Earnie LaGrappe, was born August 19, 1924, in Hemphill to Emanuel and Noonie Milstead Jones; she was the last survivor of her ten siblings.
Earnie graduated from Zavalla High School in 1947, attended business school and then cosmetology school in Corpus Christi. She became a beautician and worked for her lifelong friends Ann Corbet and Liz Cueller at their shop in Port Arthur. She opened her own shop, Earnie’s, in the early sixties and then worked with another lifelong friend Hazel Gauthier at La Petitte in Groves.
When her youngest daughter graduated from high school in 1984, she and her husband retired to Lake Ivanhoe just outside of Woodville.
There she enjoyed working in her yard, volunteering at Our Lady of the Pines Catholic church and spending time with her family. In the early nineties, she served as the president of the Altar society. One of her favorite church activities was working on the Lady of the Pines Easter fund raiser decorating and selling beautiful sugar eggs. She and her husband were avid dancers, both ballroom and round dancing and traveled across Texas with their round dancing friends. They frequently attended dances at the Opera House in Woodville with the Dogwood Round Dancers. Earnie enjoyed designing and sewing many of her own dancing costumes.
She enjoyed cooking and baking for friends, church and family.
She died on January 16, 2012, surrounded by her two daughters and oldest granddaughter, after a yearlong struggle with Alzheimer’s.
She is survived by her husband of forty-seven years, Joseph Raymond LaGrappe of Woodville; two daughters, Claudie Green and her husband, Barry of Beaumont, and Dewesa Bensmiller and her husband, Scott of Allen; grandchildren, Stacey Brownlee and her husband, Kevin of Longview, Todd, Jason and Audrey Bensmiller of Allen; and great-grandchildren, Colton, Beaux and Sloane Brownlee of Longview.
A gathering of her family and friends will begin at 5:00 p.m., with a Christian Vigil at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, January 18, 2012, at Broussard’s, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont.
Additionally, a gathering of her family and friends will begin at 1:00 p.m., with a Mass of Christian Burial celebrated at 2:00 p.m., Thursday, January 19, 2012, at Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Church, 1601 Pine Street, Woodville, with interment to follow at Magnolia Cemetery, Woodville, under the direction of Broussard’s.
Memorial contributions may be made to Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Church, P.O. Box 2029, Woodville, Texas 75979 or to Julie Rogers, Gift of Life Program, PMB 46, 148 Dowlen Road, Beaumont, Texas 77707.
The family would like to specially thank Dr. George Thomas for his years of care and the special nurses at Christus St. Elizabeth including Patricia Nash in ICU and Pennie in Oncology that took care of her and supported her family in her final days.
