Cedarvale  - Bay City Cemetery

Photos courtesy of Betty Crosby
 

James Renwick Carson     Sylvia Irene Carson     Exie Ratliff Carson

Exie Carson

Exie Carson, 81, of Cedar Lane died Saturday, May 18, 1996 at Matagorda General Hospital in Bay City.

She was born May 14, 1915 in Cedar Lane to parents, George Ernest, Sr. and Ethel Warren Ratliff. She was a graduate of The Texas State College for Women and taught school for many years. She was active in the First United Methodist Church having taught Sunday School and served on the Administrative Board. She was also a member of the Garden Club in Bay City.

She was preceded in death by her husband, James R. Carson in 1966, also by a daughter, Sylvia Carson, parents and brother, George Ratliff.

Survivors are Sons and daughters-in-law, James R. III and Karen of Lafayette, Louisiana, and Robert C. and Jennifer Carson of Austin; Sisters and brothers-in-law, Ruby Ruth and George Bentinck of Duncanville, Jean and W. A. Haskell, Cedar Lane, and Sister-in-law, Martha D. Ratliff, Cedar Lane; Grandsons, Jim, Cody and John Carson.

Service will be Tuesday, May 21 at 11 a. m. at the First United Methodist Church Bay City with Rev. Michael Toland officiating. Burial will follow at Cedarvale Cemetery. Service under the direction of Dick R. Elkins Bay City Funeral Home.

Pallbearers are Jerome Begnaud, Jeff Smart, George Bentinck, Dr. Thomas Ratliff, David Ratliff and David Barker.

Daily Tribune, May 21, 1996

Final Services Held For Sylvia Carson In Methodist Church

Funeral services for Miss Sylvia Irene Carson, 4, were held Sunday from the First Methodist Church in Bay City with the Rev. W. W. Conerly officiating.

Burial was in Cedarvale Cemetery with Taylor Brothers Funeral Home directing.

Surviving are her parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Carson of Cedar Lane.

Daily Tribune, March 13, 1952
 

J. Byron Caverly     Abbie G. Caverly     Bertelle Caverly

Bertelle Caverley

Funeral services for Bertelle Caverley, 86, of Bay City will be held at 10 a. m. Friday at Taylor Brothers Funeral Home chapel with the Rev. Bill Haskell officiating. Burial will be in Cedarvale Cemetery, Bay City.

Miss Caverley was born July 22, 1900, to Byron and Abbie Gordon Caverley and died Aug. 2, 1986, at Matagorda General Hospital.

Arrangements re with Taylor Brothers Funeral Home.

Daily Tribune, August 1986
 

Ralph Caverly

Ralph Caverly

The sad ending of the life of young Ralph Caverly occurred at the home of his mother, Mrs. Abbie Caverly, in this city yesterday evening at four o’clock, age 15 years and 1 month.

The life of young Ralph Caverly has been a sad one and for years his suffering has been intense and almost past human endurance. Several years ago a carbuncle made its appearance on the young man’s hip. It was lanced, but instead of healing it developed an ugly sore which soon became tuberculosis of the bone, which constantly grew worse until death relieved him.

The funeral took place in Cedarvale Cemetery this morning, before a large concourse of sorrowing friends and relatives.

The Tribune extends to the grief-stricken mother its deepest sympathy.

Daily Tribune, June 2, 1911
 

Oleta Nelseen Cook went to be with the Lord on Wednesday, June 16, 2003, at the age of 86. She was born August 27, 1916, to the late Marvin and Lula Campbell in Culleoka, Collin County, Texas. A 4th generation Texan and 54-year resident of Matagorda County, Mrs. Cook was a long-time member of the Fellowship Class of First United Methodist Church of Bay City.

Mrs. Cook is survived by: daughter and son-in-law, Pat and Charles Williams of Bay City; two sons, Ronnie Cook of McKinney and Clif Cook of Houston; daughter-in-law, Sheri Fry; grandchildren, Susan and Bill Parish and Melinda Williams of Bay City, Elizabeth Cook and Brad Cook of Dallas, Will Cook of Houston, Jessica Cook of Dickinson; great-grandchildren Cody Williams and Catie Williams of Bay City, Caleb Cook of Houston; and great-great grandson Dalton Williams of Bay City; one sister and brother-in-law, Faye and Dub Pingleton and sister-in-law, Helen Campbell, all of McKinney.

Mrs. Cook was preceded in death by her husband, Marcus M. Cook; one son, Gordon Lee Cook of Bay City; and two brothers, H.G. “Jack” Campbell and Leslie E. Campbell.

Pallbearers include Will Cook, Brad Cook, Cody Williams, Danny Pingleton, Mark Finlay, and James Williams.

Visitation will be Tuesday, June 17, 2003, from 6-7 p.m. at Taylor Brothers Funeral Home. Services will be Wednesday, June 18, 2003 at 2 p.m. at First United Methodist Church of Bay City with interment to follow at Cedarvale Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Taylor Brothers Funeral Home of Bay City.

The family requests donations be made to First United Methodist Church of Bay City. A00014D2003JN18

The Bay City Tribune, Wednesday, June 18, 2003
 

Joe S. Davis     

“PaPa” Joe S. Davis

Funeral services for “PaPa” Joe S. Davis, 69, of Bay City were 2 p. m. Saturday, Feb. 28 at Taylor Bros. Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Kenneth James and Joe Ramsey officiating. Interment was at Cedarvale Cemetery in Bay City.

Mr. Davis died Feb. 26 at Matagorda General Hospital in Bay City. He was born Jan. 9, 1929 in Belmont, La., to Clyde Wesley and Gladys Skimmer Davis.

He was a member of the Golden Avenue Baptist Church, and a resident of Bay City for 50 years. PaPa Joe was instrumental in the formation of Babe Ruth Baseball in Matagorda County, and was an active participant of Bay City Little League for 44 years. He was recently honored by the City of Bay City with the renaming of the K. C. Field to the Joe Davis Field for his many years of service to the area youth. PaPa Joe was a kind and loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend.

Survivors include his loving wife of 50 years, Mary Juanita Davis; sons and daughters-in-law, Clyde Joe and Alberta Davis, Gary Wayne and Alice Davis all of Bay City, and Steven Ray Davis of San Antonio; sisters and brothers-in-law, Faye and Jerry Raines of Marthasville, La., Nell and Dink Brousett of Moura, La.; Betty and Ron Wyatt of New Caney, Texas and Tommie and James Nugent of Zwolie, La.; grandchildren, Albert, David and Brandi Davis, Glen Alan and Jill Davis, Gary Wayne, Jr., Robert and Karen Rae Davis and one great grandchild, Colin Gates Davis; numerous nieces, nephews and 1000’s of Baseball Players and Friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents Clyde Wesley Davis, Gladys Delane Davis Anders, and step-father Thomas “Dutch” Wesley Anders.

Pallbearers were Albert Davis, Davis Davis, Glen Davis, Wayne Davis, Robert Davis and Taylor Roberts.

Memorials can be made to the Bay City Babe Ruth 13 year old age group or the Liver Foundation.

Mr. Davis will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved him.

Arrangements are with Taylor Bros. Funeral Home.

Daily Tribune, March 1, 1998
 

James J. Ewell, Jr.

James John Ewell, Jr. 58, passed away on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2000, at his residence in Dickinson, Texas. Mr. Ewell was born April 3, 1942 in Baytown, to Maxine and James John Ewell, Sr.

He graduated from The University of Texas in Austin with a bachelor's degree in physics and a master's in mathematics.

He was employed by McDonnell-Douglas Aircraft Company, where he developed the navigation software for the space shuttle and APOLLO Missions. Upon his retirement, Mr. Ewell began a consulting business with his wife in the field of information technology.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 17, in the chapel of James Crowder Funeral Home in Dickinson.

Graveside services will be held at 3:30 p.m. Friday at the Cedarvale Cemetery in Bay City. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday evening at James Crowder Funeral Home in Dickinson.

Mr. Ewell was preceded in death by his father, James John Ewell, Sr.

Survivors include: his loving wife of 36 years, Patricia Ewell; mother, Maxine Stuckey Ewell of Crosby; son, James John Ewell, III and wife Deirdre Ann; and grandchildren, Braden, Evan and Jayson of Katy; two sisters, Suzanne Ewell Machala and husband, Thomas; nephew, Jared of Baytown; Candace Ewell Jones and husband Dennis of Richmond. A00011A2000NV16

THE DAILY TRIBUNE, November 16, 2000
 

David William Flory

David W. Flory

David W. Flory, age 27, died December 5, 1969, after falling from a shrimp boat while at sea. The body was found two weeks ago on Matagorda Beach. He was a resident of Lancaster, PA. He is survived by: his mother and father, Mr. and Mrs. E. M. Flory of Lancaster, and other relatives. Services were held at 10:00 AM today in the Bay City Funeral Home Chapel, directed by Dick Elkins. Interment followed at Cedarvale Cemetery. Father Joe Vrana officiated at services. Bay City Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.

The Daily Tribune, April 8, 1970
 

Body Found on Matagorda Beach

Officials Seek Clue to Identity

An unidentified body was found lying on Matagorda Beach about 6 miles west of the mouth of the Colorado River Saturday morning. Jack Morley, a resident in the Cullins Ranch headquarters on the Matagorda peninsula, was traveling to Matagorda when he saw the body on the beach. He continued on to Matagorda, where he called Deputy Sheriff Gene Wilson and reported the body. Wilson then notified Deputy Jim Wilson of the report.

Jim Wilson arrived in Matagorda at about 9:00 AM. Morley took both deputies to the body. Jim Wilson reports that when they got there, they “saw a male body. It was on its back, head turned west. It was about half covered in sand.” The corpse was wearing a pair of yellow Levis and part of a yellow hood, which had been over the head. The corpse was about 5 ft 9 inches tall and weighed about 150 pounds. The corpse had black or dark hair.

Tatoo
 

The only identifying marking on the body was a tattoo on the right forearm. The tattoo read in three lines, Death Before Dishonor, with a sword running through the words. The name Dave was tattooed directly below the Death Before Dishonor, according to J. Wilson.

The deputies and Morley took the corpse back to Matagorda, from where it was taken to the Bay City Funeral Home. From Bay City, the body was sent to Victoria for autopsy, according to Sheriff R. E. Graham. Graham said the pathologists have been unable to determine the exact age of the body, or how long it had been in the water. The pathologist said the body had been in the water at least two weeks, and guessed that it was 30-40 years old. According to Graham, the pathologists found no sign of foul play on the body.

The Sheriff’s Office is now checking fingerprints and fillings from the teeth with the files at Texas Department of Public Safety Headquarters in Austin, to try to obtain identity. They also have checked with Coast Guard stations from New Orleans, LA to Corpus Christi to find out if there have been any reports of people lost in the Gulf in the time in which this body was lost. As yet, there has been no clue to the identity of the corpse.

The Daily Tribune, March 1970 

Mystery Body Identified

The body found on Matagorda Beach last Saturday has been identified by the FBI as David W. Flory, age 28, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He left Freeport aboard a shrimp board December 5 and during a storm the boat went aground. Flory and a fellow companion, Buddy Benfield, were washed overboard. Benfield’s body was found right away, however, the search for Flory’s body continued until this weekend according to Sheriff Graham.

The Daily Tribune, March 30, 1970           Obituary courtesy of Susie Adkins
 

Melba K. Fondon

Mrs. Melba Fondon

Mrs. Melba Fondon, aged 22 years 8 months, died at Newgulf, Texas, Friday at 9 p. m. Mrs. Fondon is survived by her husband, Mr. Earl Fondon; one son, Marion Charles; father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. H. W. Keusel; three sisters, Mrs. W. R. Reed, Mrs. Earnest Beard of Newgulf and Miss Erna Keusel of Bay City. Funeral services will be held Sunday evening from the Baptist Church, Rev. Odis Rainer officiating. Funeral arrangements are in charge of Taylor Bros.

Matagorda County Tribune, January 9, 1936
 

Mary Elizabeth Cash Hurst

Illness Claims Long-Time Resident - Mary Elizabeth Cash Hurst

Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Cash Hurst died in a Dallas hospital, this morning at 2:30 a. m. after a lengthy illness. She was a native of Bay City, and the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. William Cash. Funeral services will be held Friday, April 16, 1982, at the First Baptist Church, with Rev. W. D. Baker and Hollie L. Briscoe officiating. Interment will be in Cedarvale Cemetery.

She was a retired teacher. She taught first at Cedar Lane, later transferring to Van Vleck, and when she retired in 1972 she had been head of the math department of Bay City High School of 15 years. Before her teaching years, she had worked with her father in the original Matagorda County Abstract Company, which was founded by Mr. Cash.

Married to the late M. L. Hurst, Sr., she has a son and a daughter surviving; Dr. M. L. “Buddy” Hurst and Mrs. Oralee Hurst Waters, both of Dallas. She is also survived by four granddaughters and one grandson, of Dallas, and her only sister, Mrs. Clara Mae Cochran, of Bay City.

Active as a wife, mother and teacher, her interests centered on her family, her church, her school, her friends and the community as a whole. She spent many years with the various organizations as her children were in school, and until her retirement in 1972.

She was a charter member of the teacher’s sorority Delta Kappa Gamma, active in PTA, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Little League and was class sponsor for many of the high school classes. Her interest in young people was exhibited in the vital energy she spent in numerous outside activities, out-of-town school sponsored trips, various school events, chairman of special events, committee member for class parties and several allnight senior parties.

She was a member of The First Baptist Church, and served her church in many capacities. She has been a Sunday School teacher, choir director, and took part in various capacities connected with church departments. She was a regular attendant at Sunday school, church worship services, and Wednesday night prayer meetings. She maintained active attendance until her illness.

She has been in Dallas with her son and daughter since the first week in May 1978. Suffering from a deterioration of the muscles, she was ambulatory until early 1979, then eventually became bedridden. Surrounded by her son and daughter and their families, she never lacked for loving care.

She was a member of the Mary Rolph Marsh chapter of the DAR. She was an early member of the AARP group and took an active interest in that organization.

Funeral services are under the direction of Taylor Brothers Funeral Home.

Daily Tribune, Wednesday, April 14, 1982

Memorial Service For Hurst

Friends and relatives of Mrs. Elizabeth Cash Hurst gathered at her graveside this past Sunday at 2:30 p. m. The Mary Rolph Marsh Chapter of the Daughters of Revolution placed a DAR Insignia bronze marker on her grave.

The impressive dedication service was conducted by Mrs. H. E. Johnson, regent, Mrs. A. W. Younts, vice-regent, and Mrs. John Woolsey, chaplain.

Mrs. Hurst and her sister, Mrs. Clara Mae Cash Cochran became members of the local chapter July 3, 1975. Their revolutionary ancestors were Benjamin Applegate, Pa.; John Shotwell, N. J.; ;and John Penix, Va.

Daily Tribune, January 23, 1983