Lydia Wallace

JUANITA WALLACE

Lydia Juanita Vaughan was born on Thursday, September 25, 1924, to Herman and Vala Faye McDaniel Vaughan in Mexia, Texas. She was the middle child born into this family. Her older brother, Warren Vaughan was killed in World War II, and her younger brother, Thomas Earl Vaughan lives in Houston with his wife, Jackie.

Juanita was raised on the family farm in Limestone County. She excelled in school, graduating from high school early, at age 16. Then with special permission, she attended Business College in Dallas. World War II broke out in 1942, and she went to work in an ammunition factory. When her home-town boyfriend, Clarence Joseph Wallace, Jr. came home on furlough from the Navy, they were married on December 8, 1945, in Mexia.

C.J. or Joe as he was known, and Juanita had two children in Mexia, Joe King and Lydia Katherine. Their youngest daughter Sidney Faye, was born in Odessa, in 1952.

The family moved to Odessa in 1949. Joe and his older brother, Lee, continued their father's sign-painting buisness. They were responsible for many of the highway billboards and most of the neon signs in the Permian Basin. Juanita went to work as a secretary at Prudential Ins. Later she was employed in the State Farms Claims Office until retiring in the early 1990's.

As a wife of a mason, Juanita was active in the Eastern Star, serving from 1991 until 1999 as secretary of the Odessa Chapter 447, prior to that honor, she was proud to represent Ruth, The Star Point of Service. She was a member of Highland Methodist Church before transferring the family membership to St. Luke's United Methodist Church in 1955. She leaves behind many special and dear, giving friends and neighbors who will remember her welcoming smile and sparkling blue eyes.

Her parents, brother Warren, and husband Joe, along with treasured aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews and friends were there to welcome her into Lord's Heaven on Sunday, January 25, 2009. Juanita is survived by one brother, Tommy Vaughan, his wife, Jackie and their son Cliff; her three children; Joe King Wallace and JoAnn of San Antonio; Lydia Apollo and John of Adelanto, CA; Sidney Armentrout and Jim of Odessa. She has six grandchildren: Lisa Apollo Chapman and Gregg of Sulphur Springs, TX; John Joseph Apollo and Jenny of Fon du Lac, WI; James Wallace Armentrout of Houston; Julie Katherine Armentrout of San Angelo; Mark David Wallace of New York City, NY; and Karla Crystal Wallace of Houston. She has seven great-grandchildren: Brandon and Kaitlyn Chapman, Domenica and Hannah Apollo; John, Madison, and Dylan James Armentrout and their mother Angelica Minjarez of Big Spring.

Other surviving family members are: her Sister in Law Mrs. Lee Olga Wallace, nephew Jerry Wallace and wife, Kathy and their children Tony and Marissa, of Odessa; her nephews Dr. H. Reginald and Candace McDaniel of Mansfield, TX; Ross and Suzi McDaniel of Ft. Worth, and Warren Ben Vaughan of San Marcos; nieces Dorothy Ann Pollard Martinez and Linda Pollard McBride; cousins Jeannie Brice and Kenneth Tyrrell of Ennis, TX ; Sandra Brice and Phillip Raley of Mansfield, TX; and Trudy McDaniel of Mexia, TX.

She leaves behind special friends Phyllis and Martha Harris, Lee Armentrout, the Ladies of St. Luke's, Eastern Star and the Permian Playhouse, where she worked on costumes for over ten years..

Family and friends are invited to attend visitation at Sunset Memorial Saturday, Jan.31, 2009, from 4:00 until 7:00 p.m. Services will be held at 2:00 p.m., Sunday, February 1, 2009, in the chapel of Sunset Memorial Funeral Home with Pastor Kevin Bushart officiating. Burial will follow at Sunset Gardens. Memorials may be sent to the Shared Ministries Fund, FUSION Youth Fund or the Memorial Fund of St. Luke's UMC, 1601 E. 42nd, Odessa, TX 79762.
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