PORT O’CONNOR – Diane Fowler Howell, 79 of Port O’Connor, Texas passed away May 7, 2016. She was born May 6, 1937 in Memphis, TN to the late Royce and Sally Fowler. Diane graduated from the Memphis State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in English. Diane was a member of Salem Lutheran Church in Port Lavaca.

Diane is survived by her husband William C. ‘Dixie’ Howell; her daughters, Sherry (Scott) Haynes of Kennesaw, GA, Lindy Cain (Tommy May) of Port Lavaca; her son, Mark (Lauren) Howell of Port Lavaca; 9 grandchildren, Kim, Amy, Luke, and Emily Haynes of Kennesaw, GA, Heather and Sara Cain of Port Lavaca, and Douglas, Shaughnessy, and David Howell of Port Lavaca; her brother, Jim (Jane) Fowler, and 6 nieces and nephews.

In addition to her parents, Diane was preceded in death by her sister, Nancy Treadway.

A memorial service was held on Thursday, May 12, 2016 at the Salem Lutheran Church in Port Lavaca with the Rev. Dan Zellmer officiating.

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

PORT O’CONNOR – Joyce Yvonne Raby, 86, of Port O’Connor, passed away on Wednesday, April 13, 2016. She was born in Seadrift, Texas on June 18, 1929 to the late Vernon Sampson and Ida Belle Cowen Helms. Joyce owned Raby Seafood for over 40 years in Port O’Connor and she and her husband enjoyed gardening, but most of all she loved her family and enjoyed helping others.

She is survived by her loving husband of 72 years, Dan Raby; son, Michael R. Raby and wife Bridget; brother Leonard Dale Helms and wife Diana; grandchildren Brandon Raby, Nicholas Raby, Amanda Raby Smith and Alan Raby; great grandchildren Austin, Aria and numerous nieces, nephews and a host of friends.

In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by her sons Rocky Allen and Dennis Sherman Raby, three sisters and seven brothers.

Graveside Services were held on Saturday, April 16, 2016 at Seadrift Cemetery.

Condolences and memories can be shared online at www.gracefuneralhome.net.

Following are excerpts from a Dolphin Talk article by Jasmine Gordon, Remembering Roemerville:

“Joyce remembers attending school in both Roemerville and Seadrift. Her family moved back and forth for several years to the small farming community, where her father worked as a tenant farmer.

She remembers her teacher, Charlotte Roemer, would bring the kids food during the depression. They had only the basics like flour and coffee. It was a luxury when they had peanut butter or syrup on a biscuit.

I greatly enjoyed spending the afternoon with Joyce Raby (and Dorothy Geraldine Williams Wilson) as they taught me about old Roemerville, reminisced, and sang various songs from their childhood.”

Editor’s Note: Joyce Raby was known for her pleasant nature, kindness and hard work. She was also an excellent writer, once writing an article about the admirable women of old Port O’Connor. If we can ever find the copy, we will reprint it. (It was before the Dolphin Talk was saved on computer.)

Weldon Harrison passed away Tuesday, May 3, 2016, in Fort Worth. Memorial service was held at Riverside Baptist Church in Fort Worth.

Weldon attended Richland High School. He was a Vietnam Army veteran, a crane operator at Wildcat Cranes and a member of the Thunderbirds RC Club. Weldon was preceded in death by his father, Arlie Harrison.

Survivors: His mother, Nelda Holloway; wife, Susan Harrison; daughters, Lisa Dixon and Misty Harrison; grandson, Alan Harrison; granddaughter, Halee Carter; and great-grandson, Alan Jr.

PORT O’CONNOR – Wade Ian Green, 55, of Victoria and Port O’Connor, TX, passed away on April 20, 2016 after a seven month battle with cancer. He was born April 19, 1961 to the late Sam Green Jr., and Gerry Wigington Green. Wade was a 1979 graduate of Victoria High School, and a 1984 graduate of Texas Lutheran University where he was a proud member of Sigma Lambda Chi fraternity. He married Cheryl Janssen in 1984, and together they had three children- Lauren, Melanie, and Stuart. Wade was named president of the Victoria Jaycees in 1989, and for many years worked alongside his father at Green and Associates as a real estate appraiser. In recent years, Wade received his LVN and fulfilled his passion as a caregiver. His two favorite people were his grandfather, G.L. ‘Wig’ Wigington, and his granddaughter, Grace.

Wade enjoyed dominoes, golf, and finding the humor in life’s lightest and darkest moments. Wade was a fish every day kind of guy, happier in Port O’Connor than anywhere else.

Wade is preceded in death by his parents, Sam and Gerry; his grandparents G.L. ‘Wig’ and Maxine Wigington, and John and Frances Green; and his mother-in-law, Joyce Ckodre Janssen.

He is survived by his wife, children, and granddaughter; his brother, Lance; his in-laws, Nelson and Estelle Janssen; his uncles, Mike Green and Steve Green; his aunt, Judy Crews; his cousins, nieces, and their children.

Honorary pallbearers: William Becker; Zachry Green; Shannon Green and Jorge Lozano; Kelly Pelton and Tracy Hale; Omar Green; Bud and Mary Spaulding; Frank Vasquez; JT Harrison; Henry Sheppard; and Brian Kennemer.

His family will privately lay his remains to rest in Port O’Connor, Texas.

Memorials can be made to the Port O’Connor Chamber of Commerce’s 4th of July fireworks display and Warrior’s Weekend event at PO Box 701, Port O’Connor, TX, 77982.

Psalm 62:8 “Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.”

Psalm 73:28 “But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.”

I don’t know about you, but I’m a bit puzzled that, at times, I find it easy to trust the Lord about certain things, while at other times I’m extremely reluctant to simply rest in the goodness of God and trust Him with every detail of my life. I know in the depths of my spirit that God is not only trustworthy, but that He is all-powerful, and well able to meet all my needs. And yet at times, fear, reserve and reluctance plague my heart. I’m not saying that’s right, but that it’s sometimes the way it is. However, the Word of God still commands us to, “Trust in him at all times” (Ps. 62:8a).

Might I suggest that often we become confused by wanting to “feel” trust toward the Lord rather than “choosing” to trust Him. If we wait for some euphoric feeling to verify that we are trusting the Lord, we may never learn to exercise our faith in Him. The fact is that we must choose to trust our loving heavenly Father whether we feel anything or not. Our “faith” in God is often sacrificed on the altar of our “feelings.” As Christians, we must never consult with our “feelings” about the status of our “faith.” We must be willing to place all that concerns us into His hands without reservation.

The story is told of a beggar in India who sat by the roadside begging alms. As he held out his bowl, people passing by dropped a few grains of rice into it. This was his means of providing food for himself. Occasionally someone dropped a coin into his hand. One day he saw a procession coming down the road. “This is good,” he thought. “It looks as if a prince is approaching. Surely he will give me a gold coin today.”

It was indeed a prince, and he stopped beside the beggar, who held out his bowl and waited eagerly to see what his royal benefactor would drop into it. To his surprise, the prince asked, “Will you please give me your rice?”

“I can’t do that,” the beggar answered. “It is all I have.”

Again the prince said, “I want your rice.”

“No, I can’t give you my rice. It is all I have to eat,” was the firm reply.

The prince made a third request for the rice. Slowly the beggar took three grains of rice out of his bowl and put them into the hand of the prince, who then reached into a bag hanging at his belt and took out three nuggets of gold which he dropped into the bowl.

As the beggar looked at them he thought regretfully, “Oh, why didn’t I turn my bowl upside down in his hand?” 1

The old hymn, “I Surrender All” makes my point very well:

“All to Jesus I surrender, All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him, in His presence daily live.
Chorus: I surrender all, I surrender all;
All to Thee, my blessed Saviour, I surrender all.” 2

Why not surrender all that you have and hold to Jesus today? Your life will be far more secure in His hands than it ever could be in your own. This was the belief of Paul the Apostle, who said, “…for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day” (2 Tim. 1:12b).

Give it all to Jesus. You’ll come out ahead.

1Mildred Stamm, Meditation Moments, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Corporation, 1967), Devotion for March 25.
2“I Surrender All,” J.W. Van DeVenter.