, where she
lived for sixty years.
During
her life, Lillian tended everything from children and grandchildren to the
family home and pets, and she had a knack for making things grow. Not long
before her death, she asked her son, Tom, if he would remember her, and while
his immediate response was simply, “of course” he later expounded on just how
and why he would remember her. Lillian was a woman who put her family first,
and always had time, space, and food for anyone extra who ended up at her
table.
She
worked hard to provide the best to her family on limited resources, and taught
them the value and pride that honest work brings. Lillian had the ability and
talent to create from the dolls she made for her grandchildren to the garden
she carefully tended each year. He closes his letter to her with a promise we can
all echo, “I cannot list all of the ways, but know that I both know and
REMEMBER and WILL ALWAYS do so…” We love you. We miss you. We remember you.
Lillian
is survived by her children: daughters, Mary Stanley and her husband, Wayne, of
Lumberton and Carol Dunnam and her husband, Tommy, of Fannett; sons, Ronnie
Whitman and his wife, Judy; David
Whitman and his wife, Cindy, of Vidor; and Tom Whitman and his wife, Trina, of
Magnolia; ten grandchildren; fourteen great-grandchildren; sister, Roberta
Holmes; many nieces and nephews; and beloved caregivers,
Verda, Dee, Barbra, Becky, Sabrina, Marcie, and Lori.
She
was preceded in death by her husband, George Howard Whitman.
A
Rosary for Mrs. Whitman will be recited at 5:00 p.m., with her gathering to
follow Friday, September 4, 2015, at Broussard’s, 1605 North Major Drive,
Beaumont. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m.,
Saturday, September 5, 2015, at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 1600 North
Main, Vidor, with her interment to follow at Forest Lawn Memorial Park,
Beaumont.
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