Juliet Angelo Saxon passed away on February 25, 2015, at the age of 98.
Juliet was born in Beaumont, Texas, on February 16, 1917. She was the daughter of Chris and Nazeley Angelo, both of whom were Christian Orthodox immigrants to the United States in the early 20th century from Tripoli, at that time a part of Syria. Juliet was the youngest girl of eight children born to the family. Juliet was a member of St. Michaels Orthodox Church, one of the oldest Orthodox churches in the United States.
Juliet attended Beaumont schools, graduating from Beaumont High in 1935. Family was very important to Juliet, and she recalled her mother loving to entertain after Easter and Christmas services at their home on Magnolia Street. After high school, she worked with her father at his fruit stand and later at Fuller’s Café.
She met James Merle (Buddy) Saxon, a Corrigan, Texas, native, in 1946, just after WWII, and they married in November 1946. After having two kids, James Reagan Saxon and Gerald Douglas Saxon, they purchased a home on El Paso Street in the north end of the city in 1953. There they raised the boys. Juliet lived in the house until 2013, when she moved to Calder Woods.
Juliet spent 40 years as a sales associate at the White House Department Store in the Gateway Shopping Center. She retired from the White House in 2007, when she was 90! She retired only because the store and its holding company went bankrupt.
For Juliet, her life was defined by her family and friends, her faith, and her work. She relished the time she spent with her grandsons, Jared and Jeffrey Saxon, and her great grandchildren, Grant and Liliana Saxon. She loved her daughters in law, Carol and Janis, and her grandson’s wife, Elizabeth.
Juliet was preceded in death by her parents, her siblings, and her husband.
Survivors include her sons, James R. Saxon and his wife, Carol Saxon, of Beaumont; Gerald D. Saxon and his wife, Janis Saxon, of Arlington, Texas; grandson, Jared B. Saxon and his wife, Elizabeth Saxon and great-grandson, Grant and great-granddaughter, Liliana; and grandson, Jeffrey B. Saxon of Rockwall.
A gathering of Mrs. Saxon’s family and friends will be from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., with a Trisagion at 7:00 p.m., Friday, February 27, 2015, at St. Michaels Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church, 690 North 15th Street, Beaumont. Her funeral service will be at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, February 28, 2015, at St. Michaels, with interment to follow at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Beaumont, under the direction of Broussard’s, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to St. Michaels Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church, 690 North 15th Street, Beaumont, Texas 77702.
