Dolores (Dee) Clifton Behringer Purcell Huggins passed away peacefully on Sunday, April 30, 2023. Graveside Services will be at 10:00 A.M., Wednesday, May 31, 2023, at Waco Memorial Park with Pastor Tom Wagner officiating.

Dee was born on June 23, 1942, in Waco, Texas to Evelyn and Willard Clifton, Sr. at Hillcrest Baptist Hospital.  Dee graduated from Waco High School in 1960 and attended Baylor University for 2 years. In 1971 she became a Licensed Realtor and worked for Jim Stewart Realtors in Waco, Texas for 12 years. 

In 1985 in Waco, Texas she met the love of her life Dick Huggins, their love of traveling took them on wonderful cruises to England, London, and Paris, France during their 12 years of marriage. In 1990 they moved to April Sound on Lake Conroe. where she continued her Real Estate career with Pat Anderson Properties for 15 years and then Coldwell Banker United for 15 years.

On September 16, 1996, her life suddenly changed, Dick passed unexpectedly in his sleep. Her decision to remain at Lake Conroe was not an easy one but she had established her Real Estate career with many clients who became her friends and had a strong supporting group to help her through such a difficult time.

Health issues made her decision to hang up her realtor sign “Call Dee to See” In 2018, she moved back home to Waco to be closer to family and special friends. She resided at The Blake at Waco for many years before she passed.

Dee loved dancing, traveling, card games of any kind, and of course; Elvis Presley, she had a room in her home dedicated to Elvis.

She was preceded in death by her parents; brother, Willard Clifton, Jr.; husbands Tony Purcell, and Dick Huggins.

She is survived by her brother, Larry Clifton and wife, Denise of Leroy, Texas; their children, Crystal Rumer and husband, Rick of Richland Hills, Texas, Candyce Perry and Marshal of Richland Hills, Texas, Kamille Beims and husband, Josh of Hillsboro, Texas; sister-in-law, Cindy Clifton of Salado, Texas, her son, Ryon Clifton and wife, Lacey of Salado, Texas; nephew; Mark Clifton and wife, Linda of Dallas, Texas; niece, Stacy Miller and husband, Mark of Dallas, Texas as well and many grand-nieces and grand-nephews.

Melynda Chatham posted the following on Facebook on May 8, 2023:

“The world lost the most wonderful, kindest, gentlest man ever last night.  Charles and I have been married nearly 62 years and we have known and been girlfriend/boyfriend since we were 10 years old.  My heart is shattered and I shall forever miss him…but he is free from the insidious disease of Alzheimer’s and for that I am grateful.  So goodbye, sweet husband,  till we meet again.”

The enduring love story of Charles Chatham and Melynda was featured in the September 2019 issue of the Waco Town Crier.

Mickey Annette Lade Perkins, 80 years old, passed away on August 25, 2022.

She was born in Waco, Texas on March 23,1942 to her proud parents of Otto Rudolf Lade and Evva Isabel Moses Lade.

Mickey graduated Waco High School 1960 from Texas Wesleyan College 1972, Bachelor of Science Elementary Education and from North Texas State University 1984 with Master degree in Public School Administration.

Mickey was married to husband Johnny Perkins on June 17, 2007.

Mickey taught in public school for 15 years. She opened 3 daycare and preschools before buying a turkey farm. Mickey was an adventurous woman riding horses, motorcycles and flying planes. She enjoyed country music, drawing, and writing poetry. Her life was full of pets including: alpacas, birds, cats,dogs, donkey, fish, goats, hamsters, horses, lizards. mice, mules, rabbits, rats, turtles, snakes and spiders

Mickey is survived by her husband Johnny Perkins, brother Don Lade, children, Marie Bishop Peel and Chris and Angie Bishop, Laura and Tommy Roberson, and grandchildren Taylor, Sydney, Beau, Makayla, Adam and Travis, Shawna and Bruce Haynie and their children Matthew and Elliegh, Karen and Dale Ganus and their children Amanda, Meagan and Brittany.

*****
Mickey was an accomplished artist. She did a lot of the artwork in our 45th reunion directory. These were made into 8×10 prints and later these prints were sold to make money for other reunions. Mickey liked acting crazy at times and she attended all the reunions that she possibly could. Here are some pictures of Mickey having fun at different reunions with fellow classmates:

2005 with Charlotte Suttle Kleibrink	2010 with Charlotte Suttle Kleibrink
2010 as Lady Gaga	2010 with hubby, John
2010 with Jack Smith	2010 with Mickey Lady
2010 with Linda Phelps McKee	2010 with Tim Lasseter Latta
2010 with hubby, John	2010 with Gayla Miller Webb and John
2018 with hubby, John	2018 with Betty Leudeker Gatlin and John

   

Margie Featherston of Ovilla passed away peacefully on December 31, 2022 with her daughters and husband by her side.

She was born in Cransfills Gap, TX as the fifth of six children.

She graduated from Waco High School, then moved with her parents to Fort Worth.

She married Jack Featherston and settled in Ovilla where they lived for over forty years. She was a faithful servant who worked at Holy Spirit Catholic Church for over twenty years making an impact on many.

She is survived by husband of 57 years, Jack, daughters Laura Featherston (Debbe Robinson) and Amy Featherston (Paul Gowan) and granddaughter Lucy Ciarochi. Brothers George Picha (Gladys), Albin Picha, and Robert Picha (Jo Ann). Sister Jean Ward and many beloved nieces and nephews.

A note from John Ferguson:
This is to let you know that following a lengthy illness, our dear friend Jim Maxwell died this morning in Santa Fe. There will be no obituary, and funeral plans are private.

For those wishing to send condolences:
Gary McLeod:
100 Rio Vista Place, Apt. 146
Santa Fe, NM 87501

Ernie was born on January 13, 1942, to the late Ernest Franklin Higginbotham and Margaret Helen Higginbotham. He grew up in Waco and graduated from Waco High School in 1960.

After high school he was recruited by Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas to play baseball, then a year later he was recruited by Baylor University in Waco to play baseball for them.

Ernie then joined the Marines on August 1, 1962 and was stationed in San Diego, California.

During this time, he earned numerous badges and other honors.

Ernie left the Marines on May 13, 1968. His discharge certificate was a testimonial of Honest and Faithful service. He was a Marine for Life!

After leaving the Marines he stayed in Southern California for many years and joined the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

Ernie moved back to Houston, Texas in 1985. He started a construction company where he resided until he met Kim, and they moved back to Killeen.

They were married on February 14, 2000.

Ernie was a devoted Texas Longhorn fan, Dallas Cowboys fan, loved boating, Elvis Presley and Mickey Gilley.

Ernie was devoted to his family and loved helping and spending time with them.

He had a wonderful sense of humor, a loving heart, and a warm smile.

Ernie was a loyal husband and friend and will be greatly missed by many who consider themselves blessed to have had him in their lives.

Ernie was the best husband, dad, step-father, and Papa anyone could ever hope for.

Ernie was preceded in death by his parents, Margaret Helen and Ernest Franklin Higginbotham, his brother, Robert Higginbotham.

He is survived by his wife Kimberly, two sons from a previous marriage, Craig and Eric Higginbotham, step-daughter, Tiffany Bralley, and her husband J.D. Bralley; brother, Donald Higginbotham; grandchildren, Hudson Bralley; Ashlee and Amanda Higginbotham; Kyle Higginbotham; as well as several nieces, Lori, Jennifer, Julie and Tanya; and his beloved cats, Sam and Sissy.

Dr. John William Schwetman, 81, of Huntsville, Texas, was born on January 27, 1942 in Boston, Massachusetts and passed peacefully away with his loving family surrounding him on January 12, 2023.

He was the second of three children of Dr. Herbert DeWitt Schwetman and Mary Jean Knight of Waco, Texas.

John graduated from Waco High School in 1960. He received his BA in 1963 and MA in 1965 from Baylor University in Waco; and he received his PhD from The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. He taught many English courses at Central Missouri State College in Warrensburg, Missouri, as he was pursuing his PhD. John moved his family to Huntsville, Texas, in 1972 to accept a position on the faculty at Sam Houston State University. During his 30-year tenure at Sam Houston he enjoyed teaching courses in his specialties of Medieval Literature and Linguistics, as well as many other courses in the department. He traveled to Ireland and England to continue his research on 16th Century Old English War poems, which became the focus of many articles he wrote and presentations he made at professional societies. In addition, he served on the Faculty Senate at Sam Houston and was elected as Faculty Senate Chair. He received the honor of Professor Emeritus upon his retirement. Dr. Schwetman loved teaching and often remarked that if they knew how much he enjoyed it they might not want to pay him! He also was heard to say that if we do not love what we do we should find something that makes us happy and do that. Some of those things John found that made him happy were: taking a group of students on a study abroad to London; writing and publishing in many publications; being a lover of books on every subject; birding internationally and compiling an impressive life-list; and sponsoring the APO Fraternity at SHSU.

One of John’s favorite activities, possibly based in the Boy Scout life, was a 425-mile trip in a canoe with his friends Bill and Tom down the Brazos River from Waco to the mouth of the River in the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, he went around the world with a group of Boy Scouts after a World Jamboree in the Philippines as a teenager. Travel continued to be a part of his life always. John and his wife Jenny traveled extensively from the St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea, to staying in a castle in France, to floating down the Amazon River, to Antarctica and just about everywhere in between, making lifetime friends with fellow travelers. John also combined his love for birds with his love of traveling and spent a great deal of time identifying birds, along with Jenny, in Texas, other states, and around the world. He served as president of the Huntsville Audubon Society and the Texas Ornithological Society. John wore his binoculars like others wear a tie.

Although John loved his career as a professor, his greatest joy was in his family. He and Jenny delighted in bringing up their two daughters with all that encompassed…nature, travel, flying kites and (to the utter dismay of his mother-in-law Hazel) keeping snakes that he used to share knowledge about with schoolchildren as well as adults. He played basketball, Frisbee, and softball with his daughters, and he took them fishing, camping, backpacking, and on snake hunts. He even installed a turning bar and a ballet bar along with a basketball goal. His daughters’ interests became his interests, and he even spent many hours helping to organize a stamp collection into books. John was very supportive of the girls as they participated in the high school band, and he and Jenny delivered a cooler of sodas for the band members after the half-time show at every home game. John and Jenny watched their girls grow up to be university professors just like him. It follows that great happiness came from watching his grandchildren grow to adulthood as he and Jenny took them to faraway places including Africa, Europe, Costa Rica, and the Galapagos Islands. He and Jenny went to every event their grandchildren participated in, including swim meets, dance competitions, school programs, and little league games. He also spent a lot of time reading to them and even helped them with homework.

Professor Emeritus Schwetman was preceded in death by his parents, his sister, Dr. Rosemary Schwetman Alexander, and his sister-law, Nanene Hall Schwetman.

He is survived by his wife of 61 years, who loves him eternally, Jenny Noe Schwetman; his daughters: Sondra Paige Schwetman and her husband, Patrick Williams of California; and Dr. Melinda Schwetman Miller and her husband, R. Marsh Miller, Jr. of Huntsville, TX; his grandchildren: R. Marsh Miller, III, JD and his partner, Garrett King, PA, of Houston; and Melissa Paige Miller, BCBA, of Austin; his brother, Dr. Herbert DeWitt Schwetman, Jr. and his wife, Anne Greenway of Austin; his brother-in-law, Dr. William P. Alexander III, and many cousins, nieces, nephews, friends, and former students whose lives were enriched by the experience of knowing him.

The family would like to thank our Pastor, Dr. Craig King, caregivers Pat Oliphant, Maye Ross, and others for their loving care, and also the kind ICU nurses and doctors at HMH and Memorial Hermann, The Woodlands.

Grover Newton Rogers, 80, of Waco, passed away on Friday, November 4, 2022. A Memorial Service will be 11am, Wednesday, November 9th, 2022 with Rev. Robyn Ford officiating. A time of visitation beginning at 10 am both at Grace Gardens Funeral Home. Inurnment will follow at Waco Memorial Park.

Grover was born in Atlanta, Georgia on March 19, 1942 to John and Claris Martin Rogers. Growing up in Waco, he was a 1960 graduate of Waco High School. Grover married his high school sweetheart, Sandra Watson. He was the owner of Carroll and Rogers Office Machines. An avid racer, he raced anything with wheels, such as go carts, motorcycles, top fuel dragsters, and funny cars. He also built and flew airplanes. Grover could build anything, his mind for mechanics was unmatched.

Grover was preceded in death by his parents.

Left to cherish his memories are his beloved wife of 58 years, Sandra; son, Marc and wife, Laura; grandchildren, Sarah Dodge and husband Michael, Jacob, Caleb, Noah; sisters, Susan McKay, Nancy Vordokas; brother, John; and his lifelong friend, Dale Breedlove.

The family wishes to express a fond thank you to Veronica Arrington and the staff of St. Anthony’s Care Center for the loving care given to Grover.

In Lieu of flowers, please consider donations to Bruceville – Eddy Methodist Church or the First Baptist Church of Hewitt.