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December 30, 1941 - August 20, 2006
Jim Davis, 64, of Rockdale died on August 20, 2006 at his home. Rev. Larry Jackson and Ben Kennedy SFFMA Chaplain conducted the funeral service at Phillips & Luckey Funeral Home in Rockdale. Burial was in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Taylor.
Jim was born on December 30, 1941 in Houston. His parents were Wendell Dean and Ellen (Sefcak) Davis. He and Ramona Erdelt were married on October 21, 1983 in Tanglewood. He worked as a Supervisor of Plant Protection at ALCOA in Rockdale for 33 years, retiring in 2003.
He is survived by his wife, Ramona of Rockdale; sons, Brian Davis of Champaign, IL, Trevin Davis of Taylor, Tim Davis and Clint Davis both of Rockdale; daughter, Shannon Taylor of Lexington and a grandson Collin Davis.
Jim was a member of the Rockdale VFD, current past president of State Fireman Fire Marshall Association and had also served as president from 1995 to 1996. He was a member of the Taylor Fire Department from 1962 to 1970 and the Taylor VFD from 1970 to 1981. He was director of ALCOA Corporate Fire School and served as instructor in the school from 1977 to 2003. He was an instructor and project manager of Industrial Fire School at Texas A & M from 1977 to 2005. He loved to play golf.
March 1, 1910 - August 28, 2006
The Rev. Jesse Lunsford went home to be with the Lord on August 28, 2006. He was born in Fort Smith Arkansas on March 1, 1920. He was preceded in death by his wife of thirty-seven years, Ethel Davis Lunsford. In 1974 he was blessed to marry Lois Parker Rowland who also preceded him in death on August 17, 2006.
He is survived by his three sons, Robert Lunsford of Farmington, NM; James Lunsford of Dallas; William Lunsford of Austin; his daughter, Lil D. (Clif) Abshier of Bishop. He is also survived by five grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
Jesse grew up quickly following the death of his father and went to work early without finishing school. By his early twenties he had logged a broad spectrum of life experiences. In his early twenties Jesse answered God’s call to the ministry and immediately turned that passion and intensity into fulfilling his life’s call. He returned to his education by attending San Marcos Baptist Academy, where he graduated and later in life was honored as an Outstanding Alumni. His formal education was concluded as a graduate of Baylor University.
In 1951 God’s call for Jess Lunsford took a new direction. After several years as pastor in Beeville, he was challenged by Laura Booth, a widow in his church, to take her gift of 637 acres and establish a Home to care for the needs of children in South Texas. In 1952, The South Texas Children’s Home was founded. For the last 54 years The South Texas C hildren’s Home has served the needs of thousands of children in Christ’s name and continued to stay true to Lunsford’s vision that it be financed as a Christian ministry without incurring any debt and never taking any government funding.
Jesse retired in 1973 shortly after the death of his wife. In 1974 he married Lois Parker Rowland and the couple began retirement in Victoria, later moving to Heber Springs, AR. Throughout their years in Arkansas, Jess continued to minister in numerous churches and also contributed to child care work in Arkansas. The Lunsfords returned to Texas in 1986 and resided in Lexington for 16 years before moving to Buckner Villa Retirement Community in Austin in 2002.
A memorial service was held in Beeville on September 3, 2006. Memorial gifts may be made to the South Texas Children’s Home, P.O. Box 1210, Beeville, Texas 78104.