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Established 1948   Silas Joe Emmett Oswalt entered his earthly life on December 17, 1932 in Huxley, Texas and departed for his Heavenly home on January 5, 2021 at the age of 88 years. The 5th of 8 children born to Avery Parm Oswalt and Jewel Odessa Dockens Oswalt, he attended Huxley School, graduated from Shelbyville High School and furthered his education at Grayson College in Denison. "Pa," as he was affectionately called by members of his Faith Church family, served in the Air Force for 1951-1963, and trained as a jet aircraft mechanic. After his service, he retired from IBM, worked for a time at Oscar Mayer and for several years was the owner of OCOCO Construction and Real Estate Home inspectors. "Pa" married Linda Block, fondly known as "Ma," of Dallas on January 19, 1952 and they grew to include son, Joseph Paul and daughter, Martha Ann, all of whom surive him today. Also surviving are daughter-in-law, Debbie, and son-in-law, Joe Shadid, all of Sherman. Three grandchildren also survive him: Trent Oswalt, Cy Shadid (Autumn) and Mia Arnette (Jonathan). There are 6 great-grandchildren. A brother, David Oswalt, of Texas and a sister, Darlene Westburg, of Kansas are also among the survivors. Friends will remember Joe not only as a loyal veteran and patriot, but also as an avid supporter of his community. He served as Scoutmaster for Troop 37 for several years, as Commissioner for Scout Summer Camps, and was a proud charter member of the Lions' Club. He faithfully supported and attended the First Pentencostal Church from the time the church was located on Jones and Maxey through its move to the facility on Harrison and Brockett (which he helped to build) and to its current location as Faith Church on Heritage Parkway. He served the congregation as Deacon for 61 years and as Adult Sunday School Teacher for much of that time. Members still fondly recall his "original" object lessons founded on depth inthe Word and healthy sprinklings of good humor. Not to be forgotten is his authentically-costumed depitction of the Energizer Bunny on one occasion. Members also note his long-time service to the Church Bus Ministry as he kept a large fleet buses up and running each week and spent much time repairing and readying buses for smaller congregations in Texas. Hardly a Saturday would pass without "Pa" spending it hard at work - after a hard week's work - on buses and other chruch vehicles. He was indeed a faithful and dedicated servant of the Lord who craved no personal glory for himself. Second only to his service to God, Joe loved his family. A licensed pilot and avid outdoorsman who loved fishing and hunting, he not only nurtured love of the outdoors in the young men of the Church, but also in his family, taking them on numerous trips throughout the U.S. and on Christmas journeys to see the lights. He and Linda enjoyed several trips on his Honda 1000 motorcycle, but when he finished that "phase" of his life, he sold it to a friend rather than Paul or Joe ("I don't think it's safe for them.". Partly because of aging and partly because of Joe's determination to continue crossing Hwy. 56 to get the mail (He did have a bit of stubborn steak!) Joe and Linda moved to the Renaissance in 2018 where they both embraced another phase of their life together. They soon became beloved residents, being elected "King and Queen" of the Renaissance and established themselves as the bingo champions of the facility, even being accused by one resident as "cheaters" because they won so many bingo games. Joe will be missed as a one-of-a-kind, faithful to God, his country, his family and his church, who deeply mourn his passing but rejoice in the promises of God. Waldo Funeral Home directed funeral arrangements with graveside services scheduled for Saturday afternoon, January 9, 2021 at Cedarlawn Memorial Park. The family has requested all COVID-19 restrictions including masks and social distancing be observed during the services. Officiants were Pastors Ryan Cernero, Jonathan Arnette, Aaron Cernero, Eli Brown and Caleb Dupuis. Pallbearers were Ron Kumler, Bob Stanford, Anthony Powell, Bob Loftin, James Elk and Bobby Hughes. Honorary pallbearers were Mark Brown, Robert Bond, Bert Bond, Brad Morgan, Harold Holder, and Danny Dutton. Memorials may be made to the Family Life Center at Faith Church, P.O. Box 1061, Sherman, Texas 75091. - - - Waldo Funeral Home  Cedarlawn Cemetery Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |