Obituaries

Marcus Skierski Jr.
Marcus Skierski, Jr. died at the age of 50 Oct.16, 2006, unexpectedly at home from an aneurysm.
Skierski was born May 24, 1956, to Marcus and Juanita Skierski in Dallas.
He was the oldest of four children and was a man of many talents and interests.
He was a published author and playwright. He also worked at Baylor Hospital, The Dallas Morning News as a sports writer, and was the owner and publisher of The Village Press magazine.
Marcus also worked for the Associated Press as a journalist which allowed him to travel to several foreign countries.
Marcus was an accomplished musician. He played rhythm guitar and had songs published. He loved life and experiencing the world.
Funeral services were held at the Laurel Land Funeral Home in Dallas October 23, 2006
Marcus Skierski Jr. was preceded in death by his sister Nita Lynn Skierski, and his father, Marcus Skierski, Sr.
Survivors include his wife Lisa Skierski and mother Juanita Skierski, both of Mabank; brother and family Kenneth, Melissa, Zach, and Leif Skierski, Kemp; sister and family Kathy, Felix, Blayne, and Trent McDowell, Paris; and sister and spouse Jonita and Johnathan Honea, Malakoff.

Dennis Neighbors
Services for Dennis Neighbors, 49, Dallas, were held Oct. 20, 2006, at Eubank Memorial Chapel with the Rev. Terry Johnson officiating. Interment was in Oaklawn Cemetery under the direction of Eubank Cedar Creek Funeral Home in Mabank.
Neighbors was born April 12, 1957, in Dallas and died Oct. 17, 2006, in Dallas. He was preceded in death by his father Lewis Neighbors and first wife Lynn Neighbors.
He had lived in Dallas for 20 years and was of the Pentecostal faith. He was a member of the Masonic Roddy Lodge and a past member of the Mabank Fire Department. He was a heavy equipment operator.
Survivors include his wife Sue Neighbors, Dallas; son Nick Degard, Fate; daughter Amber Stockton, Dallas; brother Larry Neighbors and wife Karen, Scurry; sister Kim Flanery, Mabank; brother-in-law Danny Perkins and wife Vicki; mother Pelba Neighbors.
Pallbearers were Jason and Nathan Neighbors, Arron Jones, Dakota Flanery, Danny Perkins, Jason Hatcher, Nick Degard and Glenn Robinson.
Honorary pallbearers were Mel Prince, Robert Alldredge, Curtis Hunt, Tim Towson, Billy Don Davis, Lester Beasley, John Boren, Glen and Tyler Smith, Gary Jones and Danny Perkins Sr.

James Almand
James Wesley Almand, 49, Mabank was born Sept. 2, 1957, in Dallas and died Oct. 19, 2006, in Gun Barrel City. Services were under the direction of Eubank Cedar Creek Funeral Home in Mabank.
Almand was a carpenter. Previously of Oklahoma, he lived in Mabank for a year. He was of the Baptist faith.
He was preceded in death by his father Arthur Almand and grandparents.
Survivors include his wife Normandy Almand, Mabank; daughters Kimberly Almand and Jamie Almand; son James Almand; and granddaughter Saxon Almand, all of Bentonville, Ark.; mother Lillie Mae Almand, Mabank; brothers Gene Ray and John Paul Almand, both of Payne Springs; sisters Doris Crow, Walters, Okla.; Sandy Borden, Mesquite; Alice Smitherman, Payne Springs; Virginia Applin, Payne Springs; Debbie Mosley, Terrell; and Teresa Jennings, Payne Springs; nieces and nephews, other family members and many friends.

Roy Friemel
Services for Roy Friemel, 72, were held Oct. 23, 2006, with interment in Kemp Cemetery under the direction of Anderson Clayton Bros. Funeral Home in Kemp.
Friemel was born June 5, 1934, in Cameron to August Henry and Edith Robinson Friemel and died Oct. 30, 2006, in Dallas.
Survivors include his wife Ruby; son Roy Wayne and wife Lori; daughter Ruby Ann and husband Cris; five grandchildren Sloan Wedeking, Maylee Friemel, Megan Bombe, Justin Friemel and Cameron Bombe; great-granddaughter Maggie Lynn Wedeking; and brothers Bobby Gene Friemel, David Chambers and Jim Chambers; a host of other relatives and friends.

William David and Marcos Jeobani Romero
Services for William David and Marcos Jeobani Romero, Tool, were held Oct. 24, 2006, at Eubank Memorial Chapel with Father Raymano Garcia officiating under the direction of Eubank Cedar Creek Funeral Home in Mabank.
William David and Marcos Jeobani Romero were born and died Oct. 21, 2006 in Gun Barrel City.
Survivors include mother Teresa Perez Romero, Tool; brother Victor Daniel Romero, Tool; grandmother Heredida Perez, Kemp; Aunts Elvira Villanueva, Seven Points; Andrea Romero, Tool; and Sandra Romero, Naples; uncle Jesus Romero, Seven Points.

Melissa Fay Athey
Services for Melissa Fay Aldridge Athey, 69, Garland, were held Oct 21, 2006, at the Eubank Memorial Chapel with the Rev. James Howard officiating. Interment followed in Elm Grove Cemetery under the direction of Eubank Cedar Creek Funeral Home in Mabank.
Athey was born Nov. 7, 1936, in Dallas and died Oct. 19, 2006, in Garland.
She was a homemaker and lived in Tool from 1994 to 2004. She was a member of the First Assembly of God Church in Eustace.
Survivors include her sons Robert Aldridge and wife Nancy, Garland; Ernest Aldridge, Tool; Billy Aldridge, Gun Barrel City; and Ricky Aldridge and wife Donna, Mesquite; daughters Alice Fay Baxley and husband Jerry, Mesquite; Linda Aldridge, Garland; Candy Ann Langley, Grand Prairie; stepdaughters Verna Parish, Seven Points; Linda Mahomed, Seven Points; and Renda Reynolds and husband Robert, Tool; brothers Ernest Leon Morgan, Tool; Robert Morgan, Tool; William Morgan, Tool; and George Ray Morgan, Georgia; sister Alice Rozelle Newmans, Canton; 14 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
Pallbearers were Ronald Aldridge, Donald Aldridge, Shawn Aldridge, Dustin Aldridge, Jerry Baxley and Christopher Baxley.

Robert Shults
Graveside services for Robert Dewayne Shults, 45, were held Oct. 23, 2006, at Bluebonnet Hills Memorial Park, under the direction of Bluebonnet Hills Funeral Home in Colleyville.
Shults was born Nov. 22, 1960, in Fort Worth and died Oct. 19, 2006.
Survivors include his wife Vanessa Shults; mother and stepfather Mary Shults and Norman Winkelman; daughters Stacey, Ashley and Savannah; sons Brandon, Arnold and Jeremy; three grandchildren; brothers Billy Shults and wife Linda; Danny Shults and wife Jan; sister Darlene Shults; two nieces; and seven nephews.

John Kline
John Elmer Kline, 64, Tyler, died Oct. 20, 2006, in Tyler. He was born Oct. 5, 1942, in Dallas. Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Eubank Cedar Creek Funeral Home in Mabank.
He was a printer and veteran of the U.S. Army. He had lived in Tyler for 25 years.
Survivors include his brother Donald Kline, Gun Barrel City; sister Dorothy Knight, Alexandria, Va.; six nieces and nephews, other family members and many friends.

Dora M. Peebles
Services for Dora M. Abee Peebles, 89, Mesquite, were held Oct. 22, 2006, at the First United Methodist Church in Trinidad with the Rev. Jimmy Steele officiating. Burial was in Trinidad Cemetery under the direction of Tomlinson Funeral Home of Malakoff.
She was born May 15, 1917, in Tioga to the late William Roy and Blanche Estes Parks and died Oct. 18, 2006, in Mesquite.
She lived in Trinidad for years and served as city secretary. She was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Trinidad.
Survivors include her sons Charles Abee and wife Reta, Dallas; and Don Wilblanks and wife Kathy, Avinger; brothers James W. Parks, Houston; and Bill Parks, Wichita Falls; sister Jackie Shelly, Mount Pleasant; several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Pallbearers were Larry Estes, Willie Lundy, Claud Jackson, Bill Hamm, Dennis Parker and Norman Lawler.

Vincent Onori
Services for Vincent Onori were held Oct. 24, 2006, at Tomlinson Funeral Chapel in Seven Pints with Josh McDonald officiating. Burial was in Tool Cemetery under the direction of Tomlinson Funeral Home in Seven Points.
Onori was born Sept. 6, 1924, in Sprague, W.Va., and died at his home in Tool Oct. 20, 2006.
He was a World War II veteran and retired from General Motors. He moved to this area from Midlothian in 1999.
Survivors include his wife Frances; daughters Judy McIntosh, Brenda Thrush, Virginia Hellebrand and Mickie Cox; sons Michael Magouirk and Jerry Magouirk; sisters Zania Creed, Margaret Basile and Frances Grecco; numerous grandchildren; great-grandchildren; and relatives.

Barbara Ann Boyd
Barbara Ann Boyd, 73, Enchanted Oaks, died Oct. 21, 2006, in Tyler. She was born Nov. 3, 1932, in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Arrangements are under the direction of Eubank Cedar Creek Funeral Home in Mabank.
She was a homemaker and had lived in Enchanted Oaks since 2000. She was an Episcopalian by faith.
Survivors include her husband Jim Boyd, Enchanted Oaks; daughters Cynthia Graves and husband Bobby, Jacksonville, Fla.; Sandra Faulkner, Enchanted Oaks; five grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; sisters Jane Kirky and husband Ashburn, Greensboro, N.C.; and Nancy Donovan and husband Charles, Cocoa Beach, Fla.; other family members and many friends.

Beth Calfee
Services for Beth Calfee, 77, Dallas, were held Oct. 21, 2006, at Eubank Memorial Chapel with the Rev. Wesley Putman officiating.
Interment was in Payne Springs Cemetery under the direction of Eubank Cedar Creek Funeral Home in Mabank.
Calfee was born Aug. 4, 1929, in Texarkana and died Oct. 18, 2006, in Dallas.
She was an accountant and member of the First United Methodist Church in Bedford.
Survivors include cousins Ann Bloodworth Fonville, Peter Bloodworth, Sena Heyn and her daughters Stefanie Forester and Cynthia Heyn; friends Odell Hickman and wife Shirley.

Hellen Davis
Services for Hellen Davis, 76, Gun Barrel City, were held Oct. 25, 2006, at Eubank Memorial Chapel with the Rev. James Howard officiating under the direction of Eubank Cedar Creek Funeral Home in Mabank.
Davis was born Dec. 24, 1929, in Ira and died Oct. 18, 2006, in Garland. She was preceded in death by her daughter Jaelynn Swain and husband J.C. Davis.
She was clerk. Previously of Lovington, N.M., she had lived in Gun Barrel City for the past 20 years.
Survivors include her son Mickey Davis, Gun Barrel City; daughter Phyllis Wilder and husband Robert, Gun Barrel City; brother Claude Lloyd, Andrews; grandson Greg Swain and wife Dorcey, Gun Barrel City; great-granddaughters Shelby Swain and Bailey Swain, both of Gun Barrel City.