Cedarvale  - Bay City Cemetery

Photos courtesy of Faye Cunningham
 

F. B. Armstrong

F. B. Armstrong Dies Suddenly Of Heart Attack

F. B. Armstrong, age 47 years, 3 months and 28 days, died suddenly yesterday while doing some work on the east side of the Colorado River. He was found sitting on a levee and death had come to him while he was alone.

Mr. Armstrong was a nurseryman by trade and had also recently erected several tourist courts at his place east of the city, near the “Y.” He was also in charge of the street and drainage work of the city, under the direction of F. G Cobb, city alderman.

Mr. Armstrong is survived by his wife and two brothers of Mississippi.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Walker-Matchett and the funeral will be held from the Baptist Church Friday morning at 9 o’clock. Interment will be in Cedarvale Cemetery.

Daily Tribune, March 11, 1937
 

Oscar Barber

Funeral Services Held Monday For County Judge Oscar Barber
Public Official Dies After Lingering Illness
Large Crowd Attends Rites
He Was 59

Funeral services were held Monday morning at 10 o’clock for County Judge Oscar Barber, who died at the family residence in Bay City Saturday night after being ill since December.

Judge Barber was 59 years and 13 days old at the time of his death. Reverend Paul Davis of the First Baptist Church conducted the funeral services at the First Baptist Church.

Buried Here

Burial was in the Cedar Vale Cemetery with Taylor Brothers in charge of the arrangements. Active pall bearers were C. R. Anderson, W. H. Pool, J. B. Lane, H. Brandon, Lee Davidson and Lee Anderson,

Judge Barber is survived by his wife, Mrs. Nona K. Barber; one daughter, Miss Marjorie Barger; three sisters, Mrs. L. N. Starnes of Alpine, Mrs. George E. Serrill, and Mrs. J. B. Sisler of Clovis, N. M.; one brother, J. M. Barber of Los Angeles.

Born in Cameron

The judge was born in Cameron on January 20, 1881, and resided in Bay City for the last 40 years. His father and mother were I. H. and Frances Barber.

Mr. Barber was County Judge of Matagorda County for the last five years and one month. Prior to this position, he was Tax Assessor for five years before this office was combined with the Tax Collector’s.

During 1939, he was president of the South Texas County Judges and Commissioners Association. He was widely known all over the State particularly by public officials.

A large crowd attended the funeral.

Gone But Not Forgotten—That’s Our Pal, the Judge

Gone but not forgotten . . .

That’s friendly Oscar Barber, county judge of Matagorda County for the past five years.

It didn’t surprise us when we heard the news Sunday morning . . . but, nevertheless, it was shocking.

He was your friend, our friend. His death was just like losing a close relative . . . everyone regarded the judge as his “special” friend.

Yes, we will miss him . . . miss his cheery hello, miss his heartwarming grin, miss his genial handclasp, miss his wise judgment.

You can thank the judge for much of the progress this County is enjoying.

He was a live-wire . . . full of energy . . . ready to promote anything for the betterment of the County to the best of his ability. And Judge Barber, as you know, really put out.

Yes, he may be dead . . . but this good man will live in the hearts of most of us forever. He was our friend, a “special’ friend.

Matagorda County Tribune, February 8, 1940
 

Joe Ellen Bass

Joe Ellen Bass

May 13, 1906 – September 13, 1990

Graveside services for Joe Ellen (Mangum) Bass, 84, of Hungerford, Texas were scheduled for 1:00 PM Saturday in Cedarvale Cemetery, Bay City, Texas, with the Rev. Chester Sassman officiating.

Mrs. Bass was born May 13, 1906, to Mr. and Mrs. Joe Mangum of Bay City and died 6:20 PM on September 13, 1990, at Avalon Place in Wharton, Texas. She was a member of Unity Church, Houston, and a volunteer at the Texas Children’s Hospital. For many years she performed home nursing for newborn infants.

Mrs. Bass is survived by a sister-in-law, Janie Mangum, of Hungerford, Texas, 12 nieces and nephews and 28 great-nieces and great-nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Verna Elmo Bass, in 1952. Arrangements were with Taylor Brothers Funeral Home, Bay City.

The Daily Tribune, September 16, 1990          Typed by Susie Adkins
 

Verna E. Bass

Books Closed On Death Of V. E. Bass Here

A verdict of accidental death was rendered Tuesday to close the books on the mysterious death of a man burned to death in his car in the Hamman Field area Saturday morning.

Justice of the Peace Johnny Ward rendered the verdict following an autopsy by Dr. H. C. Matthes, Bay City physician, and Captain Lloyd Frazier, identification expert with the Harris County police force.

The body was identified as that of V. E. Bass of Bay City and Houston. He was positively identified by Dr. Paul Harris, a Houston dentist, who did dental work on the victim back in 1950-51.

The car containing the burnt corpse was found by a railway section foreman of the Santa Fe Railway between 6 and 6:30 o’clock Saturday evening. The victim’s railroad watch stopped at 11:19 o’clock Saturday morning, when it was determined the accidental death occurred.

Nobody could explain why the smouldering car and the burnt body were not discovered sooner.

Sheriff Jack Cole, who reported the accident to THE NEWS, said that the last person to see Bass alive did so “shortly before 11 o’clock” Saturday morning on the Skelly Road.

The autopsy did not reveal any foul play whatsoever, Sheriff Cole stated.

Assisting Sheriff Cole in the investigation, which aroused statewide concern and caused a big splash in the Houston newspapers, were Texas Rangers Johnny Klevenhagen, famed for punching Houston Attorney Percy Foreman recently in a courtroom drama, and Eddie Oliver.

The Bay City News, August 21, 1952
 

Harry W. Bates           Mary E. Bates

Mrs. Fannie Bates Dies In Caldwell Saturday – Mary E. “Fannie” Bates

Mrs. Fannie Bates, wife of H. W. Bates of Caldwell, Texas, died Saturday, July 9, at a hospital in Cuero after a lingering illness of several months.

Mrs. Bates was an earnest Christian of lovable character, a true friend, a loyal wife, and a devoted mother. One brother, I. B. Arnold, and one sister, Mrs. Newt Wilson, survive her in Alvin. Besides her relatives here, she leaves her husband H. W. Bates; two children, Mrs. Vera Eidman of Austin and Frank Bates of Bay City; two grandsons, Kraft Warner and Frank Eidman; four other brothers and three sisters, P. H. Arnold of Corona, New Mexico; W. D. Arnold, Houston; J. E. Arnold, San Antonio and Roger Arnold of Yoakum; and Mesdames G. L. McMaster of Yoakum; R. B. Papacek of Moulton and Oscar Jones, of Yoakum.—Alvin Sun.

Matagorda County Tribune, July 21, 1932

Funeral Services For H. W. Bates, 93, Held Saturday

Funeral services for Harry Warner Bates were held Saturday at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church with the Rev. A. C. Maxted officiating.

Mr. Bates died last Friday at the age of 93 years. He had been a resident of Bay City for the past 22 years. Burial was in the Cedarvale Cemetery with Taylor Brothers Funeral home in charge of arrangements.

He is survived by one daughter, Mrs. Kraft Eidman of Houston, and two nephews.

Daily Tribune?, April 7, 1955
 

Albert W. Benedict, Sr.

Funeral Services To Be Held This Afternoon For Albert W. Benedict

Funeral services will be held this afternoon for Mr. Albert William Benedict, 53 years, 9 months and 12 days, who died in Houston, Thursday at 7:30 a. m., following an illness of several months.

The services will be held from Taylor Bros. Funeral Home at 4 o’clock this afternoon and interment will be in Cedarvale Cemetery. Reverend Ernest Deutsch will officiate.

Mr. Benedict is survived by his wife, four sons, Gustave of Crosby, A. W. Jr., Henry and Edward, all of Bay City; two brothers, Oscar and Ewald of Texas City; one sister, Mrs. J. E. Miller of San Diego, California.

Pallbearers are Messrs. Grady Walker, Frank Vaughn, John Ahlbrecht, Layton Moore, L. B. Luder, and Jimmie Norton.

Daily Tribune, September 8, 1939
 

Ella Nora Benedict

Mrs. Benedict Rites Tuesday - Ella Nora Benedict

Mrs. Ella Nora Benedict, 75, passed away at Matagorda General Hospital Sunday morning. Services will be held at 2:30 p. m. Tuesday from Taylor Brothers Funeral Chapel.

Rev. Preston Dumas of St. Paul’s Methodist Church will officiate. Interment will be in Cedarvale Cemetery.

Mrs. Benedict has been a resident of Bay City for the past 65 years.

She is survived by three sons, A. W. Benedict of Bay City; T. H. Benedict of Fort Worth and E. E. Benedict of Yuma, Ariz.; 10 grandchildren, 17 great grandchildren and one brother, Frank Hatchett of Wadsworth.

Pallbearers will be Jimmy Dykes, L. L. Beall, Albert Ainsworth, Bob Wilkinson, A. L. Siptak and Johnny Jurek.

Daily Tribune, August 21, 1966
 

Faye Thompson Burchfield

Faye Thompson Burchfield

Funeral services for Faye Thompson Burchfield, 79, of Bay City will be held 4:30 p. m. Thursday at First United Methodist Church with the Rev. Jim Welch officiating. Burial will follow at Cedarvale Cemetery in Bay City.

Mrs. Burchfield was born April 19, 1911, to Barron Levi and Martha Stella Burch Thompson in Diboll and died Aug. 14, 1990, at her home.

She moved to Bay City from Corrigan in January 1940. She was a member of the Bay City Chapter of the Order of Eastern Star and the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. She was also a member of the First United Methodist Church.

Survivors include one daughter and one son-in-law, Betty Burchfield and W. L. Cox of Bay City; one son and one daughter-in-law, Tom Barron and Carolyn Burchfield of Port Lavaca; one sister, Aline Thompson Rothe of Corrigan; three grandchildren, Lee Burch and his wife, Janice Cox, of Bay City, Cathy Cox Nance of El Campo and Lynda Burchfield Knight of Bay City.

Other survivors include seven great-grandchildren, Derek Layton Cox of Bay City, Amber Lee Cox of Collegeport, Lindsay Knight of Bay City, Elizabeth Harvey of El Campo, Allison Knight of Bay City, Amy Nance of El Campo, and Joseph Thomas Knight of Bay City; and two step great-grandchildren, Dennis Kelly Jr. of Cuero and Jennifer Kelly of Bay City.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Barron and Stella Burch Thompson, and one sister, Winifred Manry on Dec. 30, 1983.

Pallbearers are W. L. Cox, B. L. Manry, Joseph E. Manry, Carl Randermann, Clinton Burchfield, and Robert Bohning.

Arrangements are with Taylor Brothers Funeral Home, Bay City.

Daily Tribune, August 15, 1990