Born February 5, 1938, in Houston, Texas; passed away March 12, 2015 at age 77.

James started his young life as a roofer with his father. Then he became a mechanic and then into welding. His hobby was woodworking and metal art.

James was preceded in death by his father Jim Lee Kitchens and mother Vera Louise Kitchens.

He is survived by his wife Evelyn M. Kitchens, married almost 57 years, and by his much loved Goddaughters Kelly Denise Antuna and Carla Renee Antuna of Irving, TX.

He is also survived by two brothers and two sisters, Charles Ray Kitchens and wife Jane of Cypress, TX; Richard Lee Kitchens and wife Monica of Florida; Cheree Hughes of Kemp, TX; Memorie Pittmann of Blanchard, OK; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and many other beloved family members.

Services were held at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 14, 2015, at First Baptist Church, Port O’Connor.

Gerald Douglas ‘Tiny’ Wise, 59, of Tivoli, formerly of Port O’Connor, passed away February 27, 2015. He was born October 10, 1955, in Victoria to Harvey Martin and Willodine Glover Wise of Tivoli.

He was an inventory clerk for Speedy Stop Food Stores.

In addition to his parents he is survived by his brothers, James Bruce (Rita) Wise of Tivoli, and Dennis M. (Jan) Wise of Victoria.

Interment of remains will be at 2:00 pm Saturday, March 21, 2015, at the Tivoli Cemetery.

Honorary pallbearers will be Kerie Wise, Stacey Johnson, Jeremy Johnson, Ben Wise, Emily Wise, Travis Wise, Jessica Wise, Garrett Leita, Anakin Johnson, Zac Wise and Aeris Wise.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, Hospice of South Texas or a charity of the donor’s choice.

Words of comfort may be shared at www.rosewoodfuneralchapel.com.

Alton Ray Hall, 77, of Shiner passed away February 24, 2015 at his home. He was born September 24, 1937 in Klean Coal, West Virginia to Homer Jay and Anna Leona (Smith) Hall.

Mr. Hall served in the U. S. Navy as radioman aboard ship. He was a stone mason entering the craft as a young man and working on many projects in Texas and other states. He worked for the Union Pacific Railroad for 11 years. He and his wife, Sharon, owned and operated Hall Propane Co. in Calhoun Co. He was a supporter of the Calhoun Co. Fair and Shiner FFA Stock Show. Mr. Hall is a member of Haltom City Riverside Masonic Lodge in Haltom City, Texas, Strawn Masonic Lodge in Strawn, Texas, VFW and DAV. He was an avid hunter and fisherman in salt and fresh water winning many trophies. He was a friend and mentor to many.

He is survived by his wife, Sharon of 34 years; one daughter; Deborah; three sons; Alton, George and Phillip; four sisters; Shirley, Sandra, Ruby and Stella; eight grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; Homer and Anna Hall, one daughter; Teresa, two brothers; Homer (Ken) and Rabin (Sonny).

A special thank you to Hospice of South Texas, neighbors and friends who offered their support to our family.

Cremation Rites are under the direction of Buffington Funeral Home, 520 N. Ave. C, Shiner, TX, 361-594-3352.
A private Memorial service will be held at a later date.

The family request memorials and donations to Hospice of South Texas.

Charles Wesley Lee, Sr., 89, died peacefully at home in the company of his wife, while she made their morning coffee in Seadrift, Texas on February 22, 2015.

A memorial service was held at Seadrift Cemetery in Seadrift, Texas on Friday, February 27, 2015 with Pastor Carl Westbrook officiating.

Charles was born November 4, 1925, to Melvin Lee and Frances McCurdy. His father was a rancher and his mother was a homemaker. They moved to Seadrift from Missouri in the early 1900s. Charles spent his youth helping on the family farm and graduated from Port Lavaca High School in 1943.

After graduation, he enlisted into the Army Air Force where he proudly served as an airplane mechanic on a flight crew, was a fireman, and was a truck driver. While enlisted, he controlled the fire truck and crew, and wore an asbestos suit to rescue men from burning airplanes. He was honored to have rescued 8 men from burning airplanes during his military service. He earned an honorable discharge in 1945 in order for him to transition into Civil Service to begin working for the United States Atomic Energy Commission. He traveled the world through his military and Civil Service work and at one time, lived in upstate New York, Cleveland, Ohio, and Los Alamos, New Mexico, (to name a few places), before retiring and returning to his home in Seadrift, TX.

His life in Seadrift revolved around ranching. He loved raising cattle and most recently, wanted to start raising guineas. On his agenda the morning he died was to finalize fishing trip plans with a buddy, and he was making a list of materials for some fence repairs. Working around the ranch kept him active. His interests included family, reading, and listening to big band and country music of the 1940s and 1950s. He devoted most of his time and energy as a protector to his wife, and they took care of each other for almost 20 years. He considered himself the luckiest man to have found lasting love and commitment later in life, and welcomed and embraced his step family as his own. The care he showed his extended family is a testament to his loving, kind, and generous spirit. As a man, he was a patriot, didn’t mince words, and expected excellence. He knew great love, followed a simple path, was funny, intelligent, loved animals, and was a great storyteller. He would say he was rich beyond measure because of the friends and family he loved and who loved him. Those who knew and loved him miss him terribly.

Mr. Lee is survived by his wife, Linda Elaine Lee, 70, of Seadrift; his sister, Frances Elizabeth ‘Sissy’ Lee of Seadrift; sister, Daisy Ellen Arnold of Long Mott; one biological son and his spouse, Charles Wesley ‘Chuck’ Lee, Jr. and Rose Marie Lee, his grandchildren Michelle and Nicholas Lee all of New Mexico; one step-daughter Cheryl Bear and his grandchildren Ashley Soudelier and Summer Soudelier from Louisiana, and Justin Soudelier from Austin; one step-daughter and spouse, Christy Bear and Brian Glover, and his grandchildren Jeralynn Salazar and Raden Glover from Texas; one step-son and spouse, Kenneth Joseph Rhodenbaugh and Amy Rhodenbaugh, and his grandchildren Caleb, Austin, and Mason Rhodenbaugh, and Amber Zipsie all from Illinois; and one great-grandchild. He also was a beloved uncle to eight children born in the family.

He is preceded in death by his brothers, Robert E. Lee, Grover A. Lee, and Melvin Lee; and his parents Melvin and Frances Lee, all of Seadrift.

The family would also like to thank close friends and extended family, Edward and Odilia Jimenez, Kyle Henson, Floyd Cecil Raby, Cindy Alford, Paula Moncrief, Maria and Julian Rodriguez, Suzanna and Ivan Rodriguez, Brenda Rodriguez, Escar Rodriguez, Arnaldo Rodriguez, Yadira Vallejo for a lifetime of support and unwavering friendship to Charles and Linda Lee.

Donations may be sent to Trey Ganem Designs http://www.treyganemdesigns.com/ to help families struck by tragedy be able to afford to provide their loved ones with a final resting place.

Kristin Hannah has written several books that are contained on our shelves; therefore I picked up one to see what she was all about. And slightly amazed. I decided to read ANGEL FALLS, which is a love story, but a well written love story that sees the protagonist suffering a head injury that leads to a coma and her forgotten life. Sadly, she has a life prior to her marriage to a local doctor in a small town that has accepted her wholeheartedly in the life of the area. The coma has led to amnesia and she cannot remember her current life; only a previous one.

I am not a fan of this type of writing, but really enjoyed learning about the area of the town and it’s surrounds. Women will really enjoy this book; after all, it’s written for you, but maybe, a venturesome husband might get with it!

Alafair Burke, the daughter of author James Lee Burke, has an interesting background; the graduate of Reed College in Oregon and Stanford Law School, her background is impeccable when it comes to writing about law. Currently, she is a professor of law at Hofstra Law School in New York City.

I had read one of her books concerning Samantha Kinkaid, an ADA in Portland, and was not comfortable reading it. And then I picked up MISSING JUSTICE, a later book starring Ms. Kinkaid and enjoyed it very much. The plot moves and moves, often too fast for the reader. And her conclusion really grabs you although there were slight hints if you were lucky enough to get them. Her development of her main character, Ms. Kinkaid has reached a point that the reader is quite comfortable enjoying her actions. One complaint: too many acronyms with little explanation. However, this is a book that entangles you in the plot, and even when you reach the last page, you still wonder how it came about. Glad I picked it up and will definitely try some of the others in the series.

I’ve been a fan of James Grippando and his character Jack Swyteck for a number of years but happily found that his last book BLACK HORIZON is the very best of all his books featuring Jack. Set in the Keys of Florida and the Cuban waters, Jack becomes deeply involved w/the aftermath of a drilling explosion in the waters of Cuba. Involved in the drig and drilling is a consortium of Chinese, Russian and Venezuelan governments, all definitely anti-US’s possible involvement in relief efforts.

Fascinating reading; particularly much of the description of Havana still set in earlier times with the housing, automobiles, newspaper coverage and other ways and means of living as controlled by the Castro Government. Should be a definite must to read concerning the possible alignment with Cuba now.

I know I’ve used the following quote for several years, but it really makes sense:

Just think about it!

“When An Old Person Dies, A Library Burns Down!” Karen Gillespie

And we certainly don’t want our Library to burn down!