Judy Whitworth with her granddaughters Claire (l) and Ally (r).

1/16/45 – 3/27/23

Judy Whitworth died March 27th at the Dornburg Center of Compassion in Victoria, Texas. She is survived by her husband Dain Whitworth, Sr.; daughter Cheryl Fries (Patrick); son Luke Bellsnyder; step-children Dain Paul Whitworth, Jr. and Lisa Whitworth; granddaughters Claire Fries and Alexandra Bellsnyder; brothers Russell Weaver and Ron Capehart (Joel Wilder); her cherished relatives in Alabama and Georgia, and many, many cherished friends she considered as family. She was preceded in death by her parents Russell Weaver, Sr. and Margaret and Luke Capehart and brother Lucien Capehart.

Her diminutive stature belied the size and scope of her impact on all she met. She was vivacious, fun-loving, big-hearted, and fierce. She loved good books, good music, good food, good dogs, under-dogs, good causes, and, most of all, a great party.

Born in Bremen, Georgia, but raised in Austin, Texas, as a child Judy helped ride the Barton Springs ponies to the barn at night. She made life-long friends while selling commercial property in Austin with Knight Real Estate, and thoroughly enjoyed her time as the meeting planner for the Texas District and County Attorneys Association. After retirement, she and Dain moved to Port O’Connor, Texas, where Judy was instrumental in raising the funds to build a community library, serving as president of the Friends of the Port O’Connor Library as the organization raised the necessary funds and built the library facility.

Judy, Dain and their close circle of friends spent many good times fishing, cooking, dancing and laughing on the Texas Gulf Coast, and Judy was an enthusiastic volunteer for the Coastal Conservation Association.

She was very proud of her children, whom she raised as a single mother, and especially of her granddaughters Claire and Alexandra.

Judy would want us to honor her life by putting some Willie Nelson or Kris Kristofferson on the stereo, drinking a glass of wine, and telling stories. A celebration of life to do just that will be held in Austin at a later time.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to the Friends of the Port O’Connor Library, P. O. Box 497, Port O’Connor, Texas 77982; Hospice of South Texas; or the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children 2222 Welborn St, Dallas, TX 75219.

On April 22, the Calhoun County Historical Commission dedicated a marker at the Historical Hatch Cemetery.

Located along Chocolate Bayou which empties into Chocolate Bay, dividing Port Lavaca and Indianola, the Chocolate Community predates the organization of Calhoun County.

In 1846, Massachusetts native Slvanius Hatch purchased the land. He moved his family from Jackson County and built a home on nearby AguaDulce Creek and established a ranch.
Sylvanius became one of Calhoun County’s first Commissioners, and the area around the Hatch Home eventually became known as Hatch Bend.

The focal point of the community was St. Paul’s-on-the-Prairie Episcopal Church. Around 1872, a school was built, and in 1918 it was consolidated with the Port Lavaca School.

By 1936, the Chocolate Community had declined. Hatch Cemetery, Clark Cemetery, and the names of Chocolate Bayou and Chocolate Bay remain as historic reminders of this once vibrant settlement.

The Texas General Land Office (GLO) is pleased to present the 2023 Texas Coastal Resiliency Master Plan (Plan)—the third installment of its statewide plan to protect and promote a vibrant and resilient Texas coast that supports and sustains a strong economy and healthy environment for all who live, work, play or otherwise benefit from the natural resources and infrastructure along the Texas coast. The Texas coast is made up of more than 3,300 miles of bay shorelines and vast expanses of tallgrass prairie uplands, saltmarsh wetlands, beaches and dunes, estuaries, and other ecosystems that contribute priceless natural and aesthetic resources to humans. Moreover, nearly 6.92 million people in 18 counties call the Texas coast their home, and industries contributing to the coastal economy employ upwards of 400,000 people in coastal counties and over 1.55 million people statewide.1,2 To protect the livelihoods, communities, safety, and security of our people, Texans need a Texas-sized plan to protect our coast.
Projects for Region 2 (includes Calhoun County):
No. Project Name Cost 1265 Big Boggy Marsh Protection Project $6,000,000 1268 Bird Island Restoration and Creation of Gulf Cut Island Complex $4,000,000 51 Boggy Cut GIWW Stabilization $18,500,000 9237 Boggy Nature Park Shoreline Stabilization $5,000,000 9187 Carancahua Bay Community Reefing Project $125,000 430 Carancahua Bay Habitat Preservation and Enhancement $9,000,000 600 Half Moon Oyster Reef Restoration – Phase 3 $2,800,000 9250 Harbor of Refuge Protection and Restoration $6,700,000 1342 Hydrologic Restoration of Welder Flats $4,300,000 9224 Lake Austin Coastal Prairie Conservation $60,000,000 644 Mad Island Marsh Preserve Shoreline Protection and Coastal Ecosystem Restoration – Phase 1 $8,900,000 9070 Matagorda Bay Regional Inflow Study $250,000 922 Oliver Point Shoreline Protection and Reef Restoration $1,600,000 9244 Port Alto County Park Shoreline Protection and Restoration – Phase 2 $1,800,000 4 San Bernard NWR Shoreline Protection $80,500,000 1391 San Bernard NWR Sargent Unit Beneficial Use $11,000,000 9245 Sand Point Peninsula Living Shoreline $5,800,000 418 Sargent Beach and Dune Restoration $79,600,000 9215 Shoreline Protection and Restoration at Olivia Haterius County Park $4,600,000 REGION 2 DETAILS Counties: Calhoun, Jackson, Matagorda, Victoria Total Population: 162,700 (2020) Property Value: $31.2 billion (2021) Total Annual Average Wages: $3.0 billion Political Districts: Texas House: 25, 30, 43 Texas Senate: 17, 18 US Congress: 14, 22, 27 8 2023 Texas Coastal Resiliency Master Plan Texas General Land Office Texas General Land Office 2023 Texas Coastal Resiliency Master Plan 9