POC Service Club is busy behind the scenes with summer projects and fun. Helping out with Chamber projects, teaching at Bible School and volunteering around our community, club members stay active. Many have also hosted family, entertained friends and traveled this summer. Service Club has only one monthly meeting throughout the summer months, but our service continues.

The Service Club Garage Sale is set for October 1, the community BBQ Cook-off benefitting the Friends of the Library will be jointly hosted by Chamber, Service Club and Friends in November, the annual Service Club Christmas Luncheon will be December 1, and Toy Run and arrives December 2nd. So, even with one monthly meeting, our committees are working and we remain busy and on track for several upcoming projects.

Maybe you would like to help. Do you have a donation of clothing or goods for our next garage sale? The County building behind the library is available for storage of those donations. Feel free to drop them off M-TH and we will put them to good use. If you need help coordinating donations, please call Marie Hawes at 361-920-2322 or Diane Cooley at 903-467-6335.

Do you have talents to share or time to donate to others? Come to our August meeting and be a part of all we are working towards. It’s a fun group with the goal of giving back in our community. You will find we welcome women of all ages and stages of life and abilities and enjoy serving together.

So until next time, be safe, live simply, love openly, forgive generously and remember this quote by one of my favorite authors, Dr. Seuss. “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it’s not.” Come and care a lot with us!

The original version of this month’s column went out the window with the tragic events that took place in early July in Dallas, when a sniper opened fire at Dallas police officers during a protest event.

Now I am not going to focus on the two most obvious issues that spring from this incident, gun control and racism, because during the four and a half years I have written this column I believe I have made my beliefs known on both those subjects.

I would never want to completely abolish an American citizens right to own certain types of firearms and I think I have made it clear as well that hatred of any sort is just not right for me.

The topic here is the loss of life, the fact that any man thinks he can peer into the soul of another and take away the lives of innocent people. It is one thing to believe in a cause or to be able to exercise your right to freedom of speech, it is quite another when an individual’s twisted sense of the cause he supports leads to murder and chaos.

Murdering your own kind, who might have actually had nothing to do with what you are passionately angry about, only fuels the fires in all directions, taking down a structured conversation towards a solution and turning time to ash.

A fire has no conscience, no plan or targets, it just gleefully destroys all in it’s path.

We can point fingers at each other, blame our elected officials and our laws, but none of that replaces the fact that in the twenty-first century, we are still waging war and bringing death based on the most pointless and outdated labels, like color of skin and rich versus poor.

The day after the attack occurred I wrote a post on my blog that was kind of heated, because I just don’t get how we have come to this as a society. We are not barbarians, having to go out and hunt for dinner with a club and incapable of deep rational thought.

Acting the way we do towards other Human beings is beginning to rub through and it’s spilling it’s way out into the world drip by gruesome drip.

It is time to stop.

Let us make sure that all of the death that has taken place was not for nothing, let’s make sure we remember we are all sharing this little rock that is orbiting a star, all dependent on each other for a better tomorrow.

The media will force many ideologies down our throats now, some for political gain, others just to get your hand off your television remote, but the opinions, rebuttals and possibly even the possibility of more violence will arise in the coming weeks and months.

Information is just information.

There can only be so much debate involved for a subject matter that is costing lives, costing families to suffer loss and that is throwing the country into chaos.

Dialogue must start on the common ground that the majority of us do not want to see anyone dead from violent acts in our streets, none of us wants to be wary to leave out homes and no one wants to see the level of freedoms available in this country to falter or fall.

If we start now to honor the lives of the fallen from all of the recent out breaks of domestic violence and say not one more death, start on the common ground of survival, we just may have a chance to escape a seemingly escalating situation.

Hilda Covarrubias, 57, formerly of Port O’Connor, passed away Monday, June 27, 2016, in Roland, Okla. She was born November 8, 1958 in Port Lavaca to the late Alfredo and Santos Covarrubias.

She is survived by her son, Joseph Covarrubias; sisters, Irene (Rupert) Sorrow, Sherry Covarrubias-Uresti, Claudine Covarrubias, Ludine Covarrubias; brothers, Rudy (Ninfa) Covarrubias, Adolfo (Mary) Covarrubias, Alfred (Josie) Covarrubias; grandchild, Gage Joshua Covarrubias; numerous nieces and nephews.

Funeral services were held July 5, 2016, at First Baptist Church in Port O’Connor with Brother Donny officiating. Burial followed at Port O’Connor Cemetery.

Pallbearers were Adolfo Covarrubias Jr., Kenney Joe Clark, Chris Doolin, Alex Doolin, Gilbert Mendoza and Frank Luckey.

Port O’Connor, TX – (Norma) Elizabeth McCoy Hawes, 91, passed away June 21, 2016. She was born May 11, 1925 in Victoria, TX to the late Dave Sylvester McCoy Sr. and Norma Hildegard Becker McCoy.

Elizabeth was a homemaker and loved to travel. A graduate of the 1942 class of Patti Welder High School, she was a charter member of the Port O’Connor Service Club, served in the St. Joseph Catholic Church Altar Society and was a Eucharistic Minister at the church. She was a natural born nurse and in later life attended nursing school. She was an avid bridge player, accomplished seamstress, and champion of the Native Americans, civil rights and equal justice. Elizabeth adored her grandchildren, great-grandchildren and ALL babies. Her greatest legacy was her capacity for love!

She is survived by her loving daughters, Beth Hawes (John Mulhollan) of San Marcos, Kathleen Hawes Watkins of Houston, Martha Hawes Carroll (Terry) of Lakeway, Anne Hawes (Ken Bernard, d.) of Los Alamos, NM, Norma Hawes (Steve Domingue) of Austin and Gloria Hawes (George Rueff) of Corpus Christi; grandchildren, Christopher Chamrad, Jonathan Chamrad, Matthew Carroll, Paul Carroll, Johnson Carroll, Michael Carroll, Bree Hawes-Domingue and Kathleen Hawes-Domingue; 9 great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Hugh A. Hawes; her parents; brother, Dave S. McCoy Jr.; son-in-law, Ken Bernard and very special mother-in-law, Phenie Hawes and sister-in-law, Sister M. Perpetua Hawes.

A Memorial Mass was held Friday, July 1, 2016 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Port O’Connor. Burial followed in Seadrift Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to St. Joseph’s Catholic Church; Children International (www.children.org) PO Box 219055, Kansas City, MO 64121 or Native American Heritage Association, PO Box 512, Rapid City, SD 57709.

Words of comfort may be shared with the family at www.richardsoncolonial.com.

PORT O’CONNOR – Harvey Brandon, 79, of Port O’Connor passed away Sunday, July 3, 2016 peacefully at home, surrounded with family by his side. He was born on September 28, 1936 in Fox, Oklahoma to the late Ben and Eunice Brandon.

Harvey was an avid hunter and fisherman, a hobby he enjoyed with his wife. He loved his family, cooking, traveling, camping and gardening. Harvey had a career in the oil field as a production superintendent for over 40 years. He was involved in the Victoria Livestock Show for over 25 years.

He is survived by his wife, Barbara Brandon; son, Dennis Brandon (Hilary); daughter, Tami Becker (James); step-son’s, Jamie Dierlam (Tonya) and Ray Dierlam; grandchildren, Toby Stary (Dawn), Chelsea Rogers (Forrest), Dustin Dierlam, Samantha Dierlam (Ryan Burke), Beau Dierlam, and Heather McDade (Kolby); great-grandchildren, Tobyn Stary, Colton Rogers, McKinley Rogers, Colton Dierlam , Camryn Dierlam, Hailey McDade, Jade McDade and Kenzie McDade.
Harvey is preceded in death by his parents; sister, Melva Christman; brother Ralph Brandon.

Funeral services were held on Friday, July 8, 2016, at Grace Funeral Home. Interment followed at Wood Hi Cemetery.

Pallbearers were Toby Stary, Forrest Rogers, Johnny Matocha, Tim Pair, Richard Marbach and Dustin Dierlam.

Honorary pallbearers were Arnold Donaho, John Hutson, Glen Green, Kenneth Malone, Phil Efantis and Mike Crain.

Memorial donations may be made to Methodist Heart Hospital in Houston, Texas. Condolences and memories can be shared online at www.gracefuneralehome.net.